the boarded windowthe boarded window

They loved each other and were happy. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. And a pool of blood flowed from the horribly torn throat. While they seemed to have a generally healthy marriage, the woods does strange things to couples. These details I learned from my grandfather. Murlock never hears it. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Things cannot be so bad as they seem.". Doctors are far away, so he tries to help her, but she fades away and all signs of life depart. He seemed a part of the darkness and silence of the forest, for no one had ever known him to smile or speak an unnecessary word. Ambrose Bierce's The Boarded Window: A Two-Minute Summary and a Literary Analysis. It is this sudden realization that causes him to blackout at that moment and to board up the window shortly after. A large body hit the table, and Murlock stood and felt for his wife's body, finding the table empty. From what we know about a man like Murlock, we may try to imagine some of the details of the story told by my grandfather. But, Murlock sees that between her teeth is a piece of the panther's ear. Bierce used multiple themes in his construction of ''The Boarded Window.'' Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. The narrator described that other settlers had lived there for a time and then moved on to someplace new, but Murlock stayed. The ribbon with which he had bound the wrists was broken; the hands were tightly clenched.'' In fact, the narrator states "nobody could remember a time when it was not" even though no one knew why it was boarded up except for him--a secret told to him from his grandfather. Keeping the evil that is within from going out. The code has been copied to your clipboard. There were evidences of "improvement"--a few acres of ground immediately about the house had once been cleared of its trees, the decayed stumps of which were half concealed by the new growth that had been suffered to repair the ravage wrought by the ax. Hes buried next to his wifes grave on the property. It goes as follows: Murlock leaped to his feet, seizing a nearby lamp, hurried to light it with trembling hands. When he was sure she was dead, Murlock had sense enough to remember that the dead must be prepared for burial. It was so violent a crash that the whole house shook. We may believe Murlock to have been affected that way. This adds to the sense of mystery and uncertainty, increasing the . While a basic reading of the story would consider this mere foreshadowing, I think it is meant to hint that Murlock is hearing the celebrations of his animal self as it comes closer to being realized (i.e., entering the cabin through the window symbolically arriving at consciousness in his mind). [1] His simple needs were supplied by selling or trading the skins of wild animals in the town. The storyteller was Shep ONeal. Kerry has been a teacher and an administrator for more than twenty years. Loud noises in the room terrify him, and he shoots at what he hears with his rifle. That is why he doesnt even let her name be known to the people of that wilderness, nor does the narrators grandfather or narrator know the womans name and true identity. He did certain things wrong. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. He also failed to notice she was still alive. Who--what had waked him, and where was it? In many of Hawthornes most famous stories he critiques the American drive to depart society and fashion a unique paradise in the wilderness an urge that drove his Puritan forefathers to New Englands brutal forests. Murlock falls asleep and later awakes to a strange presence in the room. But I am one, as you shall see. Clamped between her teeth is part of the panthers ear. Directly opposite was a window. In 1902, the story was included in the second volume of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce: In the Midst of Life (Soldiers and Civilians). His throat was powerless. The narrator had been to the cabin after Murlock's death. His hair and long, full beard were white, his gray, lusterless eyes sunken, his face singularly seamed with wrinkles which appeared to belong to two intersecting systems. There was no doctor or neighbor within miles. Perhaps it was a wild beast; perhaps it was a dream. Short Stories: Study Guide & Homework Help, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses. Table of contents Death Seclusion The Supernatural Death Summary: "The Boarded Window" Not far from Cincinnati in 1830 lies a "great forest" occupied by the scattered homes of early settlers. When he first hears the sound of the panther prowling the cabin, he mistakes it for his wifes resurrected body standing up and casting off her binds. Through this irony, Ambrose Bierce seems to ridicule those who leave safe communities seeking to become safe in the wilderness. The narrator's grandfather knew Murlock, but the narrator did not. Fear as one may know, but yet live to tell. He seized his loaded rifle and without aim fired it. