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I.
Emem was told never to swim in the Anantigha beach alone.
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“It is not safe,” her mother told her once when she was six. Anantigha beach is the home of Anansa.”
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EMEM: who is Anansa?
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Emem asked for the first time. Her mother, Affiong had always talked about Anansa; each time she said the name “Anansa” she did the sign of the cross.
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AFFIONG: Anansa is a demon. The queen of the coast. Once you swim in the Anantigha at night, her spirit would enter you and you would become a witch.
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“Stop it woman!” Emem’s father, Udoh blurted out. “You are misinformingg her”.
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AFFIONG: What is in what I said that is a lie?
UDOH: Everything. Anansa is neither a demon nor the queen of the coast.
EMEM: what is she then?
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Emem turned her head slightly to look at her father while Affiong braided her hair. Sunday was usually the day Affiong washed and styled Emem’s hair for school.
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UDOH: She is a river goddess, known to bestow beauty and success on her most loyal followers. If you accept her, she will treat you with love and bless you abundantly.
EMEM: What if you reject her?
UDOH: the opposite happens.
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Emem’s had very little understanding of the word “opposite” but it was not in her nature to ask people to explain things further. She just accepted it and later try to find out on her own. Emem never liked to inconvenience people with her needs, she believed that somehow she would always find a way until now. At thirty-seven years of age, she could tell that her life was over.
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She was never married. Every man she had ever dated seemed to always marry the next woman they got with after dumping her. She sometimes thought of herself as their good luck charm to make light of her situation.
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Her career was also a flop. Well, not completely. She could pay her bills with the salary she earned but she had no pension nor could she use it to take care of her aged parents. Not that they needed her money - her father had done well for himself - but she still wished there was something she could do for them.
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On the 9th of July 2011, Emem walked to the Anantigha beach and sat very close to the ocean. She wasn’t thinking while she sat there. She did not care her clothes were getting wet or that she was cold. Emem just sat there and cried quietly.
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Then she lay on her back, the waves clashing with her body softly as she slowly drifted into sleep. While she was asleep, a nightmare unfolded at the beach. A wave large enough to drag her into the ocean was heading for the shore. It moved in a way only race cars did and with full force washed up on Emem, dragging her into the ocean and just like that, she was gone.
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II.
Emem woke up to eyes staring at her and her ears hurting like they were filled with air. She sat up as fast as she could.
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EMEM: Are you a kidnapper?
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The pair of eyes belonged to a woman who sighed into a smile and shook her head.
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THE WOMAN: Well that’s a pity.
EMEM: Oh my God. Help!
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But there was no echo.
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EMEM: What is this place? Why wasn’t there an echo when I shouted?
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The woman wearing a scaly gold midi dress with her hair in braids sweeping slightly below her shoulders walked to the chair opposite Emem’s bedside and sat down.
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THE WOMAN: You are underwater.
EMEM: What?
THE WOMAN: You fell asleep by the shore and the waves brought you here.
EMEM: Oh so this is heaven?
THE WOMAN: It could be.
EMEM: and you God?
THE WOMAN: -des.
EMEM: I don’t get it.
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The woman paused to look at her fingers. She stared at them as though she was trying to find a flaw.
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THE WOMAN: Why were you at Anantigha at night?
EMEM: I don’t know.
THE WOMAN: You do.
EMEM: Not like it matters anyway.
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Emem stood up and walked straight to the window that resembled a giant aquarium. She stared at the sea animals floating past the window.
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EMEM: I like your aquarium.
THE WOMAN: it is not an aquarium.
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Emem scoffed.
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THE WOMAN: Where do you think you are?
EMEM: The home of a rich woman who rescued me from Anantigha beach.
THE WOMAN: Hmm
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The woman turned to look at the door and it opened without her having to use her hands. She didn’t even go near it. A look was all it took and the door was spread open.
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EMEM: How did you do that?
THE WOMAN: Stretch forth your arm outside.
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Emem glared at her without saying a word.
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THE WOMAN: go on. Have a feel of the outside.
