Monkey Games
By Vince Coyner
Chapter 7. Aislado
The moment she arrived on the island she didn’t really care why she had been called upon to do this job. The ocean breeze blew across the door as she emerged from the plane. As she stepped down the stairs Jonathan and Sebring greeted her. The resemblance to Alex was startling. Alex was not a stunningly attractive man in the fashion model sense, but his face had crisp, sharp features and piercing eyes of an almost unnatural sky blue. He had a presence that one could spot from across the room, and although he did not speak a great deal, when he did people always listened. It was the self-assuredness and confidence that comes with being a self made man. Although Alex would be the first to tell you he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he knew that such a start was no guarantee of success. He had exponentially increased the value of the trust left to him by his grandfather to a point where it was now worth more than 100 times the combined value of the trusts left to everyone else in his family. While the self-assuredness was always there, Laura never saw it take the form of arrogance.
It was obvious that Jonathan had that same self-assuredness, albeit with a smile. He almost looked like a circa 1960 Alexander standing before her. Not that she had known Alex then, but she had seen pictures. During the flight she read the information Albert had provided her on Jonathan. He had lived on the island for the last 18 years since he was a baby. He was born with an infinitely rare birth defect that would not allow him exposure to germs of any sort for any extended period of time. Laura felt sad when she read of his condition and the fact that other than Sebring, he had lived alone with no one his own age for such a long time. He was truly a “Boy in the Plastic Bubble” except that his plastic bubble was an island paradise. It struck her as strange that someone with unlimited resources such as Alex would not prefer to have his son someplace much closer, or at least to visit him. When she thought about it however, it really didn’t surprise her that much. Alex never ever talked about his family. He never married. He never had any children, or so they had been led to believe, and he never had any pets. All of those things were distractions that Alex neither needed nor wanted. While there was a constant parade of beautiful women on his arm, he never allowed any of them to stay for very long. Once they were beginning to feel comfortable Alexander would decide that the relationship was over so that there would be no ties. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like Alex. Actually, Laura always thought the strangest thing about Alexander was not that he was so oblique, that he seemed to have no emotional connection to the world and people around him, but that such a man would give away hundreds of millions of dollars away annually for charities and research that would help so many people. Then she thought about it from a business perspective and it made perfect sense. By funding research across the planet, Alexander Resources bought itself a great deal of goodwill with recipient governments while at the same time putting itself in legal position to take first advantage of any discoveries made with its help. Laura considered herself a pretty good judge of character and now that she thought about it, after working for Alex for more than five years she could honestly say that she really had no idea of what drove him.
Whatever the history between Alex and Jonathan, or more accurately, the lack of one, it seemed as if this accident had caused Alexander to want to make things right. Jonathan was being taken to La Playa Arena not only to meet Alex, but also to receive a treatment that might cure his condition. The report said that the process was rather complicated, but the fundamental idea behind it was a transfusion that would use Alex’s blood to “jumpstart” Jonathan’s immune system. Alexander Resources had spent decades studying the phenomena of blood and organ rejection and a big part of that was analysis of the host body’s immune system reactions. Some months prior to the accident they discovered that a new gene manipulation technology, when combined with a “filtering” of blood held great promise for curing Jonathan’s immune disorder. The scientists had were certain it would be effective from the start, but Alex had not been able to make his way out to the La Playa Arena in order to undergo the transfusion. Unfortunately that delayed the procedure because both men had to be literally within feet of one another for the process to work. Essentially there would be two tubes attached between the men and a pump would cycle blood between them for a period of about three hours. At the end of that three-hour period all of Jonathan’s blood would have passed through Alex’s circulatory system. That process, supplemented by the genetically manipulated drug would give Jonathan a proper white / red blood cell balance. This would allow his immune system to begin with a clean slate, which should then develop into a normal, properly functioning immune system within a few months. Again it struck Laura as odd that Alexander had not been able to clear his schedule during the past six months in order to allow this procedure to take place. Nonetheless, although the current conditions were not perfect, it seemed to Laura that it was good that Jonathan was getting his chance for a cure now. Luckily the damage from the accident was limited and Alex’s circulatory and pulmonary system were working just fine. In what seemed to Laura to be a particularly gallant gesture, Albert said that Alex was adamant about this procedure taking place immediately. In case there was a problem with his recovery, Alex did not want Jonathan to miss this opportunity to live a normal life.
