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The air smelled of salt. sun -warmed sand.

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and overripe mangoes.

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Maya dropped her woven canvas bag onto the

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powder -soft shore.

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letting out a long breath she hadn't realized

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she'd been holding since the mainland ferry.

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Here. at the edge of the tropical lagoon.

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time didn't just slow down.

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It dissolved entirely.

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Around her. a crescent of brilliant white sand

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curved into the shallows.

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meeting water so vividly turquoise it looked almost

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electric against the afternoon glare.

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A gentle summer breeze swept through the canopy

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overhead.

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causing the towering palm trees to sway in

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a slow. rhythmic dance.

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their emerald fronds rustling like whispered secrets.

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Maya kicked off her canvas shoes and stepped

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into the water.

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The ripples of the shallow waves were bathtub

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warm. lapping softly against her ankles.

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Beneath the surface. the crystal clear water was

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so transparent.

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she could watch tiny silver fish dart over

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ripples of golden sand cast by the sun.

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As the sun began its slow descent. the

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atmosphere shifted.

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The glaring daylight melted into a rich. warm

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golden hourlight.

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painting the entire bay in amber and rose.

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The fronds of the palms caught the amber

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rays. turning them to spun copper.

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Maya waded in deeper until the water reached

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her waist.

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leaning back to float effortlessly.

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Gazing up at the painted sky through the

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silhouetted palm leaves.

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she knew she had finally found the paradise

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she had been chasing.