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Raya saved the fairy kingdom and the mine shaft movement from Ganon and his descendant, Daneeva. Now, she finds that she has to put off reviving her ancestors and searching for the tri-force. The Ruling Council is preparing to take unorthodox measures to eliminate the mine shaft and annihillate the members. If they succeed, all will be lost, and Ganon will rule the world.
Worse, Raya's mother could be in danger. Raya will find out the true intentions of the council, and fight the leader. She must avert a disaster or everyone in Mine Shaft will suffer.
Meanwhile, two young fairies, guided by a mysterious voice, will sneak into enemy lines and may well determine the outcome of the war.
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Raya was growing restless. She had heard news from one of the trolls that the Council was assembling an offensive and preparing to attack the Mine-shaft anytime. That worried her. She had just saved the people from the Dragmires, only to find that an even bigger threat loomed overhead.
They had sent a fairy scout a few days after Ganon was destroyed to see what kind of weapons were being manufactured, and the security of the factories and the Council chamber. What the scout came back with was disturbing. The Council chamber had been fitted with anti-aircraft weapons and every building of importance was filled to the top with assault droids. There were also enemy aircraft seen around Hyrule. Some of the passenger aircraft were even being used to hold weapons. The time of peace had come to an abrupt end.
Marin, as usual, was hanging around the district's cloning center, trolling for potential allies. Now that the councel was preparing to attack, she had to work overtime, and she had to recruit new trolls. This meant that the gardens and livestock would have to be attended by the fairies and children. Business would basically be slowed down to a crawl.
Raya slashed at a holographic droid. It sparked and exploded. Then she turned around to see a soldiar carrying a laser rifle. The soldiar fired a blast at her, which she deflected with her sword. A blast from her sword knocked it out of action. Another soldiar appeared, then more. Raya jumped up, causing two of them to fire at each other and vaporize themselves. Ha! She thought, that Roc's feather sure came in handy.
The Roc's feather was one of the gifts the fairies gave her. Not only did it make her jump and run fast, but it also gave her extra dextarity, so she was a pro with the sword.
She spun around, cutting the soldiars in half. Then came a walking tank, which hadn't been used since the wars of 12000. She slid under it with ease and sliced the underside, where the engine was. Then she got out of the way as the tank collapsed. Then it disappeared along with the droids and soldiars.
"Duty calls."
It was Marin. Raya had promised to take over the trolling detail while she took a break. Even when war was imminent, the trolls needed rest.
"Ok." Raya panted.
She put on the green dress-suit that the fairies made for her. It was a modified version of what Link wore, and a robe that could be worn while sparring.
She took her sword, pegasus boots, and a couple of bombs. She may need them. And she made sure that she had plenty of magic powder, just in case she encountered some droid commandos. They weren't used for centuries, but they could make a come back.
Dom, the fairy who received the telepathic message from the queen, wanted to come along, but his parents insisted that he stay. They didn't want him to put himself in a potentially dangerous situation.
"Good bye." he said, as Raya left the palace, which was fitted with holo-emitters for the combat simulations. Dom was made honorary prince for his role in saving the queen, but he still had to stay in mine shaft, go to school, and eat his vegetables. There were a few upsides, though. He could have all the junk food he wanted after dinner. And he could stay up late and watch the holovid. But he wanted to see what it looked like above-ground. He would just have to wait until he grew up.
Raya walked through the sewer, which she hadn't seen for almost a year. It stank, but she just closed her nose and breathed through her mouth. Her ears twitched nervously at the loud squeeks of the rats and bats that frequented the sewers. At least there weren't any alligators today.
She peered out of the grate. The sun was so bright, though the district was shielded from the ultraviolet rays. The place looked so sterile and colorless compared to the mine shaft. She broadcasted the signal on a radio band that was now virtually unknown, FM. The trolls from all over the world, mostly in Hyrule and Calatia, moved into position. Raya's station was the cloning center, where she was to hang around and try to recruit young adults. Other trolls hung around the arcade and rec-center, or at any public place where young adults would hang after school or work.
