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Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.

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I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories.

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In fact, you're listening to an episode of Dad's Bedtime

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Stories that almost didn't happen because I was on a

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family trip and just got back now with very little

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time to do an episode. As a result, I decided

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that I would do a bedtime story Time episode. And

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that's where I take one of your ideas for sort

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of a standalone episode. I storyboard it, you know, make

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up all the major points that I want to have happen,

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and you know, I use a little bit of AI

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assistance to turn it into a story because I just

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didn't have time to make my own today. I am

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pretty happy with how this turned out, though. Let's check

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out the story idea that inspired it from Harriet.

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Speaker 2: Hello.

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Speaker 3: My name is Harriet. I'm ten years old in punk Charlotteville, Virginia.

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I'd like to suggest a bedtime story tie that is

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about a girl who when she turns ten on her birthday,

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she discovers that she has magic powers.

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Speaker 2: I would.

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Speaker 3: Prefer if she had the powers of like video game

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like she could pause, she could control people if they

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got close enough stuff like that, and I would also

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prefer for her name to be Harriet, but you can choose.

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Thank you. I love your podcast.

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Speaker 1: Bye well, Harriet. I hope you like what we came

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up with. As I said, I spent some time storyboarding

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the entire thing when I had a chance to, but

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you know, the specific dialogue and stuff like that was

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partially helped by AI in this case, so I think

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it's important to be honest that. But at the same time,

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I still think it's a pretty fun story and I

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hope you guys enjoy it too. If you like the podcast,

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don't forget to rate it and review it on whatever

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platform you're listening on. Hit that like button if you're

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on YouTube and I don't know, comment or whatever. Now

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it's time to get as comfy as you can in

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that bed, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing what

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the kid in the story does. Harriet had loved video

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games for as long as she could remember. She loved

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racing games, building games, adventure games, puzzle games, space games,

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and even games where you played as a confused goose

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whose main goal appeared to be stealing sandwiches. Harriet did

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not simply play video games, though she studied them. She

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learned every shortcut, discovered every hidden room, and tested every

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suspicious looking wall to see whether it was secretly breakable. Tomorrow,

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Harriet would turn ten. She expected cake presence and possibly

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a new portable game console if the unusually rectangular package

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in her parents closet meant what she thought it meant.

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But she certainly did not expect her parents to sit

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her down in the living room and tell her that

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her family had magical powers. Harriet. Her father said, seriously,

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there's something we need to explain before your birthday. Her

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mother sat beside him, looking excited but also slightly nervous.

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Harriet lowered the controller she was holding. Am I in trouble?

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Speaker 3: No?

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Speaker 1: Her mother said, did you find out? I looked in

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the closet. Parents glanced at each other. What closet? Her

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father asked, never mind. Her father leaned forward and rested

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his elbows on his knees. Harriet, there's no easy way

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to tell you this, but the thing is every person

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in our family, when they turned ten years old, that is,

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develops a sort of special libility. Harriet waited for him

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to smile, but he didn't. You mean like being able

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to whistle really loudly or something like that, She asked. No,

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said her father, I mean a superpower, Harriet. You're you're

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gonna get superpowers. Harriet just stared at him. Her mother nodded.

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Our family has descended from several ancient wizard families. She explained.

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The old magic has been passed down from parent to

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child for hundreds of years. It's changed over time, though

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we don't usually cast spells with wands anymore. Instead, the

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magic sort of becomes part of us, and everyone gets powers.

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At ten, Harriet asked, Ah, usually during the night before

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their tenth birthday, she explained. Harriet looked from one parent

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to the other. So what can you do? She asked suspiciously.

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Her father grinned. Her mother stood up. We thought you

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might ask that. They led Harriet through the kitchen and

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hewed into the backyard. Sunlight shone across the grass, and

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a few birds watched from the fence, as though they'd

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purchased tickets to whatever show was about to happen. Harriet's

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mother raised one finger. She moved it through the air

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as though she were drawing on an invisible sheet of paper.

