WEBVTT

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The afternoon air smelled of baked earth and

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crushed pollen.

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Clara sat on the splintered wood of the

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front porch,

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her bare feet tucked against the lowest slat

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of the weathered fence.

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Before her, the countryside stretched out in a

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magnificent, rolling expanse of green and gold,

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undulating toward the horizon like the swell of

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a tranquil sea.

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Surrounding the old farmhouse, a sea of sunflowers

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stood at attention.

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Thousands of heavy, golden heads bowed slightly in

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the warm summer breeze,

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their faces locked in a timeless gaze toward

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the descending sun.

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They were taller than Clara, a dense, rustling

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labyrinth of yellow petals and dark,

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seed -heavy centers that buzzed softly with the

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lazy hum of late -day bees.

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This was the rhythm of July in the

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valley, slow, deliberate,

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and painted in strokes of brilliant blue and

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amber.

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Above the farmhouse, the sky was an unbroken

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canopy of azure,

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unmarred by even a wisp of cloud.

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The warmth of the sunlight soaked deep into

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the timber of the walls,

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releasing a rich, comforting scent of pine resin

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and old history.

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Clara wiped a bead of sweat from her

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forehead with the back of her wrist and

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smiled.

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Down the dirt road, the distant silhouette of

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a neighbor's tractor kicked up a faint plume

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of dust,

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but here, inside the golden embrace of the

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sunflower fields, time simply refused to move.

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As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows

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across the rolling hills

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and setting the farmhouse aglow in a brilliant,

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fiery halo,

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she leaned back against the screen door and

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let out a long, contented breath.

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Summer had finally arrived, and there was nowhere

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else on earth she would rather be.