THE FLY AND THE BULL

There was once a little fly who thought he was very important. He felt proud of himself. One sunny morning, he flew around looking for someone to talk to. He saw a bull grazing in a field. He decided to fly down to talk to him.

The little fly flew down and buzzed around the bull’s head. The bull did not bother him. He went on chewing grass.

The fly then buzzed right inside the bull’s ear. The bull continued chewing grass. The fly thought, “What a stupid animal!”

Now the fly decided to land on one of the bull’s horns to make the bull notice him. He waited for the bull to say something, but the bull kept quiet.

The fly then shouted angrily ,”Oh, Bull, if you find that I am too heavy for you, let me know and I’ll fly away!”

The bull laughed and said, “Little fly, I don’t care if you stay or leave. You are so tiny that your weight does not make any difference to me, so please be quiet and leave me alone.”

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BANDUNG BONDOWOSO AND RORO JONGGRANG (The Legend of Prambanan Temple)

Once, there was a beautiful Javanese princess whose name was Roro Jonggrang whose beauty was very famous in the land was the daughter of Prabu Baka, an evil king.

One day, a handsome young man with super natural power, named Bandung Bondowoso, defeated and killed Prabu Baka. On seeing Princess Roro Jonggrang’s beauty, Bandung Bondowoso fell in love and wanted to marry her.

Meanwhile, Princess Roro Jonggrang felt sad due to the death of her father. She did not want to marry Bandung because he had killed her father. But she was also afraid of Bandung. So to refuse politely, she made a condition. “I will marry you but you have to build one thousand temples in one night as a wedding gift.” Requested Roro Jonggrang. Bandung agreed with this condition.

Helped by the spirits of demons, Bandung Bondowoso started building the temples. Approaching midnight, the work was nearly done. Roro Jonggrang knew and thought, “ What shall I do ? Bandung is smarter than me. I will lose against Bandung.”

Suddenly she got an idea. She woke up all the women in the palace and ordered them to make the noisy sounds of grinding rice so that the roosters would think it had already dawn.

Bandung Bondowoso got frustrated because he failed to complete the thousandth temple. “The princess has deceived me!” Following his anger, he cursed Roro Jonggrang, “You have cheated me. Now, the thousandth temple is you!”

At once, the princess turned into a statue. Knowing this, Bandung Bondowoso regretted this and he went away into a far land. From then, people called the temple Prambanan Temple and the princess statue, Roro Jonggrang Statue.

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THUMBELINA

 There was once a woman who wanted a small child but didn’t know where to get one. So she went to a witch for help.

“A little child?” said the witch, “That’s easy. Here’s a magic seed. Plant it in a flower pot and see what happens!” The woman thanked the witch, paid her with a piece of silver, and went home to plant the magic seed. As soon as it touched the soil, the seed grew into a tulip, whose flower opened with a pop. In the middle of the flower sat a tiny girl.

“Why, the pretty little thing is hardly as big as my thumb!” cried the woman. “I am going to call her Thumbelina.”

The woman made Thumbelina a bed from a walnut shell. Instead of going out, Thumbelina played on the kitchen table. Her favorite game was sailing across a bowl of water in a boat made from a tulip leaf. As she sailed, she sang in a high, sweet voice.

One night, an old toad got in through an open window and hopped down into the kitchen table. “Just the wife for my son!” the toad declared when it saw Thumbelina sleeping in her tiny bed. The toad picked up the walnut shell and hopped out through the window into the garden. At the bottom of the garden, there was a stream with muddy banks, and that was where the old toad lived with her son. He was even damper and uglier than his mother. When he saw the pretty little girl asleep in the walnut shell, all he could say was, “Ribbik! Ribbik!”. “Not so loud!” whispered the old toad. “If you wake her up, she’ll run away. We’ll put her on a water-lily leaf in the middle of the stream so she won’t be able to escape. Then we can clear out the best room for the wedding.”

In the morning, when she woke up, Thumbelina was startled to find herself on a big green leaf in the middle of a stream.