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A glowing blue line appeared behind her fingertip. Harriet stepped closer.

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Her mother drew a round body, four tiny legs, two wings,

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a curling tail, and a head with two small horns.

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When the drawing was complete, she tapped it. The glowing

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picture shook itself, stretched, and popped out of the air.

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A tiny blue dragon flapped around Harriet's head. Harriet ducked.

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The dragon landed on her shoulder, sneezed a puff of

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glittering smoke, and tried to eat a loose strand of

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her hair. You made that, Harriet cried. I've always loved art,

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her mother said. My power lets me bring my creations

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to life. They only last a short time, though. The

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dragon gave Harriet's ear an affectionate lick, then dissolved into

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blue sparks and drifted away in the breeze. That was amazing,

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she said. Harriet turned towards her father. So what can

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you do well me, I'm h incredibly strong, really almost

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invulnerable even He walked to the far end of the yard,

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where a gigantic landscaping rock rested near the fence. It

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was nearly as wide as the kitchen table. Her father

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bent down, wrapped his arms around it, and lifted it

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over his head. Harriet's mouth fell open. Her father tossed

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the rock into the air and rose high above the

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roof of the house, stopped and came hurtling back down.

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Harriet screamed a little bit, but her father just leaned forward.

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The rock struck him directly on the top of the

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head and exploded into dozens of pieces. Her father remained standing.

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He was dusty, but he didn't look hurt at all.

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Harriet just stared at him. Her mother just folded her arms.

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I liked that rock, Well, I didn't know alos to

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demonstrate the true nature of my powers, her father replied.

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Harriet looked at the shattered rock that was scattered across

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the ground. Now tomorrow I'm gonna get something like like that. Well,

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your powers will probably match your personality, her mother explained.

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Mine came from my love of drawing. Your father's came

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from his determination to solve every problem by hitting it

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or lifting it. He had a rough childhood. I don't

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solve every problem that way, her father protested, Well, not anymore.

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Her mother responded by simply giving him a look, a

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look that meant sure you don't, honey. That night, Harry

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had climbed into bed without knowing what to believe. Her

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parents had definitely just demonstrated superpowers, unless they'd somehow arranged

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an advanced hologram trained miniature dragon and maybe some sort

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of exploding rock. Well, if not, everything they'd told her

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had to be true. Harriet closed her eyes and tried

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to imagine what power she might receive. Perhaps she would fly,

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perhaps she would turn invisible. Maybe she'd be able to

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control electricity, or speak to animals, or create animals out

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of electricity. She hoped she didn't receive the power to

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like organize closets or something like that. Her bedroom needed that,

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but she certainly didn't want it as a power. Sometime

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after midnight, Harriet woke to a strange humming sound. A

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beam of light shone through the ceiling and surrounded her bed.

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Her blankets lifted into the air, and Harriet lifted with them.

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She floated several feet above her mattress, unable to move

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or call out. The light became brighter, It rushed through

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her skin and filled her body with a weird, tingling energy.

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For a moment, Harriet saw glowing symbols spinning around her, hearts, arrows, buttons,

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a health bar. Then the light vanished. Harry had dropped

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onto her bed with a bounce. When morning came, she

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wondered whether it had all been a dream. She jumped

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out of bed and immediately tested every power she could

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think of. She drew a cat in the air with

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her finger. Nothing happened. Rabbed the frame of her bed

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and tried to lift it. It remained exactly where it

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was and exactly as heavy as she remembered. She ran

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down the hallway as fast as she could, but she

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was not super fast. Finally, Harry had climbed onto her bed,

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jumped into the air, and stretched out both arms, but

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she did not fly. She landed face first in her pillows.

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At breakfast, Harry had dropped into her chair. I didn't

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get any powers, her parents looked up from decorating a

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stack of birthday pancakes. Are you sure, her mother asked.

