A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

After what felt like ages, everyone realized that Mavis had nailed every single shot. The crowd couldn't help but burst into excitement.

"No way, that was amazing!"

"Holy cow, she hit every target!"

"Is she even human?"

"She's a real sharpshooter! I can't believe a girl's this good!"

"I've never seen a girl this incredible. She's definitely a first!"

"She's so awesome!"

"She's incredible. I think I've got a crush on her!"

"And she's gorgeous, too, but on top of that, she can shoot like a pro."

Mavis looked at the range owner and grinned, "I got them all. So, what do I win?"

She handed the BB gun back to the owner, who glanced at her with a complicated expression. Still, Mavis had drawn a crowd to his booth, so he was in a pretty good mood overall. After all, it's not like someone comes along and aces the game every day. So when it came time to hand out the prize, he was generous. He reached behind the counter and pulled out a huge teddy bear. “This giant bear's the grand prize. Congratulations, sweetheart!"

Mavis stared at the bear, stunned. She hadn't expected it to be so massive. It was almost as big as she was!

She took the bear, a little dazed, suddenly unsure what to do next. How was she supposed to keep playing games or walk around the fair carrying this thing?

As she hesitated, she caught the eye of a little girl nearby. The girl was staring at the bear with wide, hopeful eyes, clearly wanting it more than anything.

Mavis looked at the bear, then at the girl.

The little girl, mustering some courage, asked, "Excuse me, can I touch your teddy bear?"

Mavis smiled. "Of course. Do you like it?"

The girl nodded eagerly, "Yeah, he's so cute!"

It was obvious that she adored the bear.

"How about I give it to you?" Mavis asked gently.

"Really?" The girl's eyes went even wider. "My mom says I shouldn't just take things from people."

Mavis knelt down and said softly, "It's okay. I want you to have it. Honestly, it's too big for me to carry around."

The girl glanced over at her mom, who

hed and came over. $exchanged a few wet

the mom nodded her approval.

"Thank you!" The little girl practically bounced up and down in excitement. "No problem at all!"

With the bear finally passed on, Mavis let out a sigh of relief.

Norton, who'd witnessed everything, walked up beside her. "Didn't want the bear?"

"It's not that. I just didn't want to lug it around all night," she laughed.

Norton grinned. "Are you here alone?"

"Yeah, got separated from the group. Just wandered over and saw you."

He shrugged. "Wanna walk around together?"

"Sure," Mavis nodded. "Wherever you want to go."

Norton pointed to a part of the fair lit up with colorful lanterns. "Let's check out that way. The lights look beautiful."

Mavis agreed, and the two of them headed off in that direction.

...noveldrama

Meanwhile, Calliope and Silas

strolled through the fair, picking up little souvenirs as they went. Every time Calliope spotted something she liked, Silas would immediately buy it for her.

Before long, they both had their hands full-mini lanterns, quirky trinkets, cute figurines, fridge magnets.

On top of that, Calliope was collecting snacks from every food stall. They tasted everything: funnel cakes, caramel corn, soft pretzels, fried Oreos. Calliope would nibble a bite or two and then hand therest to Sitas, who gladly finished whatever was left.

It was one of those perfect fair nights, full of laughter, bright lights, and a little bit

of magic in the air.