WEBVTT

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The summer air was thick and heavy. smelling

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faintly of salt water. fried dough. and blooming

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night jasmines.

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Leo adjusted the strap of his canvas bag

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as he stepped onto the wooden pier. his

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sneakers

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clicking against the weathered. detailed wood texture of

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the planks beneath his feet.

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All around him. the bustling waterfront pier hummed

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with the energy of a hundred weekend

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wanderers.

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Just beyond the guardrails. the harbor waters were

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eerily calm. acting as a dark mirror

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for the spectacle playing out above. Tied securely

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to the pylons. a cluster of colorful

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moored boats bobbed gently in the invisible swells.

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their hulls painted in vibrant shades

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of cobalt. crimson. and sun -bleached yellow.

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Inside a nearby wooden skiff. a string of

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fairy lights cast a warm. golden glow over

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a couple sharing a quiet laugh.

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Further inland. the annual summer festival was in

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full swing.

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Leo walked toward the shore. the festival lights

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twinkling behind the silhouettes of

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old brick warehouses like fallen stars caught in

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the rigging.

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The night illumination painted the urban harbor in

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neon strokes of magenta and electric blue.

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casting long. wavering reflections across the ripples.

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He bought a cup of crushed ice and

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lemon from a cart glowing with lanterns. watching

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the

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crowd swirl past.

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In the heart of the humid night. surrounded

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by laughter and the hum of the city.

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Leo felt

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the quiet magic of the waterfront wrap around

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him like a second skin.