Original subtitles

Sydney, this is fantastic.

Just promise me you won't drool

Too badly when you meet naomi.

Which one is she?

I don't see her yet.

I'll probably recognize her from the fashion covers.

Fashion magazines?

What, you, nigel?

Well, purely for the articles, you know.

(protester:)it's all fake, anyway.

I beg your pardon?

These women have been surgically altered

To promote a distorted view of the female body.

That's a bit extreme, don't you think?

You don't think the fashion media's brainwashing you?

Starving yourself is good, hm?

Injecting plastic into your body makes you beautiful?

(protester:)for god's sake, look at you all.

Can't you see the damage

Your helping to create?

Get off.

Hide yourselves.

Hide your faces behind the mask.

Hide your faces in disgrace.

What do you think you're doing?

(security:) come on.

Oh, here we are again.

I'll tell you something, you can stop the messenger,

But you can't stop the message.

Get your hands off of me.

Someone seems a little bitter, don't you think?

It's extreme but she does have a point.

(naomi:)I can't believe you're making me shoot with other girls.

I told you... No, you did not!

We'll be out of here in about an hour...

Did not. All right?

Just keep it sweet, keep everything sweet.

Shove it.

It'll be okay, it'll be okay.

I'll be back in a minute, a minute.

Is that naomi? I think so.

Her hair's different. It's been a while.

I can't believe naomi's in this high fashion world.

All I remember is her being this sweet,

Innocent kid from iowa.

Ugh.

(naomi:)can you stop that?

Can you stop that?

[angrily] julian!

Hi, jean-claude.

I'm counting on you, julian.

Piss off this client,

They'll find a new hanger for the clothes.

You understand what that means.

Sure, sure.

What the hell are you doing?

Julian.

What's wrong?

I cannot work like this.

I look awful.

My hair looks terrible.

I look... I look ridiculous.

Humour me, sweetie, humour me.

The client is watching, okay?

Off you go, darling.

(together:)so much for the sweet, innocent kid from iowa.

Okay.

Allez, allez.

Hey.

[screaming]

What now?

(sydney:)no, something's wrong.

[screaming]

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It hurts, julian.

They're taking her to paris hospital.

I don't know what could've happened.

We were watching the whole thing.

She was... Only wearing the mask for a couple of seconds.

This is no fashion prop.

It's lighter than you'd expect.

Bronze with a high tin content.

And this patina?

Yeah, the aging.

It's... I place it 18th century,

But an older design.

Roman, I think.

I've heard of medieval masks that contained

Devices to inject the wearer's face

With drugs causing paralysis, but...

Diabolical, really, but it's the first thing I looked for.

The inside of this mask...

Look, it's as smooth as a baby's skin.

(julian:)clear the door.

I've told you: The shades drawn

And the room kept dark at all times.

God forbid one of those vultures from the press

Gets a photograph of her like this.

(doctor:)are you family?

Her manager.

I stabilized her heart rate and gave a sedative.

What about her face?

(doctor:)I am consulting with experts.

We'll know more after we do some tests.

I'm... I'm sorry.

Naomi can't have any visitors.

I'm a friend. We were at the shoot today.

Of course, sydney fox. She told me about it.

With all the confusion at the set when we arrived,

I'm sorry there was no time.

How is she?

Doctors say they can do nothing.

(nigel:)we...

We brought the mask she wore.

I was hoping we could hold onto it for a while.

Why?

I'm a professor of ancient studies and a relic hunter.

This is my associate, nigel bailey.

Hi.

Are you saying a mask could do that to her?

But all the other models were wearing them.

Not this one.

Do you have any other explanation

For what could have happened to naomi?

No, no, no. You're right.

Please take it if you think you can help.

(naomi:)julian.

(julian:)naomi, it's your friend sydney here to talk to you.

(naomi:)sydney.

Hi, naomi.

I'm so sorry I didn't get a chance

To say hi to you at the shoot.

(syd:)no,

I understand you're under a lot of pressure.

It's a high-stress job.

I was... I was so awful to everyone.

Such a witch.

(julian:)nao... Naomi, you musn't talk like this.

(naomi:)no, I was terrible.

I was terrible to everyone.

And now this.

