Chapter 7.11 - December 2022: Part XI – What day is this? (continued)

Shepherds notes:

When the kids are done with their gifts, it's on to the adults. The very youngest one, Bhavans girlfriend Beate Curious, gets the honour of going first, but from there the order is not by age, but appears to be a little more random..
Beate claps with joy as her gift reveals a guitar. Now she won't have to constantly borrow Bhavans guitar to learn how to play. ;)



"I went window shopping the other day, and I saw the most beatiful childrens shoes!" Sofia says all of a sudden.. "Beate, we should go shopping together one of these days. I heard you and Bhavan have been having some fun, if you know what I mean..."
Beate froze in embarrassment. "Did everyone know about it already? It was a heat of the moment thing, noone was supposed to find out! Why can't Sofia just keep her mouth shut, and why is she always so unstable? She goes from hating children and everything to do with them, only for the very next second talking about shopping for kids shoes and clothing! I cannot at all understand what Palash finds in her, because I don't understand or even like her at all!"

Deepak hadn't heard about what Beate and Bhavan did in his bed while he was at the hospital, but he understood, of course, that what Sofia said was embarrassing to Beate...

Deepak: Now now, I think it's time to move on! Gaute, you may open yours..




Gaute: With pleasure! Now lets see what this could be...
Gaute opened his present, to reveal a painted picture of a father and son that had gone fishing. Right next to getting an actual fishing pole, this was the perfect gift for him. ;)



Then it was Bhavans turn. He got a simple bedside lamp from his girlfried, but was more than happy anyway. Of course, it was a most useful gift as the last one that stood on his side of the bed somehow fell to the floor and broke in a thousand pieces.. someones foot was being a little clumsy when uh... when.. well, I wouldn't know what one can do to tip over a bedside lamp with ones foot, but... uhmm... let's move on, shall we... ;)



Udisha went on next to open her gift. She was happy about her gift, and told everyone what she got, but unfortunately I didn't catch it, because it drowned in the screams of Ole Christian that was in need of attention..



Same thing happened with Sofia, she happily revealed the contents of her gift, but I'm not sure if anyone at all caught what it was, as Ole Christians screams still overdubbed almost every other sound in the room..



Bodil: Can't someone make that baby just shut up! I can't tell what's going on! This christmas really, really sucks!

I wish so too, but everyone has to finish their action of opening presents before anyone can attend to the toddlers needs... well, since it's christmas, maybe I can be of help... I see the boy is hungry.. and with a magic swipe, the shepherd made sure the boy was fed and it could once again be a silent night...



Not straight away, but after a while, as the boy didn't immediately realize what happened, so he was still making noise when it was Dudleifs turn to open his present.. However, the boy kept silent just in time to reveal that Udisha had bought Dudleif a small mermaid statue. The mermaid being another important symbol of the town of Bewickton, as there is also a larger statue of one, "The Sirens Call", located at the Bewickton Esplanade. You can sort of see there is a painting of it by Deepak, hanging on the wall behind Dudleif and next to the couch where Leya is sitting.



There were still presents left to be opened, when Sofia decided it was enough wailing and left the party. "Thank you for inviting me, I had fun" she said briefly, before putting on her outerwear ready to brave the chilly winter rain outside and go back home.



Leya was next up to open her present, and she got another guitar. She was happy about it, as it meant she had a spare one in case the other one should break. ;)



Then it was Nityas turn. She opened her gift to happily reveal a guitar as well. Such is it when you're from a creative and very musical family. Beate made sure to watch her closely. "Nitya must have been gossiping", she thought. It was Nitya that first walked in on Beate and Bhavan after what they did, with Beate still in her underwear...



And last, but definately not least, it was finally the elders turn, as the host of the party, Laranya, went over to open her gift. She got an extra guitar, too, so music was guaranteed to fill this household from all possible corners.. Why they haven't started a family band already, you can ask.. ;) Probably because they're all guitar players and none of them play drums, bass or the piano...



Beate found it best to get dressed and leave before Deepak went over to open his present. She had spent enough time in this house for the night, she thought, and the safest thing was probably to get back home before the topic was brought up again.. or before she got the temptation to repeat the mistake...