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I tried everything. I can't fly, I can't lift heavy things,

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run fast, or draw dragons. Well, did anything unusual happen

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last night? Her father asked. Harriet told them about the

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beam of light and the floating above her bed. Her

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father pointed his fork at her, Well, that's the sign.

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Same thing happened to me, he said, except I floated

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into the ceiling and cracked the plaster. I'm sure you

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have powers, honey, You'll just have to wait and see

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what they are. After breakfast, Harriet opened her Presence. The

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rectangular package was, as expected, a new portable game console.

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She was thrilled, but she still couldn't stop thinking about

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her missing powers. Eventually, Harriet went into the big living

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room and turned on one of her favorite games. On

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the screen, a blocky adventurer stood in a forest, holding

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a sword in one hand and a pickaxe in the other.

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Harriet picked up the controller, and a sudden pulse raced

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down both of her arms. Bright energy burst from her

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fingers and streamed into the controller. The television flashed. The

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blocky adventurer shot out of the screen and landed on

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the carpet beside her. Harry had dropped the controller. The

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character stood perfectly still. It was nearly as tall as Harriet,

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with square boots, square hands, and a sword that appeared

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much sharper now that it was no longer made of pixels.

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Harriet slowly picked the controller back up. She pushed the

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movement stick forward. The adventurer marched straight ahead. She pushed

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it left and the character turned left. She pressed the

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jump button and the adventurer leapt into the coffee table,

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knocking over a bowl of birthday candles. Harriet gasped, then

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she smiled. Oh, she whispered, I definitely got powers. Using

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the controller, Harriet guided the blocky Adventurer through the kitchen.

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Her parents were cleaning up breakfast when the character marched

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through the doorway, swung its pickaxe and removed one perfect

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cube from the wall somehow. Harriet's mother stared at the

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square hole. Her father stared at the adventurer. Harriet held

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up the controller. I think I figured out what my

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power does, she said. Harriet's father slowly walked around the

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blocky Adventurer. Can it understand us, he asked. Harriet looked

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at the character. Hello. The adventurer stared straight ahead. Harriet

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moved one of the controller sticks, and the character turned

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towards her father. I don't think it does anything unless

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I control it. Her mother stepped closer to the square

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hole in the kitchen wall. Can you make it put

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that piece back? Harriet examined the controller. I can try.

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She pressed several buttons. The Adventurer switched from its pickaxe

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to a gray block, walked over to the wall and

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placed the block inside the hole. It fit perfectly, and

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as soon as it was placed, the little outline around

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it disappeared. That's incredible, her father said, so your powers

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connected to video games. Harriet stared at the Adventurer. But

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I can't leave him standing in the kitchen forever. Well,

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you should be able to send him back, honey, her

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mother said. Magic still responds to focus and intent. Just

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picture the character returning to where it came from or

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something like that. It'll probably work. Harry had gripped the

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controller and concentrated. She pictured the forest inside the game.

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She imagined the Adventurers standing beneath the blocky trees again.

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The character began to glow. A second later, it turned

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into a streak of light and shot back into the television.

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On the screen, the Adventurer reappeared in exactly the same

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place it had been before. Harriet's father clapped his hands.

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All right, now we need to test other parts of

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your powers, maybe different games or something. Her mother gave

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him a warning. Look carefully, of course, carefully, why would

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I do anything? And carefully, he said, then he paused,

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do we have like a dinosaur game or something. They

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began with something that seemed safer though, a racing game.

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Harriet loaded one of her favorites, a game filled with

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enormous ramps, impossible tracks, and cars equipped with rocket engines.

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Her mother looked at the screen. Ah, this does not

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seem safer to me. Don't worry. We'll simply see if

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she can bring something else out of the video game.

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Oh and Harriet, make sure you bring this one outside

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the house please. He guided her over to the back door,

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opened it up, and pushed her outside gently. Harriet selected

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a bright racing car and focused on it with her mind.

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Energy rushed from her hands into the portable console once again.