Laura arrived on Aislado on Friday. Her plane landed just as a ferocious storm was moving towards La Playa Arena. The main area of the storm was going to pass to the south, but the northernmost part of it was going to pass right over La Playa Arena. She and Jonathan were originally supposed to leave as soon as she arrived, but now they would likely leave Sunday. Time was not critical as Alexander and Albert weren’t going to leave Paris until Saturday and would not arrive on La Playa Arena until Sunday themselves. When she called Albert and explained the situation he was not happy but he knew that with 120-MPH winds it was much too dangerous to make the flight in such conditions. He told her to relax and he would see her on Sunday.
As she stepped from the plane to greet Jonathan and Sebring the first thought that went through her mind was oddness of the fact that someone so sick and fragile could fill out a shirt so well. It immediately seemed strange to her that someone with such a weak immune system could be in such obviously tremendous shape. And it was a tremendous shape. Six foot two, long brown hair and a body somewhere between Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger. From all appearances she was sure he could not have been in better shape if he had been sculpted by Michelangelo.
Standing right beside Jonathan was Sebring, who, as Albert had suggested, was not the most gregarious person in the world. Actually, subdued probably would have been a step up. He was however quite courteous and helpful. He too was obviously in great shape, although the shape of a fit 75-year-old man differed tremendously from that of a 20-year-old, she could nonetheless see he took care of himself.
“Ms. Stenton, nice to meet you” “Thank you. It’s Sebring isn’t it?” “It is, Ma’am”. “Please, call me Laura” she said, gently grasping his hand in both of hers. “And you must be Jonathan” she said. “Indeed I am.” Jonathan said with a smile. “It’s very nice to meet you.” “Please, let me take your bag” Sebring said. “Would you like to come this way please.” Beckoned Jonathan as he turned and gestured toward the road that would lead to the cottage a quarter mile away. “How was your trip?” he asked as the headed down the road. “Long, but otherwise quite pleasant actually” Laura replied. “I’m rather sure that King Tut would have been happy to have been buried in that plane” “Well, hopefully neither of us will meet him anytime soon to ask” Jonathan quipped. “You know, this will be the first time I’ve ever been in a plane, or at least since I was a baby” “Are you anxious?” Laura asked. “I am. Actually excited would probably be a little more accurate. I’m familiar with the physics behind flying, but I’m sure that actually doing it is going to be a lot more exciting.” “Well, I’m not at all familiar with the physics behind flying, but I can tell you, it can be pretty exciting sometimes. You’ll see. I never stop being amazed at looking down on clouds.”
Still standing at the foot of the ramp, Sebring greeted the pilot as he stepped from the plane; “How are you Jack?” “Not too bad, but I’m glad we’ve got to stick around a couple of days. I need to recover from three days in Barcelona.” “More like three nights if I know you” Sebring said, smiling. “You’re right, it took Albert two days to track me down. I wasn’t planning on making this trip.” “Well, we’re glad to have you my friend” Sebring said as the two turned to head towards the cottage.
“Here we are then,” Jonathan said to Laura, gesturing to the cottage. “Cottage” was a rather humble characterization. It was actually quite large, spreading out over 8,000 square feet. It had been built as a retreat by Ameil Houte, a 1930’s California oil baron and it very much looked the part. It was one of two he had built. The second was built some years later and was basically the fruit of an extortion from his second wife. She had so fallen in love with the “Cottage” on Aislado that it was at the top of the list of demands that must be met before she would agree to a divorce. Given that his fortune was forged from businesses that were in some corners (particularly government corners) considered as being “extra-legal,” he knew it was to his benefit to solve this problem without a great deal of publicity. He therefore agreed to give her the “Cottage” and decided to build an identical one for himself on an island about 175 miles away called El volcán. Laura looked at the cottage and thought to herself that it looked both out of place and a natural fit at the same time, with a red ceramic tiled roof that seemed more appropriate for a Tuscan villa and windows big enough that they almost blurred the line between inside and out.