Raya walked down the street and tried to ignore the stares from the people. A little girl about Dom's age ran up to her and kicked her.
"You stupid trolls and the Mine Shafts are gonna die!" the girl snapped.
The girl's mother picked her up and carried her away from Raya, giving her a deadly stare. Trolling wasn't going to be easy, Raya thought. Tensions were building between the two factions, even though there was no official communication between them for millenia. The mine shaft and the trolls were viewed as a minor annoyance, but things had changed in those five months. There was tension in the atmosphere, and potential for deaths.
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Back at the house, Raya's mother felt uneasy. Something wasn't right. Nervously, she looked out the window.
"Oh, no..."
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In the cloning center, no one would give Raya a seat, so she sat on the floor. Then someone said that that was her friend's spot, and not some troll's. Almost everyone claimed a spot on the floor, until Raya decided to stand.
One oriental girl spoke up: "You can sit here."
She got up from her seat and let Raya sit there, but the older woman next to her put her legs on the chair. Another girl with red hair and freckles volunteered her seat, but that too was promptly taken. This went on for hours, and Raya got no seats, but seventeen followers. Ray and her new followers then made a break for it and headed for the sewer.
Some of the girls balked, but then they just covered their noses and climbed down the hole. They all managed to avoid detection, but they didn't know how long they would be safe in the caves. They found the people there to be surprisingly kind. The children all asked them questions, but there was no time for questions. The new girls were taken to the palace, which was converted to a training center.
The simulators were very similar to the video games they played at the arcade. Violence was discouraged where they lived, but the Council allowed video games so the adolescents could vent the stress that had accumulated throughout the day.
Some of them went to the air-combat simulators. Others went to practice with Raya. They all had alot of fun, but this was serious business. They knew they could die.
Marin was surprised and pleased to see how many initiates the trolls got. The most her troops ever got in a day was one or two, and she didn't expect them to get much more than five or six initiates. The trolls had doubled their efforts and more than quadrupled the initiates.
They blamed the mounting tensions with the outsiders. Most of the trolls couldn't get a seat or play video games, and people in the streets constantly harassed them, causing some of the younger teens to sympathize with them. There were even some counsel members who joined, as well as some families. Strangely, Raya's family was nowhere in sight. Alarmed, Raya ran to her house, and found the interior trashed, with broken glass everywhere.
She searched the place, calling for her sisters and mother, but no one answered. She looked in her twelve-year-old sister, Danae's room and found it trashed as well, and Danae slumped against the wall, dead. The youngest, Leetha, who was only seven, was nowhere to be seen. She was obviously kidnapped and being reeducated by the counsel.
Raya looked in her mother's room and found no sign of her. Raya's blood froze. What if they found out about the secret room? She went into the room and found the place sacked, all the weapons and relics gone. Then she saw her mother huddled in a corner, bleeding and barely alive.
"Raya..." she said, "They took everything... except for this."
She pulled a sword out of her stomach, and a lot of blood spilled out with it.
"It was... the only way... I could hide... the... master sword."
"What???"
"Only the... blood... of a... M'harra... can conceil it..."
Raya started to take off her shirt to stop the bleeding, but her mother stopped her.
"Please, let me... die... Go... rescue Leetha... stop the counsel... find the... magic cape... The ocarina... keep it safe..."
"What?"
"I... never... told you... the ocarina... is... very important... It is... the ocarina... of time..."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was... too... dangerous... too dangerous... Janet... Dragmar... would know... The necklace... "
"Yes, what is it?"
"A piece... of the... tri-force..."
The tri-force! So that was why her mother had her keep it a secret. But how did she hide the piece for so long?
"Please don't leave me!" Raya pleaded, "I'll use the ocarina, you'll be alright-"
"No... let me die..."
"But-"
"And don't revive Danae... I will... be lonely..."
"But I need you!!! I've lost enough as it is!"
"No... let me die... in peace... Raya... I... love you..."
Then Deela slumped down and died in Raya's arms. As she held the body that once was her mother, Raya felt anger burning inside her. Whoever killed her mother and sister would die a thousand deaths.