You can't blame yourself.

What happened to you was not your fault.

Why did this happen?

(syd:)I don't know.

But I'm going to help you.

[crying] it hurts, julian.

Make them give me something.

It hurts.

Maybe it's best we go.

[moaning in pain]

Do you have any idea where this mask came from?

The prop bar would know.

It's getting late, but I'll try and find out...

Find out for you.

(protester:)women like naomi pervert

The natural beauty of the female body.

This is a loud and clear message

To the fashion world and the media.

I wish I had a mask to use on every

Supermodel from new york to paris.

Any woman who chooses to represent an industry

That values looks over substance

Deserves whatever they get.

Looks like the circus is starting.

Ringmaster and all.

Wow. I mean, I had a really nasty chemical peel once,

But this sounds pretty serious.

(sydney:)it is, claudia, it is.

Did you get that fax?

Yeah.

I just... Where did I...

Where did I put it?

I can't keep anything organized in here, syd.

When did you say they were going to be finished

Remodelling the office?

Two months, at least.

(claudia:)I can't even breathe in here,

Let alone get anything done.

Wait,

Here it is.

I'll run it over to mcclellan, see what he can give me.

Wait a minute. Mcclellan? Why not abrams?

He wrote the book on esoteric masks.

True, but I mean...

Mcclellan has written some really

Good stuff that's really... Good.

This isn't a "cute" thing, is it?

(claudia:)well...

No. No.

(syd:)claudia, this is important.

Fine, I'll take it over to the senior citizen.

He's in his 40's.

(claudia:)I'll get back to you. Bye.

Bye.

Here it is.

I was wondering if you sold this mask

To a prop buyer for a fashion shoot.

Never seen it before.

It might help if you actually looked at it.

We're not cops.

Well, I didn't think the gendarmes hired undercover americans.

The accent's kind of a giveaway.

I'm not an american.

Let's see.

Uh-huh.

I sort of remember selling it.

How much for a full recovery of your amnesia?

Well, how much do you want to know?

Where you got it, for starters.

Nigel.

Well, what in the world is it?

Men in papua new guinea wear it around their waist.

A little lower.

Oh.

The mask came in the other day.

You wouldn't believe how ugly the guy was who sold it to me.

Disfigured?

Ugh, call it what you want.

Just how ugly was he?

Well?

Like a bulldog with his face pushed in,

Only not as beautiful.

Here, the seller was...

Bernard guillot.

Pleasure doing business with you.

Yeah, you, too.

Bernard guillot with an address in bourg.

That's about an hour

Northeast of here.

I say we pay bernard a visit and...

Hey!

The mask.

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You get a look at the thief?

Not exactly, but I'm afraid it

Was that female activist from the shoot.

Simone?

You don't think she's serious about

Using the mask on the other models, do you?

I don't know.

You think we should call the police?

Yeah.

[cell phone ringing]

Hello?

Syd, abrams got me some info on the mask.

[on phone] (sydney:)and?

Well, from the picture you sent,

He's 90% certain that it's the executioner's mask.

Sort of a legend.

During the revolutionary period,

It belonged to a real -life executioner in bourg.

Bourg?

(claudia:)yeah.

What kind of legend?

Well, this executioner had a terribly disfigured face.

Like what happened to naomi?

(claudia:)right,

Only he was born this way.

And here's the really spooky part:

There's a curse.

A curse?

(claudia:)yeah.

Anyone who wears the mask will become disfigured just like him.

But that's all abrams could remember.

Okay.

That's a great start.

Call around and find me

An expert on executions in paris?

Well, abrams is going to be out for a while.

(sydney:)I guess you'll have to talk to mcclellan then.

I'm on my way.

I'll fill you in on the way.

To bourg?

But first let's check on naomi.

No. No, no, no.

I understand your situation, jean-claude.

It's not naomi's fault this time.

She'll be there.

On time... I promise.

Hold on, hold on, there's someone else on the line.

She's resting, thank god.

Any news?

Plastic surgeon says there's nothing he can do.

The condition of her face is too extreme.

Please tell me you found out something about the mask.

It belonged to an executioner in bourg.

Supposedly, it carries a curse.

What is it?

Naomi says she's...