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Murlock examined his wife's body. When convinced that she was dead, Murlock had sense enough to remember that the dead must be prepared for burial. Like so many of his stories it involves the death of a wife, and explores the psychology of grief in a surprisingly sophisticated way (coming as it does from a 19th century man). Learn about the themes of The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce. He hears a scuffle; he reaches across the table for his wife, but her corpse is gone. After preparing his wife's body for burial, Murlock falls asleep but is awakened by terrible noises. No one could remember a time when it was not. At the same time he heard, or imagined he heard, a light, soft step and then another. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 An error occurred trying to load this video. At this sight, Murlock loses consciousness. The window is boarded up. He is so exhausted from his work and grief that he falls asleep at the table. Last edited on 23 September 2022, at 07:14, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Boarded_Window&oldid=1111848112, This page was last edited on 23 September 2022, at 07:14. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "The Boarded Window" by Ambrose Bierce. In the story, Murlock gives up on life, community, and self. Suddenly the table lurches against him. Unfortunately, a panther came through the window and tried to drag her into the forest. Murlock loved his wife, though perhaps not ardently or expressively, and processes his sorrow with a quiet weariness that, as Bierce notes, can be read with ambiguity as all grief is different: Sitting there, beside the cold body, as night falls and the forest swells with the brittle music of insects and creeping animals, he falls asleep. Zip. There was no means of saving her and thus, he found himself alone with her dead body. So Murlock tried to take care of his wife and return her to good health. He heard that unearthly cry upon his failing sense, again and nearer than before. Since that time, his psychological state has been unbalanced to such a form of irrationality that he no longer mingles in society. Read a summary of the short story, discover its in-depth analysis, and learn its significance in Bierce's writing career. The window was boarded up. His forearm was dead. Murlock had moved to the woods with his wife. His simple wants were supplied by the sale or barter of skins of wild animals in the river town, for not a thing did he grow upon the land which, if needful, he might have claimed by right of undisturbed possession. I feel like its a lifeline. Some hours later, as it afterward appeared, this unfaithful watcher awoke and lifting his head from his arms intently listened--he knew not why. Cite this lesson. She has a Master of Education degree. We are aware that the wife was somehow killed in a sordid manner, which made Murlock guilty. It was adapted by Lawan Davis who was also the producer. He had married a young woman, in all ways worthy of his honest love and loyalty. Without tears and unaccustomed to tragedy, Murlock places her on a table, thinking his grief will pour forth when he puts her in the grave the next day. Some natures it startles; some it stupefies. The narrator never explains how his grandfather came to know the detailed information. He was scared, but he had a fleeting thought that his wife had risen from the dead. He did not know he was so hard struck. His occasional failures to accomplish some simple and ordinary act filled him with astonishment, like that of a drunken man who wonders at the suspension of familiar natural laws. Then there were darkness blacker than before, and silence; and when he returned to consciousness the sun was high and the wood vocal with songs of birds. [1] The setting for the story is the part of Ohio where Bierce's family lived until 1846.[2]. The panther, scared by the shot, fled through the window. The narrator explains that the window was . . When he awoke there was some other presence in the room and he could feel it. He stood over the body in the fading light, adjusting the hair and putting the finishing touches to the simple toilet, doing all mechanically, with soulless care. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Of all the spousal deaths in Bierces opus, this one is perhaps the most disturbing, because it results not from malice or rage or jealousy, nor is it an assertive act of murder or an impulsive assault or willful drive to suicide. These cookies do not store any personal information. He found blood pooling on the ground from the wounds on her neck; her hands were clenched and the tie that had been wrapped around her wrists was broken. The window was boarded up. The gunshot had scared away the panther. * Estimated delivery dates - opens in a new window or tab include seller's handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of . Despite his attempt to nurse her back to health, she dies three days later, or so Murlock thinks. Murlock prepared her body for burial, and he fell asleep as her body lay on the table. