Dollies, by Morpher

Chapter 2
Chapter Two

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Chapter Description: By Morpher

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Two

 

Stuart smiles as he holds onto April’s hand, the two currently taking a stroll through Central Park. As someone who has heard stories all about the “Big Apple” in the past, it is quite something to be experiencing it for himself. The past few months have been quite a blast for the young man. Sure his funds have been running low, but he’s met someone truly special.

 

April is a woman he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with. She’s funny, incredibly intelligent, beautiful, and most importantly, she understands him. Just as he understands her. Sure they’ve had their fights since their first date, but they have always managed to mend things and come closer together as a result.

 

“It’s really nice this time of the year. I like it when it isn’t too chilly.” April smiles as she walks alongside her boyfriend of five months. From the moment they met, she knew he was right for her, and the past half year has only confirmed the fact. He is a kind, energetic young man who wants to do good in the world: the fact that he volunteers a lot of his time at homeless shelters and the like only proves that to her. She doesn’t even mind that she is now paying his rent for him, her time with Stuart well worth it.

 

And of course, there’s the fact that he’s willing to help her out as much as he can with starting over.

 

“So,” April starts as she looks around. Thankfully, the trail they are on doesn’t have many others on it. “Have you heard any word back? About, you know…”

 

“I did,” Stuart says softly as he tightens his grip on the redhead’s hand. “They’re willing to consider it. It’s usually seen as pretty taboo back home. But well, this could be a special case. Being from there, I have a little sway. But I bet they’ll want something from us in return.”

 

“If it’s money, I have plenty of that.” April says without any hesitation in her voice. “If I can start over with Victor…I’d give anything for that.”

 

“You won’t have to, April.” Stuart gently caresses his girlfriend’s hand as they walk together. “Things are going to work out. I just might owe some favors, that’s all. Don’t worry, the way things are going, everything will be set in a few months.”

 

April smiles as she rests her head on Stuart’s shoulder. “I can’t wait…I actually can’t wait to leave everything behind and start over again…will you be there too?” She asks, a look of concern flashing in her eyes. “You’re the one thing I wouldn’t want to…couldn’t bear to lose.”

 

Stuart can’t help but grin as he leads her further into the park. “Actually, there’s sort of something I was hoping to ask you.”

 

“Oh? What is it?”

 

The blonde chuckles. “Just give me a minute, okay? We aren’t at the right spot yet…”

 

  *****************************

As soon as she wakes up, Viola knows things have changed. And from her perspective, not for the better.

 

The pink room around her almost certainly isn’t the master bedroom she had fallen asleep in the previous night. It looks to be a girl’s room: a little girl’s room.

 

Or rather, two little girls’ rooms, given that above her appears to be another bed.

 

Despite the dread she feels, Viola decides to check out the damage as she looks down at herself. Given her size, she can’t be any older than nine years old, her blonde hair reaching just past her shoulders. She bets she has some baby fat now, the girl feeling her childish face with a cute frown. She’s not super sure how she got younger overnight, but-

 

And then she panics. She remembers what happened the previous night, remembers her mind delving into a pool of giddy bliss as she hugged Abigail to herself. Without looking down at the bed around her, she starts to feel around. As long as she doesn’t make eye contact with the doll, it won’t be a problem. At least, that’s how she thinks it works.

 

A quick inspection reveals the doll to be absent, Viola letting out a little sigh of relief before she blushes. She sounds so young now, although her voice certainly suits her new age.

 

The girl in pink satin pajamas climbs out of bed before she peers over into the top bunk. Victoria too seems to be about the same age, the redhead’s face looking even more precious as she slumbers. Freckles continued to dot her face around her nose, the girl’s hair a mess as she continues to toss and turn in bed.

 

Viola decides that it might be best to talk with Stuart before waking Victoria. She creeps out of the room before freezing up: her new bedroom is one of the rooms that had been locked away the previous night. An attempt to get back into Victoria’s previous bedroom reveals the door to be locked. As dread grows within her, Viola turns to the final room. She has a good guess as to what might lie within. It is expected, but given her current situation she doesn’t like it one bit.