She's having terrifying visions.

What? Nightmares?

No, no, no.

She's reliving the...

The beheadings of an executioner's victims.

Doctors say the stress is weakening her heart.

She's deteriorating fast.

I need to see her.

Naomi,

We're off to bourg now to track down a lead.

I want you to stay strong.

Don't lose hope.

You should probably keep an eye out

For that fashion terrorist, simone.

She tried to steal the mask from us,

But sydney recovered it.

Thank god.

Yeah, we notified the police.

Do you think she's in danger?

Should I get a bodyguard up here?

Oh, I don't think that's necessary.

I mean, well, when she's released...

[cell phone ringing]

Hello?

Syd, I talked to mcclellan.

(syd:)and?

Dishy.

Big improvement over mr. Polident.

Anyway, I think he found someone,

But... I'm not sure you're going to want to talk to him.

Why not?

(claudia:)syd, the guy mcclellan referred me to, I called him.

Well, I've met some pretty creepy guys in my time,

You know, even dated a few...

Claudia, cut to the chase.

He's an expert in murder, torture, executions:

The works.

But his main thing is the revolution.

Can we see him?

(claudia:)if you insist.

His name is max newton.

He told me to have you stop by.

But syd, I'm warning you,

This guy makes freddie krueger look like a teletubby.

Claudia, I've dealt with weirdos.

What's the address?

(claudia:)18 rue norman.

Great. Thanks.

Who're we going to see?

Claudia found us our expert, a max newton.

This is it.

[knocking]

You are not the butcher.

Go away.

Oh... What a shame.

Too busy.

Can we go to bourg now, please?

Mr. Newton, max newton,

My name is sydney fox.

I'm a colleague of professor mcclellan's.

You told my assistant we could stop by.

(max:)ah, yes,

We met last year at the spanish inquisition exhibition.

Oh-hoh, that was a good one.

I have the executioner's mask.

(max:)the executioner

Of bourg.

Oh... Let me see it.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I... I'll be right back.

What exactly is this guy max an expert in?

Apparently everything to do with death by execution.

[moaning]

Sounds like a real fun guy.

Pain, torture, suffering.

[moaning] I'm getting that loud and clear.

Yeah. I need to authenticate it.

It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours.

(sydney:)well, professor mcclellan only

Recommends the best

So I'm going to trust you with this, max.

But remember, a girl's life depends on it.

Yeah, I'll...

I'll... I'll treat it with great care.

My number's on this card.

Call as soon as you can.

It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?

14 rue de la fontaine, this is it.

Now remember, nigel, vincent at the antique store

Said that bernard guillot was...

The ugliest man he'd ever seen.

So when I meet him, I know, don't recoil in disgust.

Don't react at all, just look him in the eye.

We don't want to cause the man any embarrassment.

No matter how ugly he is.

Well, it sounds like there's a party going on inside.

Mon dieu, this is my lucky day.

You are very beautiful.

Come in, there's plenty of wine.

Who are you?

(sydney:)he's with me.

(bernard:)well, in that case, you can come in, too.

(sydney:)the party

Sounds great, but we're in a hurry.

We're looking for a bernard guillot.

He lives here.

You're looking at him.

(bernard:)I was plowing rows for a new vineyard

In a field at the edge of town.

Then I hit something hard.

The mask.

Covered in dirt.

I wiped it off, tried it.

The mask disfigured your face.

(bernard:)that wasn't the worst of it.

The pain, more terrible than anything

I'd ever felt before

And the nightmares.

Like naomi's visions.

Of executions?

The doctors told me there was nothing they could do.

I was starting to get worse physically.

I couldn't work.

(bernard:)one of the village elders was told a story

When he was a boy

About an executioner during the terror

Who wore a mask to hide his ugliness.

There is a folk tale in these parts that after he died,

The executioner's body disappeared from the church

Before it could be buried and that at night,

It can be seen still roaming the countryside.

Without its mask, apparently.

I took it to paris to find some real answers

And when I couldn't find any, I sold it.

You didn't tell the dealer about the curse.

(bernard:)would you?

Then, a few days later, a miracle happened.

I got my face back.

When did this so-called miracle happen?

(bernard:)yesterday around noon.