Raya carried the two bodies to the mine shaft. She didn't even care who was watching. The blood would wash out of her clothing, but nothing could wash away the anger and grief. No one could comfort her, not even the fairies. Raya knew what she had to do...
Two months later, she changed into her green sparing robe and conducted a meeting in the training center.
"Here's where we will attack." she said, and several buildings on the holo-map lit up.
"These are the factories where they may be manufacturing weapons, heavy artillery, and assault droids. Ground troops will enter from the back and trip the alarms, drawing out the security. While they're busy, the fairy commandos will fit the place with explosives, and we will fly over the area and attack any aircraft in the vicinity. When I give the signal, activate the detonators and run. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Raya!" the recruits cried in unison.
Then the holo-map zoomed in on the counsel building and showed its weak spots.
"Ground troops will enter here, here, and here," Raya said, pointing to three spots where the security was light.
"We will enter here and rescue Leetha," she said, pointing to the roof, where it was unprotected, "We will deal with the Council, and I will face the leader. It's become personal."
They nodded. They knew about her mother. The Council was going to pay.
"Jana, you lead the ground troops. Kaitlan, you're my bomber. Marin, you're my navigator."
The two women hi-fived each other.
"I want to come along too," said queen Talia.
"No, Sprite will come with me. You need to stay and take care of the children. If we don't make it, take them into the pits and hide them. Make sure they take plenty of food, water, medicine, and supplies. They might be down there for a long time."
"But-"
"I've seen how they look up to you. If we don't come back, don't cause any alarm. Just treat it like a game. Tell them to be brave."
"I will."
"Now let's kick some butt!" Raya yelled.
"Yeah!!!" screamed the crowd.
While they were getting ready for the ambush, Marin pulled Raya aside.
"They're just kids. They don't understand what it is to fight for freedom. They were playing games with their friends not too long ago!"
"I know," Raya said, "We will need a miracle. I've been praying to any deity that would listen. Maybe one of them will answer. My mother told me they work in mysterious ways."
"Yeah, but will they turn those green-ears into well-trained soldiars?"
"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."
Marin shrugged.
"Ok." she shrugged, still doubtful that it would work.
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She put on another coat of lipstick and touched-up her eyeshadow. If she was going to die, she may as well die looking good. She went home to touch-up her roots and put on her favorite knit low-cut dress.
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That night, Dom, snuck out of his house and went to his friend, Karina's house. He found her getting up to go to the bathroom. He needed to go too, so after the both of them were through, he told her why he was there.
"We gotta do something to help Raya."
"We can," Karina said, "We can be good little fairies."
"No, no. Don't tell. I had a dream that a man that looked like Raya told me we need to help her or she will die. Then two funny diamond-things appeared and he told me I needed to steal them."
"But we shouldn't steal. It's wrong."
"I know, but the pretty diamond things belong to the Council. And they're the bad guys. And we gotta take some diamond things that look like the real diamond things so they won't know we stealed them."
"But we will get in big trouble. I don't want to be spanked and sit in the corner."
"I know. But we have to do this or everyone will go Kablooie!!!" Dom said, "I even got some medicine just in case one of us gets a boo-boo."
He showed Karina some potion he got from his parent's medicine cabinet. He was given some of that medicine when he fell down and scraped his knee. He liked the mint flavor and wanted more, but he knew that he had to save it for when he or Karina were really hurt.
They snuck out of Karina's house, and Dom sprinkled some powder on a stick. The stick burst into flame and Dom picked it up. His parents told him never to play with fire, but he wasn't playing with it; he was using it as a tool, not a toy. It was dark, and Karina was afraid of monsters. They also needed to see where they were going so they wouldn't bump into things.
While they were on their way to the door, a rooster crowed, startling them both. Dom said a naughty word and covered his mouth. He was so startled that he dropped the torch, putting out the fire. When the room wasn't so dark, he flew down and re-lit the stick and continued with Karina.
When they got to the door, Karina slipped under it first, and then Dom did, blowing out the stick first. When they were out, they covered their noses.
"Ewww," Karina gagged, "It smells like a rat went to the bathroom in here."