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Emem did as she was told. She moved slowly to the door and before she reached for the outside, she could tell that there was something different about it. The outside looked like a wall of water - all blue - but it didn't flow into the room they were in. It stayed erect like there was a barrier was preventing it from soaking her up.
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Emem stretched forth her arm to feel the outside and her arm glided through the wall. She retracted it and could see it was wet. It felt like she had just dipped her arm into a bucket of water. She turned to the woman and asked.
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EMEM: What is this place?
THE WOMAN: underwater
EMEM: Who are you?
THE WOMAN: finally, you have asked.
EMEM: So you never planned on telling me if I didn't ask?
THE WOMAN: no.
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Emem walked slowly towards the woman as she asked, "Who. Are. You?" in a low voice.
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THE WOMAN: Anansa.
EMEM stopped moving and scoffed.
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ANANSA: This is a first.
EMEM: You can't be Anansa. Maybe I am dead or dreaming but there is no way you are Anansa.
ANANSA: and why is that?
EMEM: Anansa is evil. She is the queen of the coast. Everything about her is dark and scary. She bewitches people and steals their lives away from them.
ANANSA: What makes you think I am not all of those things?
EMEM: You look normal.
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Anansa smiled and tilted her head to the right a little.
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ANANSA: Come with me.
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Anansa led them into a room and as soon as they walked in, it began to take shape. First, the lights came on and then the room turned into a rich oxblood colour.
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A long table rose from the ground as well as chairs and a throne at the very front. It was on a higher ground like an altar but more grandiose. People began to appear at the table as she and Anansa walked to the throne. A crown formed on Anansa’s head and her dress grew longer till her toes became invisible.
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As they got near the throne, two guards prevented Emem from going further. Instead, they ushered her to a single table with a single chair and a goblet on top at the throne’s right-hand side. Emem made her way to the table and sat down, just as Anansa sat on her throne.
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ANANSA: Let us make a toast.
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The whole room stood up with their goblets in hand and Emem followed suit.
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ANANSA: to prayers answered and wishes granted.
THE PEOPLE: In you we trust, you have never failed us.
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Everybody cheered their goblets and drank from them except Emem and Anansa.
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ANANSA: We have a guest in our midst. The waves brought her to us.
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Everyone’s eyes moved from Anansa to Emem, making her slightly uncomfortable.
THE PEOPLE: What is it that you want?
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They chorused like the Catholic church reciting prayers during mass.
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Emem cleared her throat as she stood up.
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EMEM: I don’t know.
THE PEOPLE: You must. The waves only bring those who are in need of Anansa’s help.
EMEM: I never asked for anything.
THE PEOPLE: But your heart yearns for something. Even when you don’t speak of it, the waves can hear it. Anansa can hear it.
EMEM: If she can, why is she asking me to say it?
THE PEOPLE: because for your prayers to be answered and your wishes granted, you have to ask.
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Emem sighed. She knew what she wanted to ask for. She was somewhat desperate to say it out loud but she couldn’t bring herself to trust Anansa. Not with everything her mother told her while growing up but then her father did say that Anansa was known to bless those who accepted her.
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ANANSA: Why were you at Anantigha, alone at night?
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Emem took half a minute to compose herself before she answered.
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EMEM: I was sad. I am 37 years old but I have never been married. Never been asked, never gotten pregnant and my career is subpar compared to my mates. I went to the beach to be by myself. I wanted to wallow in my pain and sadness. Yesterday was actually my birthday but there was nothing to celebrate. Nothing to live for, to be honest.
THE PEOPLE: Is that what you want? To die?
EMEM: Oh God, no. My parents would be devastated. Why would any of you think I would want that?
THE PEOPLE: What do you want?
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Emem didn’t answer
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THE PEOPLE: Say what you want.
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Emem exhaled.
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THE PEOPLE: tell us what you want.
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Emem looked Anansa in the eye and the room became quiet. Everyone and everything disappeared. Only Anansa remained, looking like how she did the first time Emem saw her. The new development confused Emem as she couldn’t understand what had just happened.