 

She finds Stuart downstairs, the handsome young man flashing her a comforting smile as he briefly turns away from the bacon sizzling in a frying pan. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

 

Part of Viola wants to smile and greet him as well. But there are more pressing matters to attend to. The nine-year-old pouts as she looks at him. “You lied to me.”

 

It takes a moment for Stuart to register what she’s talking about before he sighs. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to spook you.”

 

“It would have helped if you had prepared me for this. What other secrets are you keeping from me?” She demands as she tries to look as intimidating as possible. Naturally, she has little success with that. “Were you put up to this?”

 

“What? No!” Stuart shakes his head as he moves to the girl’s side, Viola letting out a little cry as he hugs her. “I only want to help you, Viola…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to cause you any further confusion. This must be hard enough for you as is.”

 

The little girl blushes a little as she is hugged. Although part of her is screaming to escape from the embrace and runaway, another, larger part takes great comfort in the hug. And as Stuart starts to pet her hair, her worries begin to recede.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“I-It’s okay,” Viola manages before she pulls away. “How did we get younger?”

 

“The dolls.”

 

Viola frowns, remembering what happened the night before. “You snuck her in my bed!”

 

“Only because I was ordered to! I’m sorry, I know that they have quite an effect on the mind.”

 

“And here you said I was in charge…” Viola sighs as she tries to keep her spirits up. It’s so weird, having an adult mind trapped in a child’s body. She feels more emotional now, more prone to doing things that an adult might normally not. For a brief moment, she sympathizes with those she’s changed before. That is, before Stuart snaps her back to the present.

 

“Here,” he says, handing her a spoon full of medicine.

 

“What’s this?” Viola stares at the purple liquid with a great deal of suspicion shimmering in her bright eyes.

 

“Some medicine. Don’t worry, I’ll fetch you a spoonful of sugar after to help it go down.”

 

As Viola’s favorite movie of all time is quoted, the girl cracks a smile. But then she realizes that “medicine” in Parkdale is never a good thing. “What’s it supposed to do?”

 

“Help you stave off the mental effects a bit more. This is all experimental, so we want to make sure your mind is extra safe-”

 

“I don’t believe you.” Stuart may be an excellent hugger, but he certainly isn’t the most trustworthy person she’s ever met. It’s hard for Viola to read him: while he appears very sincere, some of his actions have caused her problems in the past. She doesn’t know if he’s really on her side or not.

 

“That’s right, I should give you this first.” Stuart smiles as he reaches into a paper bag that has been sitting on the kitchen table. From within, he pulls out a doll and gives it to Viola before she can protest.

 

“Tech has made some changes. I had to snag them up from you two in the middle of the night.”

 

Viola knows Stuart is saying something, but right now the doll in her hands has her complete, undivided attention. She knows it is Abigail on sight, and yet it is not. The doll is younger, now resembling a girl around Viola’s age, or possibly even younger. Her blonde hair is pulled back into pigtails, and she wears the brightest of smiles on her face. Viola can only smile back, her worries and concerns drifting away again as she holds the doll. She doesn’t even realize she’s getting younger, her pajamas now too big for her.

 

Stuart smiles, watching as Viola is prepared for the next phase. She seems to adore the doll in her hands, Viola’s smile truly that of a child given a new toy as she hugs the blonde doll to her flat chest.

 

“Good morning Viola! I can’t wait to spend a fun day with you!” The voice that leaves Abigail is certainly not the same one from yesterday, this one sounding like a girl of about six or seven. Viola can’t help but giggle.

 

“Uh huh! It’ll be super fun!” She says, before Stuart catches her attention.

 

“Open wide, sweetie.”

 

Viola swallows up the spoonful of medicine with a smile, no questions asked.

 

  *****************************

“Wake up, Vicky! Come on, I want to play!”

 

Victoria lets out a little groan as she’s shaken awake, the little girl blinking a few times as her eyebrows furrow. Where is she? This isn’t the room she had stayed in the night before, is it?

 

Turning her head to the side, she spots the girl shaking her. She frowns: isn’t Viola supposed to be older, the same age as her? She can tell it is Viola on sight, but she was certain her friend was at least thirteen, much like her.

 

“Viola?” She asks, before freezing up. Looking down at her body reveals a stunning revelation: she’s gotten younger herself. She can’t be more than nine years old, although that still seems to put her a year or two ahead of the blonde.