"Yuck. This place stinks. Let's get outaa here."
He re-lit the torch and they flew to the end of the tunnel. There was a hole at the top, but it was covered by something very heavy. Dom and Karina were too little to lift it. Then Karina had an idea.
"Why don't you sprinkle some powder on it?"
Dom shrugged.
"Why not? Let's try it."
He did, and the cover moved. They were actually out! The place looked weird and beautiful, but it was gray all over and only had a few trees to climb in and no chickens to play with. They flew away from the hole and they didn't look back. They thought their parents were looking for them and they would get into trouble for running away.
When they were far away from the hole, they took a rest. When Karina asked Dom where they were going, he said, "I don't know."
"Great!" said Karina, "Now I'm really in trouble! My mommy'll never let me play with you ever again!"
Just then, Dom heard a voice that sounded like the man in the dream.
Go to the big, white building.
"Which one?"
That one with the flying monsters coming out of the top.
"Oh, that one. Thanks."
"What are you talking about?" asked Karina.
"The man that looked like Raya just told me to go to that building where the flying monsters are coming out of."
He pointed to the big white building with the enemy aircraft coming out of it. They sure looked like monsters. They looked like they could eat a whole elf.
"They look scary." said Karina.
"They do look scary. But don't worry, I'll protect you. I'm a big boy."
Karina hugged him and stopped feeling so scared. Together, they flew to the white building and into one of the windows. Inside were droids with laser guns. There were also cameras everywhere, but they were built to see big things, not little fairies.
In the far corner of the room they were in was a console. The voice said: Go over to that computer and push the yellow button.
Dom flew over to the console and Karina followed him. He pushed the yellow button and the computer turned on.
Now type these letters: O-V-E-R-R-I-D-E and then press the key that looks like a backwards L.
He did.
"What are you spelling?" Karina asked, "And why isn't the funny man saying anything to me?"
Maybe you weren't listening.
Karina jumped.
"Was that the funny man?"
"Uh, huh." Dom said.
Now type in these letters: A-L-L, and press the long rectangle-shaped key.
They did.
Now type these letters: U-N-I-T-S and press the L-shaped key.
They did that, and a box with words in it appeared. They couldn't read, but they knew two of the words began with 'P'.
Now type the letters G-A-N-O-N, and press the L-shaped key again.
They did, and the cameras lights went off, as did the droids and the funny green lights that were in the doorway.
Go to the room with the shiny white marble. It is to the right of the room with the green lights. Take only the two diamonds that are closest to a computer that has a marble next to it.
They obeyed, and they came to a room with a pretty marble in it. There was also a part of the wall with some funny diamond things, just like the ones Dom dreamed about. He took the diamonds closet to the computer and then took some diamonds that looked like them out of his pocket. They belonged to him and were used to hold his homework. Dom put his diamonds where the council's diamonds were and put the diamonds from the wall in his pocket. Karina took the marble and hid it in her dress pocket.
Now, go far away from the building. Go so far that you can't even see it. Then you'll be safe.
The obeyed. They didn't look back. The fairies flew to a tree and fell asleep under some leaves.
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"The time is near." said the Council leader Maaraza Di'iaan, "The Mine Shaft is finished. The tri-force is ours."
The rest of the Council nodded in agreement. Then Maaraza noticed that one of the members was absent. Naja Zaydee. The one who was given custody of Leetha. Maaraza waited impatiently, and Naja ran in.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but Leetha wanted her mother. She won't accept that I'm her mother now."
Maaraza glared at her and said, "Then you must resort to more drastic measures. No food untill she accepts you!"
"But I can't do that. She'll die-"
"She will die if she doesn't stop that infernal howling!"
"Yes, wise leader."
"Now go back and beat some sense into the little brat!"
"Yes, wise leader."
She left in a hurry, as if Maaraza would do away with her if she didn't move now.
"There," said Maara, "Now we can get on with our meeting."
The rest of the Council repressed groans. All the meetings were boring. If they had known that being in the Council entailed this, none of them would have joined in the first place. Well, another day, another credit. They were anxious to get the meeting over with.