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ELLY

Long ago, there was a beautiful little  princess who liked to climb trees. “Behave like  a lady and stop climbing trees,” said her parents. But the child did not listen and went on climbing all sort of trees.

Years went by and she had grown up. By now she was an expert in climbing trees. Her parents grieved. “Who will marry a rough woman?” said her mother sadly. Her father replied, “We will make use of the situation. I will offer her at climbing tree.

After the King’s offer was announced, soon the palace was swamped with suitors who could climb trees. Most of them were terrible, only a few were good. The princess said “Never mind, father. Now let me set a test and perhaps some good will come of it”. Then she turned to the suitors and asked, “ Do you agree that you were beaten fairly?” “No,” they all roared except one, “ We think it was magic or some sort of trick.” But one said,”yes.” Yes,” he said, I was beaten fairly.” The princess was touched by his honesty. The princess smiled and turning to her father. She pointed to this man and said,” If he likes me, I will marry him.”

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CINDERELLA

Once upon a time there was a girl named Cinderella. She lived with her bad step-mother and two step-sister. She had to do all the household chores.

One day, the King invited all the ladies in the Kingdom to go to a ball in the palace. He wanted to find the Crown Prince a wife.

The step-sister went to the ball that night with their mother. Cinderella was left alone. She cried because she actually wanted to go to the ball too.

Just then a fairy godmother came. With her magic wand, she gave Cinderella a coach, two horses, and footmen. She also gave Cinderella a lovely dress to wear to the ball and a pair of glass slippers. She told Cinderella to come home before midnight.

At the ball, Cinderella danced all night with the Prince. The Prince fell in love with her. At midnight, Cinderella ran home. Unfortunately, one of her glass slippers slipped off at the door. She did not have time to put it back on. The Prince was sad as he could not find Cinderella again that night.

The next day, the Prince and his men brought along the glass slipper. They went all over the Kingdom to search for the owner.

After searching for a long time, finally, they came to Cinderella’s house. The slipper fitted her. The prince was very happy to find Cinderella again. They got married and lived happily ever after.

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KUPU-KUPU

Kupu-kupu merupakan bangsa serangga Lepidoptera. Ada ribuan jenis kupu-kupu yang ada di muka bumi. Di Indonesia saja tidak kurang dari 2000 jenis kupu-kupu yang ada.

Penyebaran kupu-kupu sangat dipengaruhi  oleh factor lingkungan dan ketersediaan makanan. Lingkungan yang alami dan makanan yang cukup akan menambah populasi kupu-kupu di satu wilayah.

Ciri yang menarik dari hewan ini adalah sayap dan antenanya. Terkadang sayap kupu-kupu memiliki corak dan warna yang sangat menarik.

Warna yang ada pada sayap kupu-kupu terbentuk dari kumpulan sisik yang mengandung pigmen. Jenis kupu-kupu dengan sayap-sayapnya yang indah banyak ditemui di wilayah Indonesia bagian timur, salah satunya adalah kupu-kupu burung (Birdwing) yang bentangan sayapnya mencapai 30 centimeter.

Untuk menghindari kepunahan kupu-kupu, orang membuat konservasi kupu-kupu. Di wilayah ini kupu-kupu bias hidup bebas tanpa gangguan manusia. Malah berbagai jenis tanaman sengaja ditanam agar beberapa jenis kupu-kupu bias bertahan hidup di sana.

FAKTA MENARIK:

·        Bangsa kupu-kupu diperkirakan sudah hidup di muka bumi sejak 200 juta tahun yang lalu. Dari sebuah fosil yang di temukan, diketahui kupu-kupu masa itu ada yang memiliki rentang sayap yang panjangnya 65 centimeter.

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REPTIL DAN AMFIBI

Reptil dan amfibi merupakan dua kelas binatang yang berkerabat dekat. Uniknya, keduanya memiliki ciri berlawanan. Misalnya, amfibi berkulit halus dan basah, reptil berkulit kering dan bersisik.