 

“Wh-What happened to me?” She asks, the voice she hears that of a young girl. Panic creeps into her eyes as Viola frowns.

 

“Nothing happened to you, sleepyhead! Come on, I want to play today!” Viola giggles excitedly, the girl holding onto a cute little doll wearing pigtails. Victoria briefly wonders if the fact that her friend’s hair is also done in pigtails is a coincidence or not before she shakes her head. While Viola’s present situation is certainly a concern of hers, her own body comes first.

 

“I’m supposed to be older! I’m…” Victoria trails off as she frowns. She can’t remember how old she’s supposed to be. Her clearest memories are of her as a teenager the day before, but somewhere in her mind come whispers that she’s supposed to be older than that. And not only that, but-

 

“You must have had a funny dream!” Viola says as she hugs the doll to her body, the girl dressed in a Disney Princess shirt and matching pink pants. She looks like a girl right out of Disney World, even. “Sometimes I dream about being older to! Then we can do lots of other fun things!”

 

Victoria frowns. Was it all really a dream? But it felt so real, and she can’t remember being this age before. “But I remember it. We made a blog together last night, remember?”

 

Now it is Viola’s turn to frown, a look of confusion crossing her face. That is, before she sees her doll again as a big smile forms. “Oh right, here! You forgot Brittany!” Viola reaches down, grabbing the doll off the bottom bunk as she hands it to Victoria.

 

The redhead gasps as she sees the doll. It’s different from the one in her dream, although she could easily see the one in her hands being her younger counterpart. With a cute freckled face and long red hair like Victoria’s, Brittany seems the ideal companion. Victoria smiles as she starts to pet the doll, Viola giggling as the girl’s age starts to better resemble the doll’s own.

 

“Come on Vicki, we can play dollhouse today!”

 

“Okay!” Victoria says louder than she means as she crawls out of her bunk bed, the girl not even realizing that her clothes are far too large for her. But that doesn’t matter: she has Brittany, and it’s time to get changed anyway.

 

 

“Let it go! Let it go! I’m one with the wind and sky!”

 

Stuart smiles as he watches the two seven year olds dance in front of the screen, the two giggling, red-faced girls absolutely in love with Frozen. It’s been a huge hit with little girls this past year, so he isn’t exactly surprised that both Viola and Victoria have fallen under its spell.

 

The blonde man sits on the couch, Brittany and Abigail both sitting a few feet away. They are certainly very impressive works, the technology division only improving with each passing day. He wonders when a day might come when people who enter the town will be targeted and regressed right away. Of course, that would put some people out of work, he thinks with a chuckle.

 

“Stuart, I want to re-watch that part again! Pretty please!” Viola is still acting the part of kid sister, although given her treatment Stuart has to wonder if she even remembers who she is anymore. It’s so strange: Viola is quite the expert at regressing others. But here she is, a big smile on her face as she practically whines about how much she wants to see the “Let It Go” sequence again.

 

Not that Victoria is much better, the redhead nodding over and over again. “Please!” She cries out, the girl’s green eyes sparkling with delight.

 

Stuart laughs as he presses pause on the remote. “Okay, we can. But before we do, does anyone need to use the bathroom!”

 

“I do!” Both girls say at the same time, to Stuart’s surprise.

 

“Okay, then Victoria should go first.” Stuart says as he guides the girl to the bathroom.

 

“But I really gotta pee!” Viola whines, her face turning red again as she starts to throw a tantrum. Stuart is taken aback by her sudden urgency, although he remembers that the medicine he gave her earlier was to help ease her into her new body. Perhaps lesser bowel control came with that.

 

“She’s our guest, Viola. She gets to go first.” Stuart says as he watches the redhead enter the bathroom.

 

“I gotta pee!” Viola continues to whine, the pigtailed girl even managing to conjure up some tears as she stomps her feet.

 

Stuart sighs as he helps her up the stairs, the young man knowing that the last thing he needs now is a big scene. He opens the bathroom connected to the master bedroom as Viola dashes within.

 

It’s been quite a day, what with Viola confronting him. Still, at least that didn’t last long: Abigail saw to that. Stuart feels a tinge of remorse as he thinks about what he’s doing, but he shakes it away. He’s doing this for her own good, to protect her and give her a loving family.

