The Last Ticket Booth

Emily and Bella ran through the theme park gates. The lights twinkled like stars above them. "One hour until closing!" called a voice. Emily grabbed Bella's hand tight. "Let's win the giant rainbow bear!" Emily pointed up high. The fuzzy bear hung from the ring toss booth. Its purple bow sparkled under the lights. "I have three tickets left," said Bella. Emily threw her first ring. It bounced off the bottles. Bella threw her ring. It flew too far. "Try again!" they shouted together. But all their rings missed. "No more tickets," sighed Emily. They walked past the spinning carousel. Past the popcorn cart. Past the cotton candy stand. The giant rainbow bear felt far away. At the far end sat a small booth. An old man counted tickets alone. His booth was dark and quiet. "Excuse me," called Bella. "Are you still open?" The man looked up with sad eyes. "I am," he said softly. "But nobody comes here anymore." Behind him hung tiny wooden animals. Each one was carved by hand. "These are beautiful!" gasped Emily. She touched a little wooden horse. "I made them myself," the man smiled. "Pick one. No tickets needed." His eyes grew bright. Emily chose the wooden horse. Bella picked a tiny carved owl. "Thank you," they said together. The man's smile grew even bigger. "Thank you for stopping by." Hand in hand, they walked home. The wooden animals felt warm in their pockets. "Better than any giant bear," whispered Bella. Emily nodded and squeezed her friend's hand.