Around the same time as the photo shoot.

Sydney, I just realized what this means:

The curse can be removed

By somebody else putting on the mask.

Bernard, do you know the history

Of this field that you found the mask in?

Prior to the revolution,

It belonged to the marquis de beauvilles.

When the aristocracy fell out of power after the revolution,

His estate was partitioned off to the local farmers.

It's been in my family ever since.

Au revoir.

Au revoir.

We're not closer to an answer for naomi.

But we learned something about the curse.

Sure knows how to have fun, doesn't he?

So when someone else puts on the mask,

That will undo the curse of the last person who wore it.

Yes.

You sure?

We saw the evidence firsthand.

I'd pay the person, obviously.

What?

Oh, sure, we'll find a bum,

Stick it on him, pay him a few bucks.

What are you thinking?

Yes, you're right.

It's... It's unthinkable.

We still don't have a solution,

And the doctors say her heart is getting worse.

[cell phone ringing] she may die.

It's 1-800-murder -and-mayhem.

We have someone else, an expert in executions.

The mask is the key to this.

Tell him we'll be right there.

Must we?

Hello?

(jean-claude:)julian?

Jean-claude.

What news? How is the poor child?

Well, naomi's still ill, of course,

But she'll be fine and we'll continue the shoot.

Let's not talk about her now.

Do you have the mask?

Why?

With all the publicity about what has happened,

It's legendary,

Worth a fortune to my campaign.

Is it in a safe place?

Yeah, yeah.

Let me see it.

I... I gave it to a professor, a relic hunter named...

Named sydney fox.

What were you thinking?

What if she damages it...

Or worse: Puts it in some museum?

She's trying to help naomi.

Screw naomi.

I have plans for the mask.

Get it back.

Is there a problem?

I mean, the mask and naomi...

I talked to the plastic surgeon, too, julian.

We both know there's no hope for naomi.

Without her face,

You're washed up, finished.

But get me the mask

And I see a whole new avenue for you, julian, for life.

I'm giving you an opportunity, julian.

Don't screw it up.

Leave it up to me.

I'll get you the mask.

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Professor fox, welcome.

Must we?

Oh, marvellous, marvellous.

You know, this guillotine is so wonderful.

It is so much kinder than the axe.

Hmm?

No, thanks.

What were you able to find out?

What we hold here, my friends, is history.

The executioner's mask, a strong force.

Feel it.

No, thanks.

I would like to put it on myself.

There's a strap at the back.

We could just...

We've had enough of that for one week.

The curse, hmm?

And yet its beauty...

It's almost magical.

A famous artisan made this, you know,

For the executioner of bourg.

And according to my research,

This executioner would bear the pain of every soul

He took so that anyone wearing his mask

Thereafter would take on the sufferings of this executioner,

His physical as well as his mental torment.

And now, the...

The person now cursed in this way, a friend of yours?

Yes.

Well, the only way to end her sufferings would be to...

To find the executioner's grave

And then put the mask on his remains.

And that's it?

Do you know where we could find them?

Unfortunately, no.

There's a folk tale in bourg that the body disappeared.

I heard about it. Sorry.

Did this executioner have a name?

During the revolution,

The executioners were anonymous

To protect their families from...

Retribution.

So they would take boys of the right age from orphanages

And apprentice them to this craft.

Oh-ho-ho... Those were the days.

How does an orphan afford a mask by a famous artisan?

I wondered that.

He couldn't.

Dare I say another dead end?

No, no, not entirely.

There was an orphanage near bourg,

In a town called beauvilles.

Beauvilles?

Beauvilles, that's...

That's near where bernard guillot found the mask.

I don't know if it still exists.

Thank you for all your help.

We'll let you know what we find out.

Yeah, well, come back soon.

Oh, we sure will...

With an armed detail and a straightjacket.

Why do I feel lucky that we got out of there alive?

Julian, it's sydney.

(sydney:)I have an update.

We're heading to an orphanage in a town

Called beauvilles, near bourg.

What's in an orphanage in beauvilles?

I'll fill you in on that later.

Just tell naomi to hang on.

I have a hunch we're on the right track.

(julian:)hold on a second.

What's the orphanage called?

(sydney:)I don't know. Why?

