The lanterns had just started to glow across the Academy plaza, their soft, enchanted light shimmering like a thousand captured embers in the evening sky. The festival was in full swing, a symphony of music, laughter, and the distant, thrilling roar of a magical beast from one of the exhibition stalls. But in our small corner of the world, a different kind of drama was unfolding. I stood at the edge of our stall, my arms crossed, and realized with a dawning, sickening horror that the worst-case scenario had just unfolded:
We were almost out of stock.
I hissed under my breath, my hands clenching into tight fists as I gritted my teeth. "I knew this would happen. I should've believed in myself more."