Some of them were apprehensive of the outcome of the attack. They sensed that the mine shaft movement had some weapons of their own, but they knew Maaraza wouldn't hear any of it. One member who was foolish enough to question Maaraza was elliminated by Janet Dragmar, Maaraza's pet. That incident put the rest of them in their place.
They felt sorry for Naja, but what could they do? Maaraza had magic powers too, and she was stronger. The Council gave a whole-new meaning to the word 'torture'.
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"Ok, all set? Good. Let's lock and load!" said Raya.
She wasn't completely comfortable with the position thrust upon her, but they had a war to fight, and the people looked up to her. She would not let them down.
They got into their aircraft, which they made from plans stolen from the counsel. It didn't take long to assemble them, since the trolls on vacation would work on them with the able-bodied children. They didn't believe in child-labor, but these were desperate times.
The roof to the mine shaft opened and several people fell in. They were taken captive by some of the older trolls. They cleared the room and the ships powered up. One by one, they took off, knocking over some bystanders above ground.
The ground troops, supplied with laser rifles stolen from a nearby depot, had already made their way out of the caves through the secret tunnels and were taking their places around the factories and the main chamber.
Raya gave the command: "Formation Windfish Delta-5"
The ships went into position and they were all set. Some of the fairy commandos were worried because their children were missing, but Raya reassured them that they might just be playing hide-&-seek. Besides, they had bigger worries.
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Dom and Karina's parents, who were with ground troop Koholint Omega-9, began to quarrel among themselves.
"I'll bet it was Dom!" Karina's father said to his wife, "I warned you he was a trouble-maker, but no! You had to let our daughter associate with him."
"He is no trouble-maker!" said the mother.
"No he is not!" said Dom's mother, "He's a good boy. If anything, it was that Karina of yours-"
"Shut up!" one of the soldiars ordered, "Do you want to allert everybody of our presence?"
"No." they said.
"Then shut your traps or I'll have to seperate you!"
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Just then, Raya gave the signal. The troops broke into the buildings and started shooting like mad. The droids just stood there, like they were waiting to be shot. The troops stopped their shooting and robbed the droids that were still standing of all their weapons and pulled out their controller chips. Then they resumed their shooting.
Hearing the noise, the workers in the factory investigated the disturbance. They found a room full of teen-aged soldiars and fairies, both armed to the teeth, and no droids to protect them. They gave up and let the soldiars take them prisoner.
Raya's comm unit was buzzing! All the troops had exciting news: The droids in every factory were disabled and the people were sitting ducks. Raya didn't know about that; she smelled something rotton. It was way too easy. Now she was afraid to go into the counsel chamber. It could be a trap.
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The council didn't know anything about the capture; the workers were taken by surprise and had no time to send a distress signal.
Maaraza rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Little did the mine shaft know that, Daneeva had a plan B, just in case she was killed by the brat Raya. She had the whole mine shaft lined with enough poisonous gas to kill a gleeok. The trigger program was hidden, along with the gold-shield files, in two information crystals. All she had to do was wait. Victory was so close she could taste it.
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Raya decided that she would take the chance. She had Marin take over the con and she entered the building througn the roof. There were droids everywhere, but they didn't attack her. She grabbed a rifle from a nearby droid and started shooting like mad, in case it was a trap. In no time at all, she had mowed down all the droids in the room.
A guard, hearing the commotion, walked in to see all the droids destroyed. She put her hands up and said, "I surrender! Don't shoot!"
Raya grabbed her and held the rifle to her.
"Who killed my mother and my sister? Where is Leetha? Where is the magic cape?"
The guard didn't know where the magic cape was, but she knew who killed half of Raya's family and kidnapped Leetha.
"It was a group of assault droids. She's in level four, section B. I swear-I had nothing to do with this! Please don't kill me!" she pleaded.
Raya thought for a minute then she let the guard go.
"Just don't try anything. Wait here and my bomber will get you. She won't hurt you if you cooperate
She radioed Kaitlan.
"I got a prisoner. Hold her in the aircraft. I don't want to shed too much blood."