Deepak opened his gift to reveal an easel, another perfect gift that gave a lot of happiness, even though there was almost an easel in every room of the house already.. but if painting is your life, you can never have to many easels, I suppose..
. Bhavan noticed his girlfriend had left, and decided to follow suit, and now.. everyone had opened their gifts, but there was still one more gift waiting besides the tree..

Leya: Bodil.. go check by the tree, I think there is still one more gift there for you..



Bodil: Another one.. for me, mom?
Leya: Yes, sweetheart.. We got another one for you. We kind of expected you to get coal, after all, since Sofia was invited..
Bodil: I knew it...



Bodil eagerly opens her gift to peak inside, but closes it again quickly and with another frown, before throwing the box on the floor without opening it properly..



Bodil: I hate this christmas! I hate it, hate it, hate it! First I got only coal, and then a stupid rainbow lanp! What am I supposed to do with a rainbow lamp! It's useless! Useless, useless, useless and childish! I don't want a rainbow lamp! I hate that rainbow lamp, and I HATE this christmas!

Gaute: I don't see whats so wrong about this rainbow lamp...



Shepherds notes:

Poor Bodil didn't get anything of what she wanted on this most miserable christmas evening, so she sat down, alone, to watch whatever was left of another rerun of an old mediocre christmas movie and feeling sorry for herself.. She had looked forward to this day so much, since mid-November already, but all her expectations, excitement and joy was all but gone, just like the winter snow outside.. No christmas spirits, no joy, nothing there at all.. she thought she might as well just end up like the grinch and spend the rest of her life living alone in a cave in the mountains.. Not that she really cared anymore, but she couldn't even hear what they said on the movie, because Ole Christian was crying again and stinking up the place.. what a rotten christmas eve this turned out to be..



..and everyone else just seemed to go about their business, not giving her an ounce of attention or understanding. Nitya had finally asked Gaute for a slow dance and Laranya had started to clean up after the party.. so this was it then? Was this how the night was going to end?



"Dear Santa, Vishnu, or whoever is out there watching... why is my family this lame? Why do they always talk for hours and hours about their paintings and their music? Why didn't I get what I wanted for christmas? I did my best to be good all year, I really did.. so what did I do wrong to deserve this? Please tell me... tell my why.."



Leya and Deepak had sat down next to Bodil, and they did notice she wasn't feeling to good. They weren't deliberately ignoring her, even though she felt they did, and the giving her coal thing.. it wasn't their idea to put it that way.. That was just to cruel they, thought. Who gives coal to a child on christmas eve? What's next – a pile of ashes, maybe? No, that's not how it should work, they both agreed...
Deepak: Listen, Bodil... I'm sorry it didn't go the way you had hoped with the presents and all this evening, but..
Deepak:... earlier just before we were about to eat, I'm pretty sure I heard something from the backyard..
Bodil: What, grandpa? What do you mean?
Deepak: I'm not sure, but it sounded like.. I don't know, someone stomping their hooves like reindeer, and I'm pretty sure I heard laughter and the door to our bath-house open and close..
Bodil: Really, grandpa? You know I don't believe in Santa anymore....



Deepak: Well, why don't we.. you, me and mom, go to the bathhouse to check it out..

Bodil: Why the bathhouse, grandpa? I'm not going to take a bath now, it's almost bedtime...

Deepak: Well I think we should go an check it out.. someone might just have left something for you there..




Bodil: Ok, I'll join you.. but why is it in the bathhouse.. why couldn't I just get it straight away?

Deepak: Just come along now, and you'll see...
"Grownups... this is so stupid... why can't I just go to bed and have this day be over?"



..and so, begrudgingly, Bodil followed them to the bathhouse in the backyard. Leya had, of course, spoken to Deepak about it beforehand, so she knew a surprise was waiting in there, but Deepak had stil kept his cards closed, so she didn't know excactly what it was. Maybe it was a cooking oven for kids..? It would have been a nice gift, sure, even though Bodil already owned one. Deepak was on his way to the bathhouse too, but struggled to walk as fast as the others. The doctors had decided that he would have no trouble, or atleast not to much trouble, going back home, but walking down the stairs again with a cane for the first time was still a little intimidating.. Landing on the moon is only half the job. Unless your plan is to build a base there, you have to find a way back too..