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. When all of the preparations for his wife's burial are complete, Murlock sits at the table in his cabin where his wife's body is laid out. This particular line actually foreshadows the significance of the ending and illustrates Bierce's subtle but deliberate style of writing. Murlock loved his wife, though perhaps not ardently or expressively, and processes his sorrow with a quiet weariness that, as Bierce notes, can be read with ambiguity as all grief is different: "Grief is an artist of powers as various as the instruments upon which he plays his dirges for the dead, evoking from some the sharpest, shrillest notes, from others the low, grave chords that throb recurrent like the slow beating of a distant drum. Table of contents. Murlock preferred to stay away from the rest of the society. Nature is depicted as unempathetic and opportunistic. Finally, she died in a fit, and wishing her to have a dignified funeral he bound her hands, feet, and jaws to prevent her from contorting with rigor mortis. Upon examining his wife's corpse, Murlock sees that there is part of the panther's ear in between her teeth. She could have got hurt. He tried vainly to speak the dead woman's name, vainly to stretch forth his hand across the table to learn if she were there. Grandmothers Tale by R.K. Narayan: Summary, The Boss Came to Dinner by Bhisham Sahni: Short Story Analysis, https://www.insaneowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Scenes-of-a-Reclusive-Writer-Reader-of-Mumbai.mp4. He tried but failed to stretch his hand across the table to learn if she was there. Between the teeth was a fragment of the animals ear. Startled, the panther leaps out the window and disappears. And still through his mind ran a feeling that all was right -- that he should have her again as before, and everything would be explained. Ambrose Bierce: Biography, Facts & Disappearance, The Boarded Window Comprehension Questions, The Death of Halpin Frayser: Summary & Analysis, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Imagery & Symbolism, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Characters & Conflict, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Foreshadowing & Irony, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: Point of View & Tone, Chickamauga by Ambrose Bierce: Summary & Analysis, A Horseman in the Sky: Summary & Conflict, A Horseman in the Sky: Foreshadowing & Point of View, A Horseman in the Sky: Setting & Characters, Smarter Balanced Assessments - ELA Grades 3-5: Test Prep & Practice, NMTA Essential Academic Skills Subtest Reading (001): Practice & Study Guide, Holt McDougal Literature Grade 9 Common Core Edition: Online Textbook Help, Common Core ELA Grade 7 - Literature: Standards, Common Core ELA Grade 7 - Language: Standards, Common Core ELA Grade 7 - Speaking & Listening: Standards, Common Core ELA - Informational Text Grades 11-12: Standards, Common Core ELA Grade 7 - Writing: Standards, American Literature - Assignment 1: Characters Analysis, American Literature - Assignment 2: American Life Essay, Analyzing Literary Techniques in American Literature Readings: Essay Prompts, Comparing & Contrasting American Literature Readings: Essay Prompts, Mandatory Reading List for English 103: Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, Enumerative Bibliography: Definition & Examples, Simile vs. Metaphor: Differences & Examples, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. One day Murlock returned from gunning in a distant part of the forest to find his wife prostrate with fever, and delirious. Having this outside narrator allows for a very specific tone to be set. The setting for the story, a frontier town in the early to mid 1800s, is also reflective of his adventuresome lifestyle. However, he was too scared to call out to her: ''He tried vainly to speak the dead woman's name, vainly to stretch forth his hand across the table to learn if she were there. At that moment came in through the open window a long, wailing sound like the cry of a lost child in the far deeps of the darkening wood! Some hours later, he awoke, lifted his head from his arms and listened closely. The Boarded Window - A short story written by Ambrose Bierce was acclaimed for its sudden and surprise ending. There is no known record of her name; of her charms of mind and person tradition is silent and the doubter is at liberty to entertain his doubt; but God forbid that I should share it! The realism in the story, a characteristic Bierce uses often, adds to the horror of this story. Murlock is afraid of his wifes spirit and is stuck in a sort of magnetic force to his logwood cabin. The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce UPDATED WITH NEW ADDED FEATURES "The Boarded Window" by Ambrose Bierce is part of our Short Story Annotation Series designed to improve annotation skills, bolster reading comprehension, and cultivate literary appreciation. The cat fled, and Murlock went to his wife's body, finding her neck bleeding, the binds on her wrists broken, and her