Standing there looking at the cottage Laura was sure she would enjoy her brief stay in paradise. Unfortunately, in her haste she hadn’t remembered to re-repack her bag and so everything she had was more appropriate for slopes covered with white snow than beaches made of white sand. Fortunately however the room in which she was staying had a few clothes that were appropriate for the climate. She was a little surprised that there were a couple of drawers full of women’s clothes but she was happy they were there. She tried a couple of things on until she found something that fit. “Good” she said as she nodded to herself in the mirror.
Later that evening at dinner Laura explained to Jonathan and Sebring that they were going to La Playa Arena for a treatment it was hoped would repair Jonathan’s immune system. Both were overwhelmed when she told them that the doctors expected that within six months Jonathan’s immune system would be functioning normally and that he would be able to go anywhere. She found she had to consciously keep herself from mentioning Alexander’s name a couple of times because it seemed so integral to the reason she was there. But as Albert had said that Jonathan didn’t know anything about Alex, she didn’t want to end up in the middle of a discussion she knew nothing about. She still thought it was a little strange however. After dinner Laura was not sure who was more full of questions; her, being interested in the life of a young man who had never been off his small island, or him, as Laura was the first woman he had ever met who was not either sticking him with a needle or providing him with something far more pleasurable. Laura was dumbstruck when Jonathan casually mentioned Maria and the other young women who had visited him on the island. Frankly, after reading his biography on the plane she almost expected that he had never met anyone in his life but doctors. In an almost puzzling way she found it fascinating that someone brought up without the standard Western mores looked at sex in such a fundamentally biological way, without even a hint of judgment for either himself or the women who had been brought to visit him. Not that he didn’t express some kind of feelings for the young ladies, because he did, particularly Maria, but there was a lack of an understanding that sex occurs most often in the context of an emotional relationship. The fact that such relationships did not exist for him, and that he didn’t seem to understand that something might be missing made it clear to Laura that Jonathan did not grasp the truly unique nature of his situation. Nonetheless, as they talked and talked and talked she was amazed by his gentleness, his depth and his passion for ideas. It surprised her to admit to herself that she had somehow expected his growing up almost alone on this island would have caused him to be a beast. She was sure she couldn’t have been more wrong if she tried to argue that the earth was flay.
In addition to being a physical god, he was also as well read as anyone she had ever known. The house had a library that would have put many schools to shame. And Jonathan had read most of the books in it. While he was very well read, he did not have a particularly firm grasp on the wonders of the latter half of the 20th century. This paradise was an island in more ways than one. While he read voraciously, he had never seen a television set, never been in a car and had never used a computer. He was not ignorant that such things existed, they simply did not exist on his island. Frankly, having never experienced them he had no notion that he was missing things that seemed so important in the rest of the world. The more Laura discovered about Jonathan, the more she became confused about Alexander. Why did he buy this island with this lavish house for his son, and then never visit him? Never. Nor have a single bit of contact with him? Particularly since Alexander had sufficient resources even twenty years ago to provide him with an appropriately sterile environment anywhere he might have wanted to. And now, with Alex in such bad shape, why was it so important for him to meet Jonathan to meet him now? Was he really trying to make up for a lifetime of neglect or had he, a self-proclaimed atheist finally found God? Then there was the question of why didn’t Jonathan know about Alexander? Frankly, Laura was fairly sure there must have been more to this story than she was being told, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. There were too many questions and this was probably not the right time to play Sherlock Holmes.
The next morning after breakfast Jonathan promised to show Laura around the island. She was amazed by its beauty. The sunrise was beyond a doubt the most beautiful she had ever seen. With braided hues of purple and orange hiding behind and then bursting through the reeds of clouds, it was like a Jackson Pollock canvas come to life. Jonathan spent the morning showing her his world. The mountain at the center of the island was in reality a long dormant volcano, standing watch over that which it had spawned above the waterline. Wonderful fruits such as coconuts, mangos and pomegranates were ubiquitous and there seemed to be a million different kinds of plants and flowers, most of which she had never seen.
