The Story of a Boy and a Girl
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This is the story of a Boy and a Girl. In many ways, their story is like that of any boy and any girl, but none-the-less it is their story and they are quite fond of it.
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The Girl grew up in a little town called Willow Creek with loving parents who provided her with everything she could ever want, including a younger sister.
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The Girl was exceptionally smart and pretty and talented and well-liked. People often remarked that she could go anywhere and be anything that she wanted to be.
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That is perhaps why some were surprised when-- upon reaching young-adulthood— the Girl announced that she intended to move to a place which had once been the site of a nuclear disaster. You see, the Girl had heard that in this place formerly known as Glassbolt, the people had nothing to eat but fish even though it had been multiple decades since the meltdown occurred. The Girl felt in her heart of hearts that her destiny was to go to this place and save its residents from a lifetime of culinary ennui.
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It sounds dangerous, people said.
It’s so far away, people said.
Why don’t you just open a restaurant in Willow Creek, people said.
Follow your heart, her mother said.
And the Girl did.
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Now the Boy grew up in this place formerly called Glassbolt and all he had ever eaten was fish. Fish for breakfast. Fish for lunch. Fish for dinner. To him, fish was synonymous with food. It never occurred to him to desire anything else.
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But the Boy’s father and mother had not always lived in the place formerly known as Glassbolt. Although they had come to love the place and had raised a family there, they both knew that other worlds lay beyond its borders and other dishes existed besides grilled fish.
So when the Boy’s parents learned that the Girl needed a place to stay, they welcomed her into their household with open arms.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Boy.
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In his defense, the Boy was usually a very good-natured lad. However, the Boy’s father chose an inopportune moment to announce the Girl’s arrival. The Boy had just come home from a rather hard day at school which had him feeling Very Tense, and he was not particularly pleased to learn that a girl he had never met before had moved in and been given his room. Why can’t she bunk with my three sisters? the Boy asked. We thought she’d prefer her own room, his father replied.
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The Boy stomped into the house and was immediately brought up short by the sight of the Girl. It wasn’t her beauty that stopped him in his tracks, although she was very beautiful. No, it was the look in her eyes. It was a look that said she was far from home and feeling a bit unsure of herself, but doing her best to put on a brave face in this house full of strangers.
As I said, the Boy had a kind heart and it melted at the sight of the Girl. He was also an unusually perceptive young man and had a knack for putting others at ease. He gave the Girl a reassuring smile and the two became instant friends.
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Now, I know you can see where this is headed, but I feel the need to mention that at this point neither the Boy nor the Girl had any Romantic Feelings whatsoever. It simply was not possible because the Girl was exactly four days older than the Boy. She was a young adult, and he was a teen on the day they met. Thus, the Boy and the Girl became Very Good Friends first, which I do believe is the foundation for a solid and lasting Love.
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And let us not forget that the Boy and the Girl lived in a household with five other people. When Romantic Feelings did become possible, the Boy and the Girl always seemed to be under someone else’s watchful eye.
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So the Boy and the Girl did as many a young couple in Love has done before them; they snuck out of the house.
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But fear not, Gentle Reader! The Boy’s intentions were nothing but honorable.
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And so, the Boy and the Girl were married…
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...and they raised their own little family in the place which is now called What Cheer.
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And the Girl taught the people of What Cheer how to cook meals besides fish, but that is really the subject of another story.