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A streak of light shot out of the console and

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formed itself into a rocket car. It landed with a

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heavy thump. A full sized rocket racing car was sitting

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in the grass. It had wide tires appointed front end

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and two enormous rocket boosters attached to the back. The

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sight of the car was decorated with glowing lightning bolts.

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Harriet walked around in amazement. It's real. Her father knocked

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on the hood. It certainly feels real. Harriet opened the

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driver's door and climbed inside. There was no steering wheel,

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or petals or gear shift. The dashboard was covered with

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glowing lights, but the only way to control the car

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appeared to be through the game controller. Her father climbed

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into the passenger seat. All right, we should test it,

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he said. Harriet's mother stood outside the car with her

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arms crossed. BE very careful, guys, maybe just a few

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meters forward and then stop it or something. That's exactly

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what I was thinking, said Harriet's father. Harriet pressed the

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accelerator trigger. The rocket boosters exploded to life, and the

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car blasted across the lawn, smashed through the wooden gate,

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and flew onto the road. Harriet screamed. Her father screamed

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louder the break, he shouted, I don't remember which button

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it is. Harry had pressed one, and the car jumped.

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It soared over a parked truck, landed on the other side,

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and continued speeding down the street. She pressed another button

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and the rocket boosters became even louder. The car shot

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forward so quickly that houses became a blur. They crashed

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through a stack of recycling bins, balanced over a flower

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garden and knocked the giant plastic ice cream cone off

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of the roof of a nearby shop. It landed in

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the back seat. Her father twisted around. I've always wondered

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how heavy that thing was. Dad, right, emergency, he said,

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turning back around. Harry had tried to steer around a

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delivery van. The car swerved, hit a ramp that someone

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had left beside a construction site, and launched into the air.

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For a moment, Harriet and her father were flying over

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the town. Ahead of them stood a water tower, and

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they were headed directly for it. Stop, her father yelled.

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Harriet panicked and slapped the pawse button, as she sometimes

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did when she was in a particularly scary part of

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a game. Everything suddenly became silent. The car froze midair.

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Her father froze beside her with his mouth open and

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both hands pressed against the dashboard. Outside, birds hung motionless

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in the sky. A construction worker stood below them, holding

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a sandwich halfway to his mouth. Water pouring from a

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fountain had become a clear, motionless sculpture that kind of

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looked like it was plastic floating. Words appeared in front

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of Harriet. Continue, Reset, load, Save, point. Harriet stared at them.

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She pressed the car door open. The car remained frozen

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in the air, but Harriet was able to climb out.

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She stepped carefully onto nothing and well fell out of

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the car flat onto her face about five feet down.

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It'd hurt quite a bit, but nothing else around her moved.

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She looked around at the water tower, which was only

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a few seconds away from being smashed by the rocket car.

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The words continued to float in front of her face. Somehow,

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well it probably I don't want to head continue, she said. Instead,

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she selected load safe point, not sure exactly what would happen.

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A new window appeared. There was only one save moment

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listed today's date. At ten forty two am. Harriet realized

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that it was right around the time when the race

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car had first appeared in the backyard. She selected it

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hit except and the world stretched around her. Harriet flew

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backward through a tunnel of light. She saw the car

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racing and reverse, the recycling bins rebuilding themselves, the ice

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cream cone returning to the shop, and the backyard gate

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leaping back onto its hinges. Then she was sitting inside

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the parked car again. Her father climbed to the passenger seat.

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We should test it, he said. Harry had remembered hearing

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those exact words before this time. She held up one hand.

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I think we should find somewhere safer before we test

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a rocket car, she said. Just think about what could

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go wrong. I mean, who would be dumb enough to

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do that? Her father considered this, That is an excellent idea.

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They climbed out. Harry had looked through the games on

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her portable console. A racing car is probably not the

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best thing to test in the middle of a town.

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Maybe something slower, her mother suggested. Harr had stopped on

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the cover of her favorite space game. I have another idea.