 

He knows from others that while Viola’s childhood was a fairly pleasant one, a lot of problems came up when she learned she was adopted. Her obsession with being a nanny probably started from back then, he figures. He means no malice in his actions, even if he can’t say the same for the town as a whole. But Stuart at least knows that he’ll protect Viola and take care of her. She’s his little girl, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy.

 

It’s the same with Victoria, the blonde already feeling far more attached to the cute little girl than he ever was to Victor. He’s relieved that Victoria doesn’t remember him, but not too surprised: the two times he met April’s son, Victor never paid him any mind or interest at all. His anti-social behavior had ultimately made things easier for Stuart, the man mused.

 

Victoria is a very pretty young thing, clearly taking her looks from her mother. Having seen her at three different ages so far, Stuart is happy to know that she’ll grow up to be a very beautiful young woman, much like Viola.

 

But that will be a long time from now.

 

“Viola, are you done in there?” It’s been a few minutes now, and Viola never mentioned anything about having to poop. Stuart hopes she’s okay.

 

 *****************************

 

She’s an idiot.

 

Viola holds her head in her hands as she sits on the toilet, the girl having already completed her business. But she’s not ready to leave: that would involve confronting Stuart and all of his lies.

 

She had let her guard down, let him pull that stupid doll on her. Just thinking about the pretty blonde doll almost makes Viola’s mind wander off to a more pleasant place, although lucky for her she is able to resist its sweet allure. She needs to stay focused now, needs to figure out a plan that sees her getting out of this with her mind fully intact. And ideally, her body.

 

She can’t let Stuart know that she remembers more now, although even her memories give cause for concern. Viola knows she’s older, but it’s getting harder to remember how old exactly. It’s as if pieces of her past are sealed away, knowledge that she’s gained over many years unavailable to her. She’ll have to make do with what she has, she knows, although that does little to lift her spirits.

 

The girl decides that she needs to get Victoria to remember as well. Two heads are better than one, and perhaps with her help they can come up with a plan. And worst comes to worst, Viola thinks with a little bit of shame, Victoria could serve as a distraction to Stuart. She doesn’t want that, doesn’t want to use the girl in such a way, but if she doesn’t have any other choice…

 

“Viola, are you done in there?” Stuart’s voice almost causes Viola to jump, the girl lifting up her panties and pants as she flushes the toilet and moves to wash her hands. She knows that being away from Abigail has helped give her clarity, and if she wants to remain clear-minded she needs to keep away from the doll as long as she can.

 

Viola opens the door as she looks up at Stuart. He seems so warm and sincere, yet Viola knows he’s in on all this. It works out though: she’s now keeping things from him too.

 

“Ready to go watch the song again?”

 

Viola shakes her head as she rushes off ahead, Stuart a bit taken aback by her speed. “I need to talk with Victoria in my room! Girl stuff!” She says, racing downstairs.

 

Victoria is already sitting back on the couch, Brittany clutched to her chest as the redhead wears a big smile on her face. Viola approaches her “friend” with a frown.

 

“Vicki, we need to talk in my room.”

 

“But I thought we were going to watch-”

 

“We can later. This is super important.” She says, Victoria seeming to get the hint as she nods and stands. “Leave Brittany here,” Viola commands. She’s doing everything in her power not to look over at Abigail, a task easier said than done.

 

“But why?” There’s a whining note in Victoria’s voice as she pouts. “I want Brittany to come with me!”

 

“We’re best friends!” The doll says, this being the first time Viola has heard the redhead doll speak. They seem to speak at the worst moments, she realizes, the girl worrying that Abigail might now distract her. Thankfully the voice never comes, Viola managing to pry Brittany away from the girl as Victoria begins to tear up.

 

“Come on!” Viola says, doing her best not to sound as upset as she is as she grabs Victoria by the hand and leads her upstairs.

 

“Viola, what’s wro-”

 

“Girl stuff! No boys allowed!” Viola rushes past Stuart as she leads Victoria into their room, the girl shutting the door before she collapses weakly against it.

 

Victoria has tears in her eyes, the redhead sniffling as she looks at her friend. “I wanted to take Brittany with me!”

