45

You spend the rest of your time at the fair sitting and watching the band, just as most of the crowds have been doing, as it's started getting late. As they finish playing their last song, you clap along with everyone else and watch as Dina takes their place on the stage. She gives a short speech about how much she has enjoyed the day, thanking everyone for their generous donations—which have easily outstripped last year's total—before wishing you all a good night.

As she departs to the sound of enthusiastic applause, you see people starting to dismantle their stands—including Rana, who jogs up to hug her aunt before joining a small group of people in front of the stage, all armed with trash bags and ready to clean up. Glancing around, you notice as the crowds start to disperse that they're leaving an awful lot of litter in their wake, from paper cups to food wrappers to glass bottles. You can tell it's going to take a while to get the park back to normal.

As you're looking around, you also catch sight of Maxie lugging a huge boxful of stuff (plus their two dogs) in your direction. At the same time, you spot Zoe—but she hasn't left her stall. In fact, as you look over at her, you see she's deep in conversation with somebody you can't quite make out.

Tobias stands up and stretches his arms.

"Why does it feel like such a long day?" he asks, holding back a yawn. He sticks out a hand to help you up as well. "I didn't even have to help out with the dog show this time. I mean, not as much. So, do you wanna—"

"Tobias!"