They returned to the cottage for a lunch of rice and crab just before noon. Laura decided she needed to lay down and rest as Paradise could be exhausting, particularly given that she had been flying for most of the last two days. After a couple of hours of sleep in the lazy warmth of the day, Sebring told Laura that she could find Jonathan in the open air gym that lay about 500 feet from the house. Although her approach was almost silent, it was not intentional. She subconsciously slowed her steps as she arrived, not able to make out the rustling sound that grew louder as she approached. When she arrived at the edge of the gym she stood for an unknown number of minutes, compelled with fascination watching the most beautiful male body she had ever seen. Jonathan, oblivious to her presence, was doing stretching and balancing exercises as if he had been drawn from the ranks of Cirque du Soleil. As he moved effortlessly across the mat in the middle of the room Laura could not help but notice the rippling muscles of his chest, back and arms. It very much reminded her of a time when she was a little girl and would visit one of her uncles at his ranch in Texas. She would watch her aunt’s thoroughbred walk around their corral. It was as if God had finally found the perfect combination of beauty, strength and grace and poured them all into that majestic animal. Although he was rarely in the winner’s circle at the racetrack, for Laura that horse was as most perfect example of the beauty of nature she had ever seen. Until now.
While it was immediately obvious that Jonathan was in good shape from the moment he met her at the airstrip, she had no idea how good until now. Wearing only a pair of knee length cotton pants, his upper body was exposed for all of its breathtaking beauty. As she stood admiring his demonstration, she couldn’t help but feel like she was 15 again. As her sandal slipped from her bent left leg, it hit the floor with a crash whose effect was far greater than the sound that it actually made. Immediately Jonathan stopped and looked at her. Flustered and startled by the sound of her own shoe, Laura felt like a girl caught staring at the boy across the room with a pencil in her mouth. Jonathan smiled and beckoned her to come into the room. Room of course being a relative concept; in this case the room was in reality a thatch roof over a 1000 sq. ft. floor. The construction was actually masterful, with four posts on each side supporting the roof without a weight-bearing pole in sight. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” “No, no, please come in, “ he said, waving again for her to come in. “You’re very good,” she said. “That is a style of Chinese Kenpo Kata is it not?” she asked. Much in the way a play can be interpreted differently by different directors, in martial arts most instructors introduce unique elements into their katas, which are structured sequences of movements intended to train specific actions or reactions and improve coordination and discipline. Elements can be added or subtracted depending on the training objective, but typically the fundamental building blocks remain the same. Many of the elements she had just watched Jonathan execute she had never seen in twenty years of studying, but she was certain it was Kenpo. “Actually it is” Jonathan said. Although I must admit I have mixed things from other disciplines. Sebring requires me to practice them separately, but when I’m alone I mix them.” “Well, they work well together.” “Do you study?” he asked, referring to the martial arts. “Yes, but I must admit I have not done much working out for the last couple of years.” “Well” he said with a wry smile, “you look like you’re in pretty good shape to me.” Realizing that she was almost blushing, Laura sputtered out “Thank you.” Wanting to quickly change the subject before she turned completely red, she said “You promised to take me to the lagoon this afternoon.” “Yes I did. Would you like to go now? “I’d love to” she said. He grabbed his shirt and they were off.
As they approached the lagoon Laura was mesmerized. Lying at the base of small waterfall that was the result of a unique freshwater spring, it shimmered like a pool with a mirror on its bottom. “Breathtaking” she said. “Wait till you get to the top” Jonathan said as he bounded up the side of the rocks until he was standing atop the ledge where the waterfall began. The ledge was not high, only about 15 feet above the surface but its view was spectacular.... Standing at the top like a master surveying his land, Jonathan reached out to give Laura a hand up. She looked at him with a feigned disgust as she climbed up next to him and smiled. “You were right, this is spectacular. How deep is the water down there?” she said as she pointed to the crystal clear water directly below them. The bottom of the lagoon was like the optical illusion one sees when flying above clouds, where they seem so close but you really have no idea how far away they really are. She could see the sandy ridges on the bottom, but from the ledge she couldn’t tell if the water was 10-ft or 50-ft deep. “I’m not sure.” Jonathan said “I’ll find out” He looked over at Laura and smiled and suddenly arched forward into a perfect dive, right into the glistening water below. Startled, Laura followed his path until he hit the water. She thought it could not have been more perfect had he been competing in Acapulco. She stared at the rippling water, unable to see exactly where he had gone. “I’d say about twenty feet” she heard him say. She looked up and he had surfaced in the middle of the lagoon beyond the spray of the waterfall. “I’m not certain though, you might want to check for yourself,” he said with a smile as he treaded water.