The guard froze. Raya shot her a warning glance.
"I just want to know what you're doing."
"It's for me to know and you to find out." she said.
Maaraza heard a scuffle up stairs. Something wasn't right. She felt a wave of sick horor. No! It couldn't be, she thought. Then suddenly, the door to her chamber was blasted open. Maaraza turned white.
"H-how did you-"
"I don't know," Raya said, "But unless you wanna die, you'd better come with me!"
Maaraza smiled.
"It won't be that easy."
She pressed some buttons on her console and a voice on the PA system said: "Auto-destruct sequence has been activated. You have ten minutes to exit the building."
Raya aimed her rifle at Maaraza.
"You pig!" she screamed, "You killed my mother!"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play innocent with me, Maaraza. You had the assault droids murder them. All I want to know is, why?"
"I can't very well find the tri-force without anihilating Link's bloodline, now can I? You see, as soon as I get the tri-force, I will restore men to this world, as well as revive my advisor, Daneeva."
"Not while I'm alive," promised Raya.
"That can easily be taken care of."
Maaraza pointed her finger at Raya and shot out a bolt of energy, like Daneeva did. Raya, having left her shield in the aircraft, ducked out of the way. The bolt hit a guard who was walking by. With a shriek, she dissolved, and another guard slipped in what was left. The guard looked at the puddle, then at Raya and Maaraza. She used an old lineage curse and ran away.
Raya fired her stolen rifle at Maaraza, who got out of the way. She fired at Raya and missed, hitting the rifle and frying it.
"Ya know, you should get your eyes checked." Raya taunted.
She was answered by another bolt from Maaraza. She dodged it and charged at Maaraza, breaking some bones in the aged council member's body. The counsil member managed to get up and, with great difficulty, fired a final blast at the console.
"Now... you'll never... escape..." she said, as she slumped down by the sparking console.
Raya nervously scanned the room. A cape was draped over one of the couches. She took the cape and put it on, and suddenly felt more powerful. As she was running down to level four, section B, she noticed that none of the guards were shooting at her.
When she came to Leetha's room, the girl didn't notice her. She was howling as one of the Council members, Naja Zaydee, was trying to get her out of the room. The girl wouldn't budge. Neither of them acted like they even saw Raya. Then she knew why.
She took the cape off and Leetha screamed, "Raya!!!"
Raya picked the girl up and Naja followed them, all the way to the top floor where Marin and Sprite were waiting. The three climbed into the aircraft and flew away from the building, just as it exploded.
The ship took heavy damage and went spinning out of control. Navigation was offline, and manual controls were jammed. Raya was knocked unconscous.
When the ship stopped spinning and the systems went back online, they found they were in the middle of the ocean, and near an odd island that had a mountain with an egg on the top.
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"Strange," said Marin, "I never seen this island on the map. I'd better radio my trolls to see what they know about this island."
She tried, but all she got was static. They were stranded with no food or drinkable water, and no hope of rescue. The potions that they brought with them could be taken in lieu of food and water, and they could also be used as fuel, but even they were in short supply.
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Meanwhile, Raya was half awake, and could feel the sun beating down on her. She barely had enough strength to move. She felt sand in her hair, and various flora and fauna. There were no large buildings, only coconut trees and a mountain with an egg on the top. Strange, she thought. Then she blacked out.
She woke up to the sound of footsteps and saw the sillouette of a woman about her age standing over her.
"Oh my gosh! Are you ok?" the woman asked in a concerned voice.
Raya tried to answer but was too weak to do much more than groan. Her mouth was dry. She felt like she hadn't had a drink in days. She didn't even know how long she was out.
The mysterious woman sat her up and gave her a drink of water from her thermos. It tasted good, and Raya suddenly felt better. Then she blacked out again.
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The mysterious woman carried Raya home. It had been a while since Koholint had a visitor. She hoped this one would make it too. This visitor looked alot like the last one. She wondered if the two were related. Now that was a thought. She would not only have a totally cute husband; She would also have a sister-in-law that looked just like him.
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To be continued...