Leya gasped as she opened the door. Wow, how did he.. get that home and back in here all by himself? No, of course, that couldn't be.. Laranya must have helped him carry it, or maybe it was the neighbours..?




By all divine powers, Leya was super exited to see it. It was a much bigger gift than she had expected – a near excact replica of the hospital, as a doll house, and with an ambulance too.




She clapped and cheered with joy from the gift on the floor. She was sure that this would be a perfect gift for Bodil and Orinder to play with. Now it just remains to see what Bodil will think of this.. she wasn't really expecting much after having been disappointed twice earlier, but hearing her mom being so cheerful from inside lifted her spirits a little bit. "If mom can be this excited.. there must be something great in there..."
"What is it mom? What's going on? What's in there?" she said while tiptoing on the stones leading to the door, trying not to get her feet wet from the soggy ground.



However, Bodils excitement wasn't on level with her moms as she entered through the door and saw the hospital doll house.. It was a better gift than that stupid rainbow lamp, and certainly much, much better than a sack of coal, but she was still a little disappointed... for the third time this evening, it was a little to much..

"Mom.. I thought it was a.. all I wanted for christmas.. was my own computer.. " she said with a low voice. "I.. the hospital is really nice, but... what will I say to grandpa? I don't want to disappoint him.."

This put Leya in a bit of a tricky spot. Least of all, she wanted to see her children disappointed like this, especially not on this one evening of the year.. She had to think of something to say fast, as Deepak was likely just around the corner.. Maybe this idea with the bathhouse wasn't so great after all..



"..I'm sorry, mom..." Bodil continued. "It has been really nice staying here at grandma and grandpas house.. and the food was really good.. I'm a big girl and I know gifts aren't all that important, but.."
"This is how you know you're getting old, isn't it.." Deepak interrupted as he came in through the door, unknowing about his grandchilds slight dissappointment with the hospital gift. "Well, now you've seen it, Bodil.. what do you think? Isn't it great?"



"Thanks grandpa! The dollhouse is really nice!" Bodil said, trying to cover up her feeling of dismay. "I'm sure we're gonna have lots of fun with this one." Bodil had given her grandpa a lot of thought since she heard the news about him going to the hospital, and she knew that he meant really well with this gift, even if it was a bit of a miss, so she thought, she couldn't really be disappointed or mad.



"Thanks grandpa. You're the best grandpa."
Leya still had regrets and felt a little guilty about the idea of hiding away the hospital doll house in the bathhouse, even though it wasn't really her idea to begin with. She accepted the idea in part because she was hoping to replicate one of the most joyous memories from her own childhood.. when she discovered that she had a creative talent too, like so many others in her family.. and she had wished to get her own easel for almost a year, and how she desperately wanted to learn painting.. She remember just how her own parents did it, back then.. saving the best gift for last.. She had seen the same in her daughter, a bud of talent, and a strong desire for the tools needed to make it grow.. However, it wasn't necessarily painting that Bodil was the most interested in..

"You know, Bodil" Leya began softly "Me and Gaute.. we have really noticed what a good girl you've been all year... Always doing your homework and helping us around the house.. and we have noticed how much you like to read, so.."

"What..? What is it mom?" Bodils face lit up. Was she gonna get..? Did mom have another..? Another gift for her..? Was it gonna be..? No, it couldn't be.. could it?



"..merry christmas, Bodil!" Leya said, offering her a simple, but effective, phrase. ;)

"Oh.. mom.. Is that one for me!?"

"Yes, yes, sweetheart.. this ones all for you!"




"Yipee!! Mom, you're the greatest!" Bodil said as she received the gift in her hands and rapidly tore up the paper to reveal a cardboard box inside with the picture of a computer on it...



"Thanks alot mom!! This is excactly what I wanted! This gift means a lot to me!"