After some feigned hesitancy Laura dove in herself. She knew it was probably not the best dive of her life but in this particular case function was more important than form. She swam down to the bottom and ran her fingers through the sand and let it fall through her fingers. She then looked towards the surface and could see Jonathan’s silhouette against the afternoon sky. The water was crystal clear. She swam along the bottom of the lagoon until it she was behind him. She surfaced about ten feet behind him and announced with no clue of what the truth was “Actually, I think it is closer to twenty one feet.” “Really?” he said as he slowly spun himself around to face her. “Yea, I think your gauge is a little off,” she said. “Well, I don’t know about that,” he said as he kicked his legs slightly so that he was moving slowly towards her. “I think maybe its your gauge that’s a little off” he continued. Laura began moving away from him, but she made sure that she was moving more slowly away than he was approaching. Soon enough the distance between them shrank until Jonathan was close enough to reach out and pull her close. Laura knew that this might not be the smartest thing she had ever done career-wise, but it felt more right than anything she had done in the last twenty years.
After an afternoon of passion at the bottom of the waterfall, Jonathan took Laura to watch the most brilliant sunset she was sure had ever existed. Suddenly, like a schoolgirl, she was imagining all of the possibilities that existed once Jonathan’s treatment was complete. Not that she would have minded for a second staying on the island with him forever, but she knew that there were so many things in the world to show him that she couldn’t wait to get started. She knew it was ridiculous to let her mind wander like that, after just a day, but she couldn’t bring herself to reign it in. What would Alexander think? She still thought it was very unusual that he had never seen his son, but the simple fact that he had spent as much money over such a period of two decades keeping him on this very well appointed island meant that he must have some expectations for him. She decided that Alexander must not know anything about this. As they began to leave the lagoon, Laura grabbed Jonathan’s hand. “Sweetheart” she heard herself say instinctively, which struck her as odd, both because it felt so appropriate and because she had not used the word in longer than she could remember. Turning towards her, Jonathan said “Yes?” knowing that she was using a term of endearment, although he had never heard the word before. “We can’t tell anyone about this” she said in a sweeping motion back towards the lagoon, suggestive of what had just happened between them.” “Why...” Jonathan started to say. Putting her finger to his lips, she shook her head and said “Not Sebring, not Jack, not anyone on La Playa Arena. Not for a while at least. Honestly, I don’t exactly know why myself but I just have a feeling that she shouldn’t mention anything.” She held both his hands now and asked “OK?” “OK” he said with a smile as he leaned down to give her another kiss. They stood there wrapped around one another for what seemed like forever, but in a good way. If that’s what she wants, then she would get no argument from him.
When they arrived back at the compound, arrangements were already being made for the next day’s trip. Jack would fly Laura and Jonathan out in the afternoon after the storm had safely passed La Playa Arena. They would leave at about two. Sebring would stay on Aislado until Tuesday when Jack returned to pick him up and bring him over. Sebring would have liked to travel with Jonathan and Laura but needed to stay because Albert was having some medical equipment brought to the island. Once he returned home, Jonathan would need a great deal of monitoring to evaluate the procedure’s progress. As Aislado did not have the appropriate machines, they were being delivered on Monday. Albert was having a full diagnostic laboratory sent in and set up. They were getting a blood analysis machine, a refractomerer, a molecular microscope, a centrifuge and a number of other machines. In addition to the equipment itself, Albert was having a satellite data transmitter installed so that the data could be sent back to La Playa Arena for real-time analysis. Albert needed Sebring there to instruct the installation crew as to where he wanted the equipment placed. A technician would be arriving with the installation team to ensure that everything was in working order before everyone left. Once Jonathan returned to Aislado, a doctor and a technician would come to the island every other week to run the tests and evaluate his progress. After two months they should be able to make a determination as to whether or not the procedure was going to be a success. If the data indicated Jonathan’s immune system was not making progress at that point there were a number of options that could be pursued, but Albert had said that everyone involved was confident it was going to be successful.
This was going to be the first time Jonathan had been off the island for as long as he could remember. He was not enthusiastic about leaving Sebring behind but knowing that he was to follow in a couple of days gave him some relief. Jonathan would be on La Playa Arena for about a week before he returned to Aislado. Although the treatment was expected to be complete at that point, he had been told that it would have to remain on the island for six months to ensure that if it was unsuccessful or took longer than expected for his immune system to get to full strength, he would be in no danger. Once his system was pronounced healthy, it would be safe for him to leave. Once he was cleared to leave, he could go anywhere he wanted and he planned on visiting all of those places he had read about. Although he didn’t mention it to her or anyone else at the table, more than anything he wanted Laura to share those experiences with him.