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EMEM: where is everyone?
ANANSA: here
EMEM: but I can’t see them.
ANANSA: that’s because we are inside your mind. Since you won’t talk with people around, I figured you will when it’s just you and me.
EMEM: mmm
ANANSA: what do you want?
EMEM: A life better than what I currently have with a husband, children and a successful career. I want everything I lay my hands on to be a success. I never want to lack anything ever again.
ANANSA: Do you believe you can get all of that?
EMEM: I hope.
ANANSA: I want you to believe.
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Emem didn’t say anything. She however began to think about what life would look like if she had all she asked for. Since they were in her mind, a screen appeared in front of them and her probable life began to play on it like a movie. She met her husband, had three children and became a successful hotel manager. She later went on to build her own successful restaurant and then the screen disappeared.
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She then turned to Anansa and said
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EMEM: I believe.
ANANSA: and so it be.
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Everywhere turned pitch black. Emem opened her eyes and a pair of eyes were staring back at her again but this time around, they belonged to a man.
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III.
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From the moment she opened her eyes to look at him, he was already gone: in love and never falling out of it. He knew from that moment she would be his wife and the mother of his children.
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He helped her up and gave her a ride home. As she was about to alight from his vehicle he said, “my name is Ufot.”
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EMEM: I’m Emem.
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They exchanged numbers and began to date. From holding hands to their first kiss and multiple kisses, it was a high he never wanted to rehabilitate from. In the third month, he proposed and by the sixth, they were married.
Ufot worshipped the ground she walked on. She was the woman he had waited for all his life and he couldn’t wait to get home from work every day.
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A year later they had their firstborn, Nene and two years after that a miracle pregnancy led to the birth of twins, Kufere and Ima. Life was great. Ufot got promoted to Branch Manager at the bank he worked while Emem opened her restaurant on the side. Each year, there was even more progress than the last.
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However, Ufot noticed something strange about his wife. Once a month, she slept like a log of wood - as though she was dead - for 14 hours. Every time she woke up, she looked rejuvenated, younger and even more beautiful than ever before. It was becoming more apparent that in the ten years he had been with her, he was the only one ageing in the relationship while she stayed the same.
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At first, he thought it was because he was five years older than her but now that she was 47, it made no sense that she managed to look the same all these years. The thought weighed on his mind so much that he had to tell someone and so on a chilled Saturday evening while out with his best friend, Damini, he blurted it out over drinks.
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UFOT: I think there is something strange about my wife.
DAMINI: Yeah, your wife has always been strange. She’s too perfect and you don’t deserve her.
UFOT: Not that.
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Damini raised his eyebrows waiting for Ufot to carry on.
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UFOT: My wife is not ageing.
DAMINI: I don’t understand.
UFOT: I mean she isn’t ageing. She isn’t getting old. She has been the same since the first day I met her. No wrinkles, no weight gain, no stretch marks, no sagging breasts, no grey hairs, nothing. She is like a plastic doll that never ages.
DAMINI: I still don’t get what the problem is.
UFOT: Why isn’t she ageing like a normal person?
DAMINI: Maybe she has a good skincare regime?
UFOT: She doesn’t have any skincare products except lotion.
DAMINI: Exercise regime?
UFOT: Unless you consider school runs and running a business as cardio.
DAMINI: So what are you suspecting?
UFOT: I know this would sound crazy but bear with me. You know when they say some people die in one location and then appear in another to live normal healthy lives?
DAMINI: Yeah?
UFOT: I think Emem might be that.
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Damini half laughed.
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UFOT: I’m serious. There is something else I’ve noticed too about her.
DAMINI: Okay?
UFOT: once every month, she sleeps for like 14 hours and there is nothing, absolutely nothing you could do to wake her up.
DAMINI: Your wife likes to sleep, what has that got to do with anything?
UFOT: Everything because some days before that day, she usually looks a bit worn-out, like she is about to start looking her age. However, after that sleep, she goes back to looking youthful.
DAMINI: hmm. That is some beauty sleep.
UFOT: Yeah but is it normal?
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IV.