..and just like that, Bodil had forgotten all about the disappointments earlier this evening, and ran full speed with her new gift under her arm back into the house. She couldn't wait to show it to grandma and turn it on for the first time! What an awesome christmas this turned out to be afterall! ;)




"Look grandma! Look, I've got a computer, just like you!" Bodil shouted with joy as she turned to the corner from the stairs and into the dining room. "Now we can play games together!" Though the next thing on Bodils wishlist was to learn writing, she wasn't going to do that so soon this late on christmas eve. A computer can be used for more than just writing, and luckily, this one came with a few games already pre-installed, so Bodil was quick to set up a game with her grandma, racing her to the finish line (and winning, of course. ;))




While all this was going on, Palash and Dudleif, along with Ole Christian, had stuck it out at the party all the way to the very end and then some, before eventually deciding to call it a night, but not without Palash playing a small tune on the front porch before they finally could leave. ;) After finishing their race, Laranaya and Bodil followed them outside to wish them a continued merry christmas and good night, as they went on their way back to each their home. Palash hoped to himself that Sofia would be asleep by now, so that he wouldn't have to deal with whatever mood she could be in when he came home...




This had been a long, long day, and everyone was ready for bed. Since it was so late, Laranya had offered everyone to sleep over until next morning, instead of going back to the hotel. Gaute, already asleep, picked the shortest straw, and had to share his room with Orinder, whereas Leya went back to sleep in her old bedroom..




You can tell it's hers, because of the purple drawer next to the bed. ;)




Bodil wanted to sleep in grandpa and grandmas bed, and so had asked Deepak to read her a bedtime story about once upon a time when all the elves in Santas workshop had gone missing, and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer went on to save christmas for everyone...




Deepak, being a true family man, was really happy about how this day had turned out. He got everything he wanted this christmas. Leaving the hospital and spending a perfect day with those he loved the most – what more can a man want?



With this in mind and heart, it didn't matter much to him that Bodil now occupied his side of the bed, and he had to make do with sleeping in the bunk bed. It was more than worth it, if it could make a grandchild happy. And so, everyone went to sleep, feeling good and merry on this one magic night of the year... Good night.. ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~
And of course, since all the family was gathered for this event, somewhere in between dinner and opening the gifts, to Bodils dismay... they made sure to seize the opportunity to get a family picture. ;)



Without name tags.



With name tags.

And with this, the Chitrakaar family (and the Narrator) wishes everyone a merry christmas.. and a happy new year! ;)

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Chapter 7.11 - December 2022: Part XI – What day is this?

The Piano Guys – What child is this?

What morning is this, where every child is laid to rest
In their cribs and beds they're sleeping
While angels sing with anthems sweet
And the shepherds watch are keeping...

This, this is christmas morning
That shepherds guard and angels sing
Haste, haste to get out of bed
And see, what hangs there on the wall...

So turn your gaze, child, and look the other way
It might not be incense, gold, and myrrh
Instead a christmas stocking, brought to you for this day...

Bodils notes:

Christmas stockings! Looks like "Santa" came for me after all! I hope there's a computer inside! I have been wanting my own computer all year! Ever since we had to read books at school I have been wanting to learn writing too!



Hmm, this can't be a computer. It's much to soft.. maybe it's candy? A big bag of marshmallows? Or a scarf and a pair of gloves?



Aww, it's a teddy bear! He's very red, like a strawberry!



"How are you today Mr. Strawberry? Would you like to have a tea party?"
"Yes, yes, Queen Bodil. I would really love a tea party! Strawberry tea is my favorite! With tons of sugar!"
"Of course it is, Mr. Strawberry!"



"Thanks, Santa..."



"..the teddy bear was really nice, but I would still like to have that computer so I can learn how to write books..."
Narrators Shepherds notes:



After a while, her mom and step-dad also woke from their slumber, and everyone (except one that was still asleep) gathered in the hotels kitchen area to have breakfast.. but not without bowing down to the Queen herself, and thanking her for the meal that she had so gracefully bestowed upon them. ;)


..and finally, the last born of this family also woke up. This would be Orinders second christmas, and his first as a toddler. He knew he wasn't at home, that this wasn't his usual crib, and that something was different, but he still didn't have much of a concept of what was going on and why. Santa to him was still a strange and scary man, the moon an unknown far away object and mommys arms the safest place on the planet.



"Do you know what day it is today, Orinder?"
"Da!" "It's christmas! The day where everyone is happy, celebrates and spends time together with family and friends!"
"Da!"