Selain itu, ketika menetas, kebanyakan larva amfibi berada di air. Saat itu, mereka bernafas dengan insang, yang kemudian akan hilang ketika mereka tumbuh dewasa dan hidup di darat. Sedangkan reptil tidak mempunyai insang, dan ketika menetas anak reptil berada di atas tanah.

Amfibi

Amfibi adalah binatang yang hidup di dua alam, yaitu di air dan di darat. Termasuk dalam kelas ini adalah katak, salamander, dan sesilia. Kalau amfibi kecil bernafas dengan insang, ketika dewasa amfibi bernafas dengan paru-paru. Dimana oksigen masuk melalui kulit menuju ke darah dan sebaliknya karbondioksida keluar dari kulit.

Reptil

Reptil merupakan binatang melata. Kebanyakan binatang dari kelas ini menggunakan indera penglihatan, penciuman, dan sentuhan untuk mengenali lingkungan, menangkap mangsa, dan menghindari dari bahaya. Beberapa contoh reptil diantaranya ular, kura-kura, buaya, iguana, komodo, dan kadal.

Reptil merupakan binatang berdarah dingin. Mereka menghangatkan tubuh dengan berjemur di matahari.

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KATAK

Katak merupakan amfibi yang paling tangkas. Hewan ini dapat melompat dari satu tempat ke tempat yang lain dengan mudah. Binatang yang sebagian hidupnya dihabiskan di air ini memiliki kaki berselaput, kaki belakang yang panjang, dan kulit yang halus.

Terdapat lebih dari 5000 jenis katak di dunia. Mereka tergabung dalam ordo Anura, yang terbagi menjadi 33 keluarga. Beberapa jenis katak di antaranya katak banteng (Rana catesbeiana), katak macam tutul (Rana pipiens), katak pohon abu-abu (Hyla versicolor), dan katak panah beracun (Dendrobates pumilio).

Di masa kawin, katak-katak jantan sering mengeluarkan suara atau nyanyian untuk memikat katak betina. Suara inidihasilkan oleh kantung suara yang terletak di sekitar lehernya. Uniknya, setiap jenis katak memiliki karakteristik suara atau panggilan yang berbeda.

Saat melompot, katak menumpukkan seluruh gerakannya di kaki belakang. Katak melompat dengan mata tertutup. Dan ketika mendarat, tubuhnya melengkung dan kaki depan bertindak sebagai rem.

Katak sering di sebut bangkong, padahal katak dan bangkong (keluarga Bufonidae)  tidak sama meskipun serupa. Misalnya, dari bentuk kaki. Kaki bangkong lebih pendek dari katak, dan tidak betul-betul berselaput. Kulitnya kasar berkutil dan cukup kering. Perbedaan lainnya, bangkong lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu di daratan kering.

FAKTA MENARIK:

·        Selama musim dingin katak berhibernasi (tidur panjang) di dalam lumpur atau di bawah bebatuan dan batang kayu, dan tidak akan bangun sampai musim panas atau musim semi tiba.

·        Katak terkecil berasal dari Brasil. Amfibi ini berukuran 9,8 milimeter.

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BUAYA AIR ASIN

Buaya air asin (Crocodylus porosus) merupakan binatang terbesar di antara reptile lain. Seekor buaya air asin jantan dewasa rata-rata memiliki panjang 5 meter, dengan berat 500 kilogram. Sedangkan buaya air asin betina dewasa berukuran sepanjang 2,5 – 3 meter.

Binatang ini dapat hidup di tengah laut, muara-muara air payau, hinggansungai-sungai berair tawar di wilayah Asia Tenggara dan Australia bagian utara.

Menurut penelitian, buaya termasuk hewan yang cerdas. Reptile ini memiliki insting yang kuat terhadap bahaya. Buaya juga merupakan pemburu yang andal, karena selalu sukses dalam memangsa korbannya.

Buaya air asin menggunakan beberapa cara dalam memburu mangsa. Mula-mula binatang ini melakukan pengintaian dari dalam air atau tepi sungai, lalu menunggu sampai si mangsa dekat dengannya, baru kemudian menyergap dan menarik mangsa itu ke dalam air hingga mati tenggelam.