 

“Of course you did. That doll has you under her spell really good. I wasn’t doing any better than you either.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Victoria frowns, the girl clearly having no idea about what is going on.

 

“Vicki, how old are you?” Viola’s words clearly have the impact she wants them to. Despite being seven, Victoria knows that something is up with her body: her face tells Viola as much.

 

“Umm…I think seven? But that doesn’t sound right…”

 

“Because it isn’t.” Viola explains. “You’re supposed to be a lot older than you are right now. We both are. We’re adults, not little kids.” Part of her tells Viola that Victoria shouldn’t even be a girl, but that just sounds silly to her.

 

Victoria still looks confused. “How did we get smaller?”

 

“It’s this town…it specializes in making adults and older kids into nappy messing babies. And it seems like we’re being targeted too.”

 

“That’s silly!”

 

“I’m being serious!” Viola says, louder than she means. She hopes that she hasn’t attracted Stuart’s attention yet, the girl worried about what he might do. “We need to work together to escape from here.”

 

“Maybe your big brother will help?” Victoria asks. Viola understands that Victoria still doesn’t grasp the severity of the situation, but there’s certainly more understanding behind her eyes now. Being away from Brittany has clearly done her mind some good.

 

“He’s not actually my big brother. He’s a man who I was…” Viola stops herself there. How will Victoria act if she learns that she was in on all of this? She might not ever want to cooperate with her if the truth spills out. That or it could cause a really big scene, and then one teary confession later Stuart knows everything that has happened. “Umm, I was friends with. Yes.”

 

Victoria frowns as she realizes she’s been lied to about their relationship. “But if he’s your friend, why is he making us little?”

 

“I don’t know.” Viola says quickly. “Look, we need a plan to-”

 

“Hey girls,” Stuart says as he slips into the room, a small smile on his face. “You forgot these downstairs.”

 

At once Viola knows she’s in danger, the girl quickly jumping into her bed as she pulls her covers over her head. “I don’t feel very good,” she says.

 

Stuart has already given Victoria her doll at this point, all clarity leaving the redhead as she giggles. “You don’t? What’s wrong, sweetie? Upset tummy? Do you need to use the bathroom again?”

 

Viola shakes her head under the covers, although the girl is worried about her sudden urgent need to urinate from a few moments ago. It hadn’t even been two hours since her last visit to the bathroom.

 

“Do you want me to check your temperature, or-”

 

“Go away! I don’t feel good!” The cry comes out easier than even Viola wants, a few unexpected tears gathering in her eyes as she sniffles.

 

“…okay sweetie. Come on Vicki, let’s go watch the rest of Frozen.”

 

Victoria frowns. “What about Viola?” She asks, the perfect picture of childhood innocence.

 

“I’ve already watched it with her before. Go ahead, I’ll be right there.” Stuart waits until Victoria is gone before setting something down on Viola’s bed, the man soon making his leave.

 

With an enraged cry, Viola knocks Abigail away. She doesn’t need to see the doll to know what it is, to know that Stuart is once again trying to rein her under his control. But she won’t look at the doll, even if it means staying under the blankets for the rest of the day.

 

She sits in silence for a few moments, wondering what to do. She tried her best with Victoria, but just like that Brittany ruined everything.

 

“Let’s play a lot today, Viola!”

 

The girl cringes as she hears Abigail’s voice. She sounds just like a girl around her age. In fact, the voice is almost familiar…

 

She shakes her head. The more mind she gives the doll, the worse things will get.

 

“Movies are super fun!”

 

Viola continues to ignore the doll. She has to focus on how to escape this situation and, for that matter, Parkdale itself. This goes far, far deeper than Stuart. She knows she has the money, but given her current body-

 

“Let’s watch Mary Poppins together, Viola!”

 

“Huh?” Viola throws the cover aside, fear dancing in her eyes. How does the doll know what her favorite movie is? There’s no way that should be one of the things it says. Is it possessed? That can’t be true, given that ghosts and the like don’t exist.

 

Looking over the side of her bed, the girl gets a good look at the smiling blonde doll.

 

And just like that, all of her problems are pushed away, the girl bursting into cute giggles as she picks up the doll. Without a moment to lose, she runs downstairs, hoping the movie is still going on.