"It's the day where everyone gives gifts to each other, and look... maybe someone has a gift for you as well! Do you want to open it and see what it is?"
"Da!"
And so Leya took the stocking from the wall and held it in front of him while slowly pulling out it's contents revealing a little turqoise knitted plush teddy bear.
"Oh! Look! It's a .. moon boy!" she said while turning it around to face him.
"Hi, there little boy" she said in a play pretend voice. "I'm a little teddy boy that came all the way from the moon!"
Orinder looked at the moon boy with a slightly skeptical face and tilted his head as if he wanted to see if there was something more behind it. Anything new had to be examined carefully to determine if it was an object that could be trusted, before doing any kind of interaction with it.
"I like to play, it's very fun. Do you want to play?" Leya said with the voice of a little toy from a place far, far away.
Orinder took one more look at it, before giving his sign of approval to the strange new toy by stretching out his arms and exclaiming a short "Da!".



"Oh, my little darling... You be a good boy and play with your new friend for a while, and mommy, daddy and sister are gonna get ready to visit grandma and grandpa! Today is going to be a big day..."



**********



Just as fast as the old year appear to have passed, Bodil ran for the door when they came to grandmas house. Wow, their house was so nicely decorated with christmas lights and boughs of holly – so much nicer than yesterday! They must have gotten help from the neighbours – or how did they do that? ;)


"Merry christmas, grandpa!"
"Merry christmas Bodil! You came here early – we just got out of bed!"
"Yes, grandpa! Of course I did, it's christmas!"
And christmas morning is no excuse to share a bit of gossip about things from earlier this year...


"Psst! Hey, grandpa! Last time we visited my aunt Udisha, she went into the bedroom and made noises with my uncle! Hihihi, I know what they did in there! Mom was so embarrassed!"
"Oh? Did she really..? Maybe I'll have a word with her..."
"No no! You must not tell her I said that!"



Laranya: I'll call Palash and give him a reminder that the christmas party starts at 15.. just in case he should forget..
Deepak: Good idea.. he's the only one I know that would forget about his own birthday party – that he arranged! And tell him to put on something nice for a change...
Laranya: Shh, not so loud.. he could hear you!
Nitya: I'll be occupying the kitchen for a while. I'll make christmas lunch for everyone!

**********



While everyone was inside eating lunch and getting dressed and ready for the christmas party to start, a shift in the weather occured outside.. Yesterdays cold temperatures and snowfall had to give way for milder winds and rain, but such was winter on the islands just off the Simbrian west coast.



The elders in town would tell you, this wasn't a new phenomena. Some would even say that one christmas it rained so bad they had to use row boats to get around, but maybe we should take that last one with a grain of salt...



It looks like Laranyas reminder to Palash had the desired effect, as he and Sofia were the first guests to come over and ring the doorbell. They even beat the pizza delivery girl by a few minutes. ;)



Nitya went downstairs to answer the door for the pizza delivery while Dudleif and Udisha came through the door with their two sons Nishit (7 years) and Ole Christian (3 years). They thought it best not to bring their daughter Madhunisha (9 months) along, and so they had hired a baby sitter for her. As they gathered upstairs, Sofias face got a little pale as she held on to her stomach.
"Ooh, I hope there's a toilet a nearby..."

Bhavan: Is everything ok? We got a bathroom right behind you if you need it..



Well, Bhavan was friendly and guided Sofia to the bathroom and she did what she had to do, as more guests arrived and the pile of gifts grew larger. Here is Beate Curious, Bhavans girlfriend, contributing her part to the party. :P



Udisha followed Bhavan and Sofia into the bathroom to see if everything was alright, to find that they had shifted to discuss work. Both Bhavan and Sofia are employed at the fire station, and Sofia just happens to be his boss. ;) Sofia has always been very proud of her job at the fire station, and most of her hours go by there, either working out or maintaining the fire truck and overseeing that everything runs smoothly.. it's almost like she's trying to impress someone by following in their footsteps....
"Look, daddy? Do you see me now? Are you proud of me now, daddy? Daddy...?"



..and speaking of management, Laranya does her best to oversee all the guests, so she invites them to sit down for a meal before the highlight of the day, atleast for the kids, can take place.. It's a little tricky, as everyone goes around on their own accord, but during the next couple of hours everyone has sat down to eat atleast once, some twice... Christmas music fills the room, all the bellies are full and the kids are getting increasingly impatient. ;)



Someone might just be serving themselves twice with good reason, as Sofia was about to eat her first plate, she thought she felt something in her stomach.. something different from the feeling of constant hunger.. "Aww, mommys little one..." she said to herself feeling her stomach as she got up from her chair to change into her formal pregnancy wear...



