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The Last Flower

James Thurber

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You all know about the 12th World War.

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Which destroyed the whole human civilisation
and all culture.

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Cities and villages disappeared
from the face of the earth.

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Plantations and forests were wiped out.

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All parks and gardens were burned.

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All artistic artifacts were destroyed.

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Men, women and children became
worse than animals.

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Because of lack of food and love
even the lowly dogs left their masters.

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In the beginning people were terrified
even at the sight of rabbits.

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Books, pictures and songs were banned.
People who were doing nothing were thought
to be wasting their time

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Decades and centuries passed by.

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Those generals who escaped death in the last war
even forgot who won and who lost.

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Boys and girls were no more attracted to each other.
Love disappeared from the face of earth.

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One day a girl saw the last surviving flower.
She had seen a flower for the first time.

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She told the others that the last flower
was also about to die.

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But no one paid any attention to her.
Only one youth paid heed to her.

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The boy and the girl tended the last flower.
Soon the flower blossomed.

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A bee and a bird were attracted to the
scent of the flower.

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Look! Two flowers! Four flowers! Lots of flowers!

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Forests and gardens reappeared.

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The girl became interested in
decking and dressing herself.

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Touch made the boy and the girl experience
great pleasure.

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Love was reborn in the world.

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Their children were healthy and strong.
They learnt to laugh and run.

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Dogs returned.

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Some youth discovered that
they could keep a brick on brick and build a house.

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Soon everyone started building houses.

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These houses turned into villages and cities.

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Music was born again.

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Musicians and Magicians

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Tailors and Cobblers

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Artists and Poets

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Soldiers

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Blacksmiths and Carpenters

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Lieutenants and Captains

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Generals and Major Generals

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And Religious Leaders again became prominent.

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For the sake of livelihood a few left in one direction
and a few others in the opposite direction.

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Very soon those who went to the plains
started feeling they should have gone to the hills.

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Those who went to the hills felt
they should have gone to the plains.

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In the name of god, religious leaders
stoked the fires of discontent

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Once again the world plunged into war.

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This time the destruction was almost total.

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One man

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One woman

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And only one flower remained.

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