Later that night, after everyone had said goodnight and gone to bed, Jonathan went over to Laura’s room, which was almost it’s own separate bungalow on the other side of the pool, connected to the cottage by semi-open air hallway. Although she had expected him, she had nodded off to sleep. He stood there marveling at her as she lay there so still. The sheet traced the outline of her shape like sand on a body that had been rolling in the surf. Lying halfway on her side and halfway on her stomach, her silhouette was like dunes on the beach that flowed with subtle grace. He crawled onto the bed next to her and slowly pulled the sheet away. Inch by inch as he pulled the sheet down the length of her body a little bit more of her nearly perfect body came into his view. Laura had always kept herself in great shape and Jonathan could not take his eyes off her. Between martial arts and swimming she would have been hard pressed to be in better shape had she been a professional athlete, yet she remained unmistakably feminine. When the sheet was finally gone Jonathan couldn’t help himself. One hand started at her neck and the other at her feet and he lightly covered every contour and curve in between. Feeling a chill from both the light breeze and Jonathan’s touch Laura awoke and rolled onto her back to face him as he sat on the bed looking down at her. Smiling, she closed her eyes as Jonathan left no part of her body untouched.
While he had been with other women since Maria had first come to visit him, Jonathan had never known this powerful feeling which now overtook him. Although he had known Laura only for a day and a half, he felt like he had somehow been raised to be in her arms. Just laying there as he was, wrapped around her, he felt as if she knew everything his mind was thinking. Making love to her was so far beyond the pleasure of anything he had ever experienced, it almost made every other experience in his life seem like a mirage. He didn’t know how, but he knew that he wanted to be with her more than he had wanted anything in the world, and he was going to figure out a way for that to happen, regardless of how successful this treatment might be. At some point he drifted off to sleep with Laura’s hair covering his face like a wonderful sleeping mask.
Waking a little after midnight, Laura was sure she was crazy. Here she was, letting her mind wonder and wander down paths that had suddenly emerged from a chaotic situation driven by this Adonis in whose arms she was now lying. It was crazy on so many levels. At forty-two she was more than twice his age. Although he was as well read and as smart as anyone she had ever met, he was still like a babe in the woods. Everything he knew about the world had come from books or stories, and there was so much he would have to explore. Yes, she would love to show him the world but wouldn’t he want to explore it on his own? Adding to the confusion is the strange relationship or lack thereof, between he and his father. Jonathan obviously meant enough to Alexander to cause him to support him in a rather unusual and expensive way for twenty years, and now, despite their never meeting before, Alexander wanted to see him right now when he might be near death himself. It didn’t make a great deal of sense, but she knew that things didn’t always make sense, particularly with someone as enigmatic and reticent as Alex. She remembered the time his Goddaughter Linda came to Paris for vacation. He had assistants running around for three weeks planning the visit and making sure that everything would be perfect. Then, when she finally arrived, he barely spoke to her and spent less than half a day with her over the entire two-week period. She ended up seeing everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre and the chateau at Fontainebleau, which was right around the corner from South Centre, with various assistants and their families.
Laura knew she couldn’t figure all of this out right now, and besides all she wanted to do was to relax in the Jonathan’s arms. She was going to enjoy this moment and would think about tomorrow, tomorrow. She turned to face the sleeping Jonathan and she was sure that if there were indeed such things as angels, she was wrapped up in the arms of one right now. As she pulled him closer he awoke. He looked down at her auburn hair and was amazed at the way it seemed to almost glow in the light of the moon. He pulled her on top of him and kissed her breast as he ran his fingers through her hair. Soon sweat covered their bodies and it was hard to tell where one stopped and the other started. Finally Laura slumped down on his chest as they clung to one another as their hearts beat in an almost perfect unison. They fell asleep wrapped together as one, from their clasped hands to their intertwined legs and everything in between. They fit together like the final two pieces of a puzzle that only matched one another and in doing so the universe was made whole.
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