Damini had never been one to believe in the supernatural but his friend was worried about something and it was his job to ensure that he could provide help in whatever way he could. He decided to visit his brother who is a priest to discuss the issue, to know if there was any cause for concern.
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Damini made his way to the Catholic Church where his brother, Rev. Fr. Ishuka, lived. It was a three hour journey with the traffic jam and the fact that it was on the other side of town. When he arrived, he headed straight for Ishuka’s office. Ishuka was happy to see Damini as they rarely saw each other but he also knew, Damini must be in need of something.
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ISHUKA: I was not expecting you.
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He said as he gestured Damini to take a seat while he sat down as well.
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DAMINI: I wasn’t expecting to come either.
ISHUKA: So what brings you here?
DAMINI: Something very strange.
ISHUKA: Francis! Francis!
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He called out to his assistant who rushed in.
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ISHUKA: Please bring my brother a juice carton from the fridge and an empty glass.
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Francis nodded his head and proceeded to do as he was told.
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ISHUKA: What is so strange that made you pay me an impromptu visit? I hope father is fine?
DAMINI: He is. My reason for visiting is about my friend.
ISHUKA: Ufot?
DAMINI: yes.
ISHUKA: what is wrong with him? Did you two fight?
DAMINI: No, he told me something strange about his wife.
ISHUKA: Oh that beautiful woman of his?
DAMINI: yes. He appears to have developed a problem with her beauty.
ISHUKA: I am confused,
DAMINI: He said she doesn’t age. Once every month, she falls asleep for 14 hours and when she wakes up she looks even younger and more beautiful than she ever did.
ISHUKA: So she has a beauty sleep once a month. How is that a problem?
DAMINI: Her sleep is different. When she is asleep, it is as though she were dead. You cannot wake her up from it until she wakes up herself.
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Ishuka took a moment to absorb the information and then spoke.
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ISHUKA: How long has this been going on?
DAMINI: Ever since he has known her?
ISHUKA: Apart from her beauty sleep, what other oddities has he noticed about her?
DAMINI: She doesn’t age. She is 47 but still looks as young as she did when she was 37. She hasn’t added weight, no sagging body parts, no wrinkles, nothing.
ISHUKA: What about their daily life, together? Is he poorer or richer than they first met? Is he luckier than usual?
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Damini thought about the question and replied.
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DAMINI: Now that you’ve asked, I would say that he is but let me call him and put him on speaker.
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Damini brought out his phone and dialled Ufot’s number.
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UFOT: Yeah?
DAMINI: hi, so I’m with Ishuka and you’re on speaker…
UFOT: Hi, Father, how are you?
ISHUKA: I am fine, Ufot and you?
UFOT: Great…
DAMINI: I told him about your situation. The one you told me about the other day.
UFOT: mmm hmm?
DAMINI: He has some questions.
UFOT: What questions?
ISHUKA: Would you consider yourself poorer, richer or luckier since you married your wife?
UFOT: mmmmmmmmmmm
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Ufot took his time to answer the question. It was as though he was taking stock of his life for the past ten years.
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UFOT: I would say luckier but what has that got to do with anything?
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Ishuka stood up and walked to his bookshelf that stood beside Damini. He ran his right index finger across each book until he got to the one titled “African Mysticism”. He pulled it out of the shelf and then he returned to his chair.
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Ishuka opened the book, to the page on Anansa, the Powerful Water Goddess of Anantigha Beach. He skimmed through the pages of that chapter and stopped at a particular place he once highlighted with a highlighter.
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ISHUKA: This is it.
UFOT + DAMINI: What?
ISHUKA: I think your wife is possessed by Anansa.
UFOT: What? My wife is not a witch.
ISHUKA: I’m not saying she is but, she may have made a deal with Anansa.
UFOT: What are the consequences of this?
ISHUKA: She would remain ageless and successful for a very long time, while you will age out and finally people would call her a witch and your family cursed. As a Christian, I frown against it because she isn’t worshipping the one true God.
UFOT: Okay. Thank you.
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Ufot hung up.
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