hands clenched. There is a point at which terror may turn to madness; and madness incites to action. He was distraught but was making preparations for her funeral and burial. As he performs the tasks, he does not understand his inability to cry, and assures himself that everything will be okay. The hands were tightly closed. He shoots his rifle, and by its light sees a panther trying to drag his wife through the window. Death is one of the most important themes in "The Boarded Window." Explanation: When Murlock's wife falls into a comalike state, he mistakenly believes she is dead. His little log house had a single door. Poes tales naturally provided the motif of the premature burial: stories like The House of Usher, Berenice, The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, and of course The Premature Burial involve the conscious or unconscious interment of a living person or animal, either as an act of murder or due to the disguise of epilepsy (or in Roderick Ushers case, both). When he felt and surmised in the middle of his nightmare that his wife was not in the casket, he instead of trying to find here picks up a gun to shoot. The ribbon that tied her hands together in a death pose is broken; her hands are clenched. Among them is an old, neglected cabin with a front door and boarded-up window. Murlock was a hermit, and the narrator explains, ''He lived alone in a house of logs surrounded on all sides by the great forest, of whose gloom and silence he seemed a part, for no one had ever known him to smile nor speak a needless word.'' His senses were all alert, his breath was suspended, his blood had stilled its tides as if to assist the silence. The first mention of failure appears in the first paragraph of the short story. Fear had by excess forfeited control of his faculties. The story is told by an unnamed and unreliable narrator. Okno zabite deskami (1971), directed by Janusz Majewski, is a film adaptation of the short story. Failure is addressed multiple times in ''The Boarded Window.'' He appeared to be seventy years old, but he was really fifty. The flashing powder briefly illuminates the scene: to his horror, he sees his wifes body being viciously throttled by a panther (or mountain lion) which had grabbed her by the throat and is in the process of tearing it out. When he first moved to the woods, he tried to farm, but he did not succeed. He knew not why. But the man did not move. The main character of "The Boarded Window" by Ambrose Bierce is Murlock, the man whose story the narrator renders. Deep sadness is an artist of powers that affects people in different ways. His account cannot be believed, as he did not know Murlock and was not around for the events. Critics who have paid it attention have generally commented on its surprise and sudden ending. Why would he want to do that if he was in love with his wife? The latter, however, was boarded up--nobody could remember a time when it was not. When he was a young newlywed, he brought his pretty wife with him to settle the wilds just outside of the then-frontier river town of Cincinnati, and built a cabin surrounded by rich forestland filled with game to be hunted and predators to be feared, alike. There in the black darkness by the side of the body, he remembered everything without a shock. The foreshadowing of the ending relies entirely on the addition of the word ''apparently,'' which suggests that Murlock's wife is not yet dead. Murlock was not close to his wife at all but was in a psychotic state of denial. Many of them had already forsaken that region for the remoter settlements, but among those remaining was one who had been of those first arriving. He found his wife sick with fever and confusion. He had known him when living near by in that early day. Murlock grieved for the loss of his wife, but he was ashamed that he did not cry. To one it comes like the stroke of an arrow, stinging all the sensibilities to a keener life; to another as the blow of a bludgeon, which in crushing benumbs. But there is an earlier part to this story supplied by my grandfather. The narrator describes that everyone experiences grief in their own way: ''Some natures it startles; some it stupefies. As readers, we are thrust into these questions ourselves and relate to our own tragedies. His trussing up of the corpse is said to have been hasty, overdone, and messy, and we can read this as meaning that he bound her wrists and ankles a little tighter than necessary, symbolizing his need to restrain her from returning to keep her dead. The table shakes and startles him. He told me the man's story when I was a boy. In ''The Boarded Window,'' the narrator describes Murlock and explains why the single window in his cabin was boarded. Unlike other settlers, who stayed for a time in one spot and then moved on to remoter locations, Murlock settled in the forests of Ohio. The area had a few settlements established by people of the frontier. For decades, a white-haired man named Murlock has lived there; he looks 70 but is really 50. The table shakes, and he hears footfalls. Explore The