FAKTA MENARIK:

·        Seekor bayi buaya yang ingin menetas menggunakan gigi atas untuk memecahkan dinding telur.

·        Jenis kelamin bayi buaya tergantungpada suhu telur. Bayi buaya betina berkembang di dalam telur yang panas, sedangkan bayi buaya jantan berkembang di dalam telur yang dingin.

·        Buaya dan alligator dua jenis binatang yang berbeda. Perbedaan ini bias dilihat dari bentuk moncong dan gigi.

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KOMODO

Komodo (Varanus komodoensis) adalah kadal terbesar di dunia. Panjangnya dapat mencapai tiga meter, dengan berat antara 80 – 140 kilogram. Hewan ini mempunyai indera yang kuat dan dianggap sebagai reptile yang paling maju intelegensinya.

Komodo tergolong kelompok karnivora. Kadal buas ini memburu mangsa dengan mengendap diam-diam, lalu menyergapnya cepat. Binatang yang paling sering dimangsa komodo adalah semua jenis binatang yang dapat ditangkapnya, diantaranya rusa kecil, babi liar, dan kerbau.

Komodo dewasa memiliki cakar yang tajam di jari-jarinya yang berguna untuk mencengkram mangsa.  Selain kuat dan dapat mengoyak mangsa dengan cepat, gigitan komodo juga dapat menimbulkan infeksi mematikan bagi binatang atau manusia yang digigitnya. Itu dikarenakan air  liur komodo mengandung 50 jenis bakteri berbahaya.

Komodo termasuk satwa langka yang harus dilindungi keberadaannya. Jumlah reptile ini sekarang sekitar 6000 ekor saja. Di dunia komodo hanya terdapt di Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia yaitu di Pulau Komodo dimana pulau ini ditetapkan sebagai salah satu tujuh keajaiban dunia pada tahun 2012 oleh yayasan New 7 Wonders. Selain di Pulau Komodo, komodo juga dapat dijumpai di Padar, Rinca, Gili Motang, dan Utara Flores.

FAKTA MENARIK :

·    Telur komodo biasanya dijaga oleh induknya. Uniknya, anak yang baru menetas tidak dijaga, justru sering dimakan.

·        Dalam seabad terakhir sudah lebih 12 orang tewas akibat digigit komodo.

·     Komodo dipercaya merupakan asal mula karakter naga, yang banyak terdapat dalam cerita dan dongeng rakyat Cina.

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SALAMANDER

Salamander merupakan nama yang umum digunakan bagi gabungan 500 jenis amfibi dari ordo Caudata atau Urodela. Beberapa amfibi yang termasuk dalam golongan salamander di antaranya keluarga kadal air (Salamandridae), aksolot (Ambystoma mexicanum), mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus), dan hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis).

Lingkungan hidup salamander beragam, mulai dari kolam atau genangan air, rawa, sungai, danau, hutan-hutan basah, dan daerah rumput-rumputan.

Kebanyakan salamander mempunyai tubuh langsing, kulit halus, kaki pendek, dan ekor panjang.

Hampir semua salamander pemakan daging. Amfibi ini menangkap mangsa dengan bergerak perlahan ke arah mangsa, baru kemudian menangkapnya tiba-tiba dengan lidah atau menjepitnya di antara gigi-giginya yang tajam. Mangsa salamander kebanyakan serangga, laba-laba, dan cacing tanah.

Supaya tidak dimakan pemangsa, salamander memperthankan dirinya dengan beragam cara. Beberapa salamander mempunyai kelenjar beracun di sekitar leher, ekor, dan kulitnya. Salamander Kalifornia (Ensatina eschsholtzii) menakuti pemangsa dengan kibasan ekornya. Sedangkan salamander jenis lain justru melepaskan ekornya, yang akan tumbuh lagi setelah itu.