In case I need to get in touch with you.

You know, these cell phones

Can be fairly unreliable out in the country.

Well, I can't imagine there's more than

One orphanage in a small town.

We'll fill you in later.

(nigel:)funny.

Even the word "orphanage"

Conjures up images of dickens and oliver twist.

Don't worry, we'll be in and out of here as quick as possible.

Looks kind of like a boarding school.

Ugh...

What?

Please don't ever mention that word in my presence again.

Brings back some very unpleasant memories

Of incarceration during my youth.

You went to boarding...

(nigel:)stop.

I considered it more of a cold,

.Cruel institution presided over by a staunch, heartless

Head mistress we referred fondly to as the dragon lady.

What?

Parlez-vous anglais?

Oh, yes, perfectly.

Good, good, good.

Hello, my name's sydney fox.

I'm a professor of ancient studies.

This is my pupil, nigel bailey.

How do you do?

So, I'm head mistress.

Good, good, good.

Good, good, good.

(head mistress:)actually, we don't usually allow anybody

To view the review the files because...

Well, I suppose since you are asking

For something that does go back so far in time

And, of course, you being a history professor...

How long has the orphanage been here?

Well, actually, we prefer to refer to it as a pension.

The institution's been caring for children for, gosh,

At least over 300 years.

Would you please not touch that?!

Yes, ma'am.

So... The files you'll be looking for

Will be in through there and, of course,

All recent documents are strictly off-limits.

Do we understand?

(nigel:)yes, ma'am.

Well, I think I should leave you to it then.

[mocking] "strictly off-limits"...

I shall never send my kids away.

These children had no family.

They were orphans.

That's the point, nigel.

Then I shall have to adopt some poor wretch

And save them from the wrath of headmistress satan.

Bet she's got one of those metal boxes, you know,

The ones they use in those southern prison movies for punishment.

Oh, nigel.

What've you got there?

Financial records dating back to 1760.

Well. This ledger lists arrivals

To the orphanage in remarkable detail.

Well, the revolution began in 1789,

So a child born 20 years prior

Would make him just about the right age.

About 19 years.

Here, look what I found in 1770.

1770, the year a deformed child is dropped off at the orphanage.

That could be our guy.

The executioner.

The historical profiles of the orphanage

List that construction on a new wing...

Where is it?

Here. Construction on a new wing began the same year he arrived.

Yeah, they don't make cash like that at a bake sale.

In 1770, the financial records say

A major anonymous donation was made.

And construction of the new wing began.

That area hasn't been used for, gosh, over 100 years.

We weren't able to keep up the maintenance.

Well, if we could just see it.

No, I'm afraid that's not possible.

If there were a problem,

We'd be liable.

Well, surely we could just...

What?

Good, good, good, good.

Well, thank you for all your help.

Oh, my pleasure.

[whistle]

Children, come on.

You still have it?

Must be another way into that building.

We'll just go around outside

And jump the wall.

With this?

How's it going, nigel?

(nigel:)well, according to the layout of the wing built in 1770,

There should be a staircase going down right here.

Look, this has been boarded up.

You can tell this was added later.

Look.

Oh.

Kick it, syd.

Okay.

Shh...

Some kick.

Whose room was this? It's luxurious.

Yeah, not institutional like the others.

It's almost like an aristocratic mother

Would've decorated for her child.

I mean, not that I would know,

But it sure seems like someone went to a lot of trouble and expense

Assembling all the comforts of home.

Hardly the place you hide an outcast child.

There's a strong draft in here.

There're no windows.

Is it coming from here?

(sydney:)no. It's coming from in here.

Why on earth would you have a secret

Passage in an orphan's room?

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These are foundation stones from a building.

What's left of it, anyway.

Well, there's nothing in the historical

Profile of the orphanage

That mentions any other buildings.

They built a tunnel into that room

Without the co-operation of the orphanage?

Doesn't seem likely, does it?

It's blocked.

Looks like half a coat of arms.

Same date as the construction on the new wing,

1770.

Do you recognize it?

Not without the other half.

There we go.

That's the coat of arms of the marquis de beauvilles.

The same guy with the field in bourg.

Why would the marquis put up a building

Connected to the new wing of the orphanage?