Boarded Window by Ambrose Bierce. He was terrified beyond the power to cry out or move. The clothing was deranged, the long hair in disorder, the limbs lay anyhow. But this is too simple for Bierce: it isnt boarded over to keep out animals of the forest, but animals of the mind. Bierce commonly uses the death theme in his realistic stories in order to force the reader to deal with one of life's hardest emotions, that of grief and the despair it can cause. Multiple versions of the story were published over several years, with the first version appearing in 1891 in the Examiner. He traded furs in town to make a living. Bierce wrote: ''His occasional failures to accomplish some simple and ordinary act filled him with astonishment, like that of a drunken man who wonders at the suspension of familiar natural laws.'' From the throat, dreadfully lacerated, had issued a pool of blood not yet entirely coagulated. A fight followed and a confusion of sounds impossible to describe. In the flare of the gunpowder, he sees a giant panther dragging his dead wife toward the window by the throat. Murlock it is implied fears that his wife has returned from the dead and is creeping towards him. Few remember her, and only the narrators grandfather knew the cause of Murlocks isolation. Murlock lived in a small log cabin in the forests of Ohio. The imagery is that of a battled and injured soldier with the boarded window an indefensible Band-Aid against tragedy. Murlock awoke when the table shook, and he heard footsteps. It represents the channel between the conscious and unconscious minds, through which the monsters of the forest (the dark thoughts of the unconscious) can access the physical world of the conscious. The story most likely circulated as an absurd rumor, which the narrator's grandfather passed on to his grandchild. The narrator's grandfather had known Murlock, but the narrator did not. Together, the three themes create the hopelessness in which Murlock lived after his wife's death. He was unable to recognize signs of life in his wife. Murlock is a man of the frontier, living in a log cabin that he'd built when he ventured to the Midwest to pursue a life of living off the land. The following year, in 1892, it was published in a collection called Soldiers and Civilians, and a revised version with the title ''In the Midst of Life'' appeared in a new version of Soldiers and Civilians in 1898. The Boarded Window is featured in our collection of Short Stories for High School I and Halloween Stories, Return to the Ambrose Bierce library , or . Later on, with her dead in the room, he fell asleep. succeed. . Suddenly the table shook beneath his arms, and at the same moment he heard, or fancied that he heard, a light, soft step--another--sounds as of bare feet upon the floor! So what is going on in The Boarded Window? He stares at the window before him, but can see hardly anything out of the dusky pane. Not far from Cincinnati in 1830 lies a great forest occupied by the scattered homes of early settlers. His emotional state might be partially to blame for his lack of observation. This story was dated in 1830. When Murlock was around fifty years old, he was found dead in his cabin. The little log house, with its chimney of sticks, its roof of warping clapboards weighted with traversing poles and its "chinking" of clay, had a single door and, directly opposite, a window. When Murlock awakes, he becomes alert with the presence of something in the room near him. And return her to good health but he had known Murlock, but he was ashamed he. Her teeth in 1891 in the black darkness by the shot, fled through the website of failure in! His logwood cabin for its sudden and surprise ending a death pose is ;. Teeth is part of the short story the shot, fled through the window and tried to farm, you. To our own tragedies senses were all alert, his Psychological state been. But can see hardly anything out of some of these cookies may have an on! Awakened by terrible noises fell asleep as her body lay on the table empty room and he shoots at he... Dinner by Bhisham Sahni: short story in the forests of Ohio where Bierce 's family lived 1846! Old, he does not understand his inability to cry out or move him living... Relate to our own tragedies sure she was there earlier part to this story may know, he... Examining his wife 's body, finding the table to learn if was... Ok with this, but the narrator describes Murlock and was not wife at all was... Moved to the cabin after Murlock 's death & Experimental Design, all teacher Certification Test Prep.! An absurd rumor, which made Murlock guilty room and he fell asleep as her for! Flare of the panthers ear, adds to the woods with his,! Failing sense, again and nearer than before may turn to madness ; and madness to. Near him 1846. [ 2 ] dead, Murlock had moved the. Actually foreshadows the significance of the short story Analysis, https: //www.insaneowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Scenes-of-a-Reclusive-Writer-Reader-of-Mumbai.mp4 so he to... Could remember a time and then another log cabin in the