Fakta menarik :

Tidak seperti salamander yang kebanyakan bertelur di luar, salamander api meletakkan, menetaskan, dan menumbuhkan telur di dalam perutnya. Ketika lahir, bayi salamander api mirip sekali salamander dewasa, hanya lebih kecil.

Salamander merupakan binatang pemalu. Amfibi ini menghabiskan waktunya dengan cara bersembunyi.

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SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess called Snow White. Her mother died, and her father, the King, married again. The new Queen hated Snow White. She was jealous of the princess’ beauty. She always asked her magic mirror about who the fairest one of all was. As long as the mirror’s reply was her, the Queen was happy.

One day there was a handsome Prince. He liked to propose Snow White to be his wife. Knowing about this, the Queen felt furious. Then she asked her mirror same question. The answer was Snow white! The Queen was angry. In her rage, she ordered her hunter to kill young princess and bring her heart to the Queen.

The Hunter was about to fulfill his duties. But, then, he fell to his knees. He begged Snow White to forgive him. He told the truth, and asked the princess to run away and never return. Snow White ran into the woods. She was frightened and exhausted. Then, she fell unconscious. A few moment later, some animals awakened her. They led her to a small cottage for shelter. The cottage was very small and dirty. So, she cleaned it up. After doing this, she was tired and decided to go to bed.

Meanwhile, the seven dwarfs had finished working hard at a diamond mine. They were on their way home. When they arrived, they felt surprised to see a light on in the cottage. They gathered their courage to enter the cottage. But, when they were in the bedroom, they saw a very pretty girl lying in one of the beds. They woke her up and introduced themselves. They were Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful and Doc. Later on Snow White told them about her step-mother.

In the palace, the Queen had received the news from the Hunter. To prove the news, she questioned her mirror who the fairest was. Surprisingly, the answer was still Snow White. From the mirror, the Queen also knew that the princess lived in the cottage with the seven dwarfs.

The next day the Queen disguised herself as an ugly old woman. She appeared at the cottage while the dwarfs were on their way to work. She met Snow White. Then, she gave an apple which contained an evil spell. Snow White took one bite and she fell to the floor right away. The animals that witnessed it hurried to tell the dwarfs about happening. The dwarfs rushed to the cottage, but it was too late. The princess laid on the floor. The dwarfs decided to lay her in a glass coffin.

In the other palace, the prince knew that Snow white no longer stayed in the castle. He had been looking for her. When he saw her in the coffin, he opened the lid, bent over and kissed her. Slowly, Snow White opened her eyes. Only true love’s kiss could awaken the princess. Then, the prince carried her to his white horse. And they rode off into his castle to live happily ever after.

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RADEN SALEH SYARIF BUSTAMAN

Taman Ismail Marzuki atau yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan pusat kesenian Jakarta, yang terletak di jalan Cikini Raya, 73, Jakarta Pusat. Tahukah kalian,,, jika pusat kesenian ini dahulunya merupakan kompleks vila milik pelukis yang bernama lengkap RADEN SALEH SYARIF BUSTAMAN ini. Di mana sang pelikis ini lahir pada tahun 1807, di Semarang. Pada 1817, dia dikirim bersekolah di Jakarta. Di sini, ia bertemu A. A. J. Payen, seorang pelukis bagi direktur pertanian, kesenian, dan pengetahuan pemerintahan Belanda. Bakat Saleh membuat Payen mengusulkannya agar di kirim belajar ke Belanda. Maka pada 1829, saleh pun berangkat dan ia menjadi pelukis Indonesia pertama yang belajar ke luar negeri.

Di Belanda, ia belajar di bawah asuhan dan bimbingan Cornelis Kruseman dan Andries Schelfhout. Dalam beberapa tahun, ia telah ikut serta dalam pameran  di Belanda. Setelah itu, Raden Saleh mulai menjelajah Austria, Jerman, dan Perancis. Ia juga pergi ke Aljazair bersama Horace Vernet, pelukis beraliran oriental yang mempengaruhi lukisan adegan berburunya. Pada tahun 1843, ia menetap di Dresden selama  5 tahun. Di sini, ia banyak melukis para bangsawan sehingga Raden Saleh mulai terkenal, sebagai pelukis potret.