Ever since she discovered she was pregnant, Sofia has had her fair share of mixed feelings and ups and downs.. and today is no different, because she quickly turns around as her husband walks by and loudly voices excactly what she feels..
"This is your fault! You did this to me!"
Christ, I was about to say, and this is what she says now, still a good six months away from actually delivering...



"Booo! Palash, listen to me! Why did you do this? Why are you putting me through this!? LISTEN TO ME!"
What can I say? I don't really know, but I admire Palashs ability to ignore his wifes shouting and focus on his meal.. This must often be the situation in their home, I imagine.. He probably knows this will pass in just a few minutes..

Laranyas notes:

My oh my, my sons got a handful... Now, as a woman, I can understand Sofia.. up until a certain point.. being pregnant sure has its ups and downs and moments of anxiety about the future, but.. I don't know, I think this is just a little to much.. I didn't love being pregnant all the time, I did not, but I was never like this..
    First time I was pregnant with Udisha was definately the worst and most anxiety ridden, but thanks to ample support from my husband and a little bit of professional counselling, I went through it alright.. By the second time around – when I was pregnant with Palash – I had already been through it all, so it went a lot easier. Of course, I still got sick every now and then and got back pains, but my anxiety was a lot less.. I think.. Sofia would definately benefit from.. talking to someone.. I don't know her that well, so I don't know what's the underlying issue here, but there's gotta be something.. I don't think this is normal behaviour, not at all.. and I would rather not see anyone act like this on my Christmas eve party, pregnant or not...



Deepak: Dibs on not doing the dishes!
Bodil: Me too! Grandma can do them! She is much better at it then any of us! Or maybe auntie Sofia can do it, since she's yelling so much!
Deepak: Haha, I agree!



Beate: Haha, yeah Sofia sure is a noisy one at times...
Sofia: (...) ..and kids toys! I don't want to see a single kids toy under that tree! If Palash wants to buy kids toys, it's gonna be with his money! He's not gonna buy them with... (...)
Udisha: Oh Brahma... here we go again...


Bodils notes:

This is what I hate the most about christmas eve.. why does everyone always take so long to finish eating.. just eating and eating and talking and talking for hours! It's soooo boring! I want to open the presents! When I grow up and have children, I'm not gonna be like this! I'm gonna say that everyone can open the presents FIRST, and then we'll eat! This is sooooo boring!



Laranya: Oh, don't say that Sofia, you know how much the kids love their presents and their toys.. and it looks like everyone is finished eating, so I think it's time we start to open them..



Shepherds notes:

Now you might have expected the kids to get up and cheer, but the most excited one is actually the second oldest. ;) (Laranya is the oldest). However, it's not really the presents that excite him the most. Deepak is a true family man, and being surrounded by this many family members, it doesn't get any better than that. Such a stark contrast to white boring hospital walls.. just be careful with that cane, you don't want to send anyone back there with a black eye or something. x_O

Opening the presents:





In the world of sims, toddlers are to young to open presents, so it all starts with the third youngest. Nishit, the first born son of Udisha and Dudleif gets to open the first present to reveal a teddy bear.



Finally, it's Bodils turn. She has been waiting all day for this, and most of all she hopes to find the latest Simbook Pro underneath the christmas paper so she can get to practice writing as soon as possible..



"What did you get? Is it a Simselangelo painting? I have always wanted a Simselangelo painting..." Nitya said with a bit of a hopeful wonder in her voice. "No..." Bodil replied with a frown. "It's a sack of coal".



Bodils notes:

This is already the worst christmas EVER! I waited this long and I have done my best to be good all year, and what do I get? Coal! Coal!? This is probably Sofias fault! I'm sure she was the one that brought the coal in a bag, because she said earlier she doesn't like kids toys! But she could have bought a computer! A computer isn't a toy, and it's also very useful! Not like coal! Coal is just trash and can't be used for anything! I want a computer, not coal! I hate this!

Shepherds notes:

What a lousy gift to give.. who could it be, that would do this to a child? And is that all Bodil will get for christmas this year? I don't know.. yet, but.. maybe we will find out in part two of this update, to be posted tomorrow right after this one.. ;)

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