The carousel turned without music, its painted horses creaking through the morning fog. Orville Park watched from the ticket booth, chin resting on folded hands, a practiced smile fixed beneath tired eyes.

Today mattered, though. Today, the guest was arriving.

Orville adjusted his bowtie and stepped onto the midway, boots crunching over old confetti. His family had spent weeks preparing for this arrangement, insisting it would secure the park's future. A partnership. A marriage. A solution.

He wanted to believe them. The gates groaned in the distance. Through the fog, a figure approached. Orville's smile widened as he spread his arms toward the empty fairground.

“Welcome,” he called warmly. “You're just in time. We've all been waiting to meet you.”