Maybe because he built both?

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

There's another entry in here dated 1770 which caught my eye.

The same day that the deformed child arrived

And the request was given to build a new wing,

A healthy child was adopted...

August 7th, 1770.

Makes you wonder if the 3 events are connected.

An anonymous person donates a large sum

Of money to build a nursery.

A deformed child is abandoned and a healthy one adopted.

Maybe by the marquis de beauvilles.

Isn't there still a chateau de beauvilles nearby?

I think so.

I think it's... It's a short car ride away.

Look, let's get out of here before

That witch puts us in detention.

[cell phone ringing]

Hello? It's julian.

Naomi's getting worse.

Tell him we're getting close.

Look, we're leaving the orphanage now,

We hope to follow a good lead.

Sydney says to say we're getting close.

(nigel:)the marquis de beauvilles really knew how to live.

Oh, well, looks like we'll have to come back tomorrow morning

And take the tour.

Ah. I prefer the private ones.

They're so much more informative.

By my count, this is the 34th portrait of the marquis

And we have more rooms to go.

(sydney:)handsome harry de beauvilles.

(nigel:)the marquis sure thought a lot of himself, didn't he?

Do you see a family genealogy around here?

No, but there was a library back there. Why?

I think we should give the marquis' family tree a little shake,

See what falls out.

There might be a family crypt down below.

August 7th, 1770, a child is delivered to the orphanage.

And another taken.

Two days later, handsome harry, marquis of beauvilles,

Presents to the world a beautiful baby boy.

What a hypocrite.

Lucky for us the french aristocracy

Put such a premium on their family records.

The family crypt.

What do you expect to find?

I have a hunch who built that wing in the orphanage

And it wasn't the marquis.

Well, I'll just wait outside.

(nigel:)what exactly is this hunch of yours we're acting on?

Call it maternal instinct.

Really?

Maternal bond, a mother's love,

More powerful than any curse.

4 graves.

But only 3 names:

Mom, dad, son...

And a 2nd child no one else knew about,

The executioner of bourg.

Take a look at the dates.

The marquise outlived both her husband and her son.

She brought him here.

Maternal bond, nigel.

She couldn't abandon her child no matter what he looked like.

(nigel:)well, she had no choice while the marquis was still alive.

But she never abandoned her real son.

The special caretaking with that nursery started me thinking.

(nigel:)she made donations,

She built a nursery with a tunnel

So she could visit him undetected.

And when he died, his body didn't disappear.

The marquise had it brought down here

And laid to rest beside hers for all eternity.

It's a beautiful folk tale.

Let's put it to the test.

(nigel:)look at the deformed skeleton.

I saw john merrick's skeleton once in England.

The elephant man.

The actual disease is called neurofibromatosis.

It's congenital.

To be so malformed at birth...

(julian:)well done.

Julian.

Didn't I just speak to you in paris?

There's been a change of plan.

Give me the mask.

We have to put it on the executioner's

Remains reverse the curse.

I don't think that's part of julian's plan, nigel.

No.

(nigel:)what about naomi?

We can't just leave her as she is.

She's had her time.

Now, it's my turn.

Give me the mask, please.

Give it to him, nigel.

What are you doing?

You want the mask?

It's in the bag.

[screaming in agony]

(julian:)help me.

[screaming]

Help me.

Help me, please!

It should be auctioned to the highest bidder, right, nigel?

No, you can't. I beg you!

(nigel:)I don't know.

It might be an improvement.

Don't, don't!

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Naomi?

Hey!

(sydney:)so we just came from the police

And they're charging julian with attempted murder.

Ah. So it's finally over.

Looks like you're back to work.

Not exactly.

Well, after everything that's happened,

I decided to take a year off to think about my life.

Sounds like a good idea.

Yeah.

Doesn't it, nigel?

Nigel?

Yeah, I like you.

I like...

Sorry. Me?

Come, come...

Yes, yes, very good.

Stay there.

(photographer:)hold it.

Syd.

Right, right, very good.

Stay.

(nigel:)syd.

(photographer:) yes, here we go.

(sydney:)oh, nigel.

(photographer:) ah, parfait.

Beautiful.

Fantastique.

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