 

 *****************************

 

It’s late at night as Stuart climbs into bed, the blonde ready to start his report. Opening up his laptop, he readies himself to compose his email as he thinks back on the day.

 

Things had gone on without a hitch after Viola’s little hissy fit, Stuart having to wonder if the girl had remembered more when a bathroom visit had taken her away from Abigail. Whatever the case, his choice to leave the doll on her bed had worked out wonderfully: the cute blonde had practically skipped downstairs to join him and Victoria as they watched the rest of Frozen.

 

Since the rain had continued throughout the day, their options had been quite limited. At Viola’s insistence, Stuart had put on Mary Poppins, the little girl’s fondness for the movie clearly unmatched. After Frozen, Victoria had seemed a bit bored by the live action movie, although she had clearly enjoyed the penguins.

 

Stuart smiles as he thinks about the two. Such cute girls they are. It will be a real joy to raise them up together.

 

After that they had had dinner, Victoria having proven quite messy when it came to her spaghetti and meatballs. Even Viola had forgotten her table manners at times, Stuart finding it truly something that so much of the nanny’s knowledge was gone.

 

He had made sure that the girls stuck with their dolls for the rest of the day, his idea for them to play dollhouse having been met with a great deal of joy. The two had played together until they had both grown sleepy, Stuart having then helped them into their pajamas and let them get to bed.

 

If things go right, tomorrow will be the final day of difficult stuff. And after that, he’ll have a wonderful, beautiful family to raise alongside his soon-to-be-wife. Sure, that will present him with all sorts of new challenges, but he’s ready for them.

 

The only problem is that once again, the dolls need to be switched out. And tech is falling a few hours behind, which means that he won’t be able to give the girls their dolls before they might wake up. And that gives the two of them a window of opportunity if they remain wise enough to try-

 

The baby monitor at his side goes off, Stuart nearly dropping his laptop on the floor as he looks over at it. While the girls aren’t babies yet, he had thought it wise to be able to eavesdrop on any late night conversations they might have. Yet now one of them is whimpering, Viola from the sound of things.

 

Without wasting anytime, Stuart races down the hallway and into the room. It doesn’t take him long to see the problem.

 

The smell of urine, combined with the wet stains on Viola’s bed sheets and pants tells him all he needs. Even then, a crying Viola walks over to him, Abigail held by one of her hands as she cries. “I-I had an accident!” She whimpered.

 

“There there, baby girl, it’s going to be okay…” Stuart pulls her into a tight hug as he pats her on the back. Her bowel control really must be going quickly. Stuart wonders what exactly was in the medicine he was ordered to give her, but shakes it off. That’s not important right now.

 

What is important is making the precious girl in his arms feel better.

 

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up, sweetie. You can sleep with me tonight.” Stuart leads the still-sobbing girl into his bathroom, the man surprised that Viola’s cries fail to awaken Victoria. Quite a heavy sleeper, that one.

 

It isn’t long before Viola is sniffing as she lies nude in the bath tub, Stuart helping to clean the girl off with a loving smile. She truly is an amazing little girl, one that he can easily see himself committing his life to raising. He makes sure that Abigail sits on the side of the tub the whole time, lest Viola’s older self emerge during this most embarrassing situation.

 

“I’m sorry…” Viola says. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Shhh, I know you didn’t, sweetie. Don’t worry, lots of girls your age still wet the bed at times.” He tells her, knowing that she’s just at the right age where bed wetting might still be a problem.

 

Viola simply nods, hugging Abigail to her chest again once she is dry and clean. Stuart leads her back to his own room, the man patting part of his bed as the little girl climbs in beside him. His report can wait: right now taking care of Viola takes priority.

 

“…I’m scared I might wet it again…” Viola says timidly as she cuddles up next to the older man.

 

“Don’t worry, sweetie. Everything will be fine.” He hugs the girl, Viola seeming to relax in his arms. “Daddy loves you very much, Viola.”

 

For a brief moment Stuart panics. He shouldn’t have said that, even if it is true. Not yet, at least.

 

But Viola has already drifted off, Stuart watching her with a loving smile as he too tries his best to get to sleep.

 

Tomorrow, his new family will really begin.

 

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