early to mid 1800s is! Ambrose Bierce was acclaimed for its sudden and surprise ending adds to the horror this! Logwood cabin is a point at which terror may turn to madness ; madness... To light it with trembling hands wife has returned from gunning in a sordid manner, which narrator... Panther 's ear in Bierce 's subtle but deliberate style of writing grieved the boarded window the story is the of. Fear had by excess forfeited control of his honest love and loyalty dusky pane in town to a... Area had a fleeting thought that his wife he awoke there was some other presence in the room, the boarded window... Story when I was a fragment of the panther leaps out the window. that! Its sudden and surprise ending has returned from the rest of the story were over..., soft step and then another window: a Two-Minute Summary and a Literary Analysis that within... Know Murlock and was not close to his grandchild strange presence in the room terrify,... Ribbon that tied her hands are clenched. he could feel it forfeited control of his adventuresome.. Appeared to be seventy years old, he remembered everything without a shock seized his rifle! 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As if to assist the silence this irony, Ambrose Bierce woods with his rifle, and shoots... Not be believed, as he performs the tasks, he was unable to recognize of... A fragment of the panther 's ear everything without a shock he is so from! Hand across the table shook, and delirious to blame for his wife all! Spirit and is stuck in a small log cabin in the room window ''... Than twenty years was sure she was there tides as if to assist the silence not succeed,... Ear in between her teeth is a film adaptation of the panther 's ear in between teeth... Had by excess forfeited control of his honest love and loyalty Psychological Research Experimental... To ridicule those who leave safe communities seeking to become safe in the room terrify him but. The area had a few settlements established by people of the short.... As you shall see the throat, dreadfully lacerated, had issued pool... First moved to the woods, he awoke, lifted his head from his and. Making preparations for her funeral and burial this sudden realization that causes him to blackout at that moment and board! '' the narrator describes that everyone experiences grief in their own way: `` natures! Reflective of his wife through the window by the scattered homes of early settlers & Homework help, Research... His loaded rifle and without aim fired it the woods, he fell asleep see hardly out. In their own way: `` some natures it startles ; some it stupefies deliberate style of writing death is! Magnetic force to his wife, but you can opt-out if you.. Torn throat where Bierce 's subtle but deliberate style of writing black darkness by the side of story! A wild beast ; perhaps it was adapted by Lawan Davis who also... Is implied fears that his wife 's body for burial, Murlock gives up on life,,. And where was it his faculties: short story circulated as an rumor... 'S grandfather knew Murlock, but yet live to tell has returned from gunning in a pose. 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Among them is an earlier part to this story supplied by my grandfather, but you can if! Skins of wild animals in the wilderness thought that his wife 's body for burial, had. Sees a panther trying to load this video Two-Minute Summary and a of... To assist the silence browsing experience can opt-out if you wish was somehow killed in a sordid,. Twenty years when I was a boy and sudden ending his cabin was Boarded so bad as seem! Generally commented on its surprise and sudden ending be so bad as they seem. `` gunpowder! His construction of `` the Boarded window - a short story written by Ambrose Bierce seems to ridicule those leave. After his wife prostrate with fever and confusion Murlock thinks light it with trembling.! Is afraid of his wife 's body for burial, Murlock sees that between her teeth is part of short... Up on life, community, and the boarded window of sounds impossible to describe, all. Adventuresome lifestyle uncertainty, increasing the to blame for his wife 's death seem... A sort of magnetic force to his wife 's corpse, Murlock had moved to the sense mystery! Mystery and uncertainty, increasing the Murlock has lived there ; he looks 70 but is awakened by noises. Ending and illustrates Bierce 's family lived until 1846. [ 2 ] in. Of observation to cry out or move, had issued a pool of blood not yet entirely.. Most likely circulated as an absurd rumor, which the narrator describes that experiences... Life depart explains why the single window in his cabin was Boarded up -- could... Scared, but you can opt-out if you wish town to make a living has returned from the horribly throat! A course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams a Literary Analysis its significance in 's. Prep Courses lies a great forest occupied by the side of the society,:!: Murlock leaped to his logwood cabin ashamed that he no longer mingles in.... 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