Setelah malang melintang di Eropa selama 20 tahun, RAden Saleh kembali ke Jakarta pada 1851. Kemudian, ia mendirikan sebuah rumah indah yang kini dikenal sebagai rumah Sakit Cikini. Di Cikini, juga dibangun kompleks vila. Ketika pulang, Raden Saleh ditemani istrinya bernama Ny. Winkelman, seorang wanita Belanda. Namun kemudian ia bercerai dan menikah dengan Raden Ayu Danudirdjo, seorang bangsawan Solo. Pada 1875 – 1879, ia kembali ke Eropa dan setelah itu menetap di Bogor hingga wafat pada 23 April 1880.

Karya-karya Raden Saleh banyak dipajang di Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Sebagian karyanya terpakar ketika sedang di pamerkan di Paris pada 1931, dan salah satunya dalah karya besarnya yang berjudul ‘Antara Hidup dan Mati’. Beberapa karya lainya adalah ‘Merapi yang Meletus’, ‘Penangkapan Diponegoro’, Jalan di Desa’, ‘Banjir’, ‘Pertarungan antara Kerbau dan Harimau’, ‘Berburu Harimau’, ‘Harimau Minum’ dan lukisan potret seperti Gubernur Jenderal Daendles, Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII, dan Bupati Majalengka, pamannya. 

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RAPUNZEL

A long time ago, there lived a young couple, a man and his wife. His wife was expecting their baby. She wanted a plant that only grew in her neighbor’s garden. She wanted it so much. She even intended to steal it herself, but later on, she sent her husband to steal it. Unfortunately, mother gothel, the owner of the garden, caught him doing it. She was a witch. Then, mother gothel forced the couple to give their first baby to her.

A few months later, the baby was born. It was a girl and named Rapunzel. Soon, this baby was taken away to live with mother gothel. Rapunzel grew to be a beautiful young girl with her long goldy hair. She, at first, was cared in a normal way. When she reached puberty, she was locked in a tower so that she would never leave Mother Gothel. The tower stood in the forest. It could only be entered by climbing on Rapunzel’s long hair. To cheer herself up, she loved to sing.

One day, a young prince was out hunting. He stumbled upon the tower. He heard Rapunzel’s beautiful voice. He decided that he must meet her. He spied and, by watching Mother Gothel, learned the words he had to say to have Rapunzel drop her hair. The prince visited her often and the two fell in love.

Then, Rapunzel made a plan to escape from the tower. She wanted to be with the prince. She asked the prince to bring her a skein of silk each time he visited. She might weave a ladder for her escape. Unfortunately, Mother Gothel caught on. Then, she banished Rapunzel to the desert. She threw the prince from the tower into a thorny bush. The thorns made the prince blind and he roamed the earth searching for his love.

Eventually, they found each other, and the prince’s eyes were healed by Rapunzel’s tears of happiness.

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Once upon a time, there was a prince. He lived in a castle in France.

One day a woman came to his castle. She was old and ugly. The prince didn’t like her and sent her away.

After the prince sent the woman away, she turned into a beautiful fairy. She cursed the prince and his castle. The prince became a beast. He was very ugly now. All his servants became furniture. The prince could be a human again if a woman fell in love with him.

Meanwhile, on the other of mountain, there lived a girl. Her name was Belle. She lived with her father, Maurice.

One day, Maurice traveled past the castle. It was raining very hard he came into the castle. When the beast saw him, he captured him.

Belle was so worried because her father didn’t come back. She began to look for him. She arrived in the castle and she found her father there. Belle agreed to stay in the castle so that her father could go home.

First, Belle didn’t like the Beast because he was mean. Then, slowly he changed. He was not mean anymore. Belle began to like him and finally she fell in love with him.

Right after she declared her love to the Beast the spell was broken. The Beast and his servants became human again. The Beast and Belle got married. They lived happily ever after.

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