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Her mother looked at the picture of several space ships

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firing lasers at one another. Is it a safer idea?

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Dear well, I won't have any recycling bents, she said.

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As she selected a silver spaceship and focused energy flowed

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into the console. The ground shook and a sleek spacecraft

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appeared in the backyard, replacing the car that was there

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before and crushing part of the fence beneath its landing legs.

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Her father winced, ugh, I guess we can fix that. Later,

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Harriet pressed a button on the console and a hatch

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opened on the side of the ship. Well, why don't

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you both come with me, she said. Her parents exchanged

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a nervous look, but they climbed aboard. Inside there were

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three padded seats, glowing control panels, and a wide front window.

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Harriet sat in the pilot's chair with the controller in

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her hands. Her parents strapped themselves in. Ah, honey, maybe

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just a little test, like three meters off the ground,

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and then we land again. Harriet pressed the launch button.

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The ship blasted straight upward. Her parents screamed as the

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house dropped away beneath them. Harriet quickly discovered that flying

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the ship felt exactly like playing the video game. She

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tilted the controller and the spacecraft rolled smoothly through the sky.

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She flew over the town, crossed a river, and zoomed

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to ward a nearby city. Tall buildings rushed past beneath them.

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Then Harriet pulled back on the controller. The pointed straight up.

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Clouds flashed around them. The sky darkened from blue to black.

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A moment later, they burst out of Earth's atmosphere. Her

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father stared through the window at the glowing curve of

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the planet that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,

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he said. Her mother just gripped both sides of her

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seat with everything she possibly could, then quickly drew a

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seat belt around herself and brought it to life. It

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would be even more beautiful if we were still standing

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on it safely, she said. Harriet just laughed and pushed

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the ship forward. They flew through space, leaving Earth behind.

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Stars filled the window, and the Moon grew larger until

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Harriet could see every crater and ridge across its surface.

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Guided the ship around the far side, and for a

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few moments, Earth disappeared completely. Her parents became very quiet.

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Then the blue planet rose above the Moon's horizon. Harriet

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slowed the ship so they could stare at it. After

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a complete trip around the moon, Harriet's father cleared his throat. Oh,

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this has been wonderful. Uh we are going home now,

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her mother said firmly. Harriet turned the spacecraft back towards Earth.

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She entered the atmosphere carefully, remembering to slow down before

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reaching the city. The ship passed through the clouds, crossed

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familiar fields, and descended toward their neighborhood. Harriet landed in

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the front yard. It wasn't the softest landing in history,

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but only one garden decoration fell over. The three of

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them climbed out. Harry had focused on the game, and

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the spaceship dissolved into light. Before streaming back into the console.

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She looked down at the list of games. There were

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dragons to summon, magic, kingdoms to explore, underwater cities to visit,

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and dozens of characters she could bring into the real world.

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I wonder what else I can.

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Speaker 3: Do, she said.

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Speaker 1: Then Harry had yawned so widely that she nearly dropped

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the console. Her legs suddenly fell weak. Her father caught

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her before she fell. Ugh, you used too much magic,

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he said, What do you mean, Well, your body only

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has a limited amount of magic, he explained, you must

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have used a lot creating all of those constructs. It's

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time to rest, dear, you recover mod of the best

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when sleeping. He carried her inside and placed her on

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the couch. Harriet's mother covered her with a blanket. Harriet

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closed her eyes. In her mind, she saw men us

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and save points, game worlds and endless possibilities. She could

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pause time, She could return to earlier moments in time.

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She could pull almost anything out of a video game

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and use it. She'd only been ten for a few hours,

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but boy was she excited about what else it would bring.

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Harriet smiled as she quickly fell asleep. Tomorrow she tries

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something else. Good Night, everyone.

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Speaker 4: Us never Union name one in.

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Speaker 2: New York.

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Speaker 4: No more Union, no more.

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Speaker 2: Never mo in New York. Long Union m as