WEBVTT

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The heat of the southwest desert clung to

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the rocks long after the sun began its

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slow, majestic descent.

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Elina wiped the sweat from her brow, her

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boots crunching softly against the arid soil as

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she reached the precipice.

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Before her, the vast canyon opened up like

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a gaping wound of ancient earth,

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its detailed strata of layered red rock catching

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the final, fiery blaze of daylight.

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Deep below, the winding river traced a silver

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ribbon through the darkening abyss, whispering secrets to

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the canyon walls.

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As the sun dipped lower, long, deep shadows

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stretched across the canyon floor,

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swallowing the sagebrush and painting the towering cliffs

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in hues of violet and burnt orange.

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The dramatic sky overhead shifted from bruised purple

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to brilliant amber, a masterpiece of fire and

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dusk.

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Elina closed her eyes and took a deep

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breath, inhaling the scent of dust and cooling

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stone.

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The wilderness was vast and indifferent, yet standing

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at the edge of the world as night

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bled into the desert, she felt entirely at

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home.