Devika and her parents cheered as Roxy knocked down the pins on the third try. “That was awesome, Roxy!” She hadn’t expected her friend to be so good at that. When Roxy said she could choose the prize, she beamed. “If you insist, I won’t ask twice. I’ll take… this one!” She pointed at a large plush cat hanging up on the wall at the back of the game booth.

The man running the booth handed it over, and Devika gave it a firm squeeze. Plushies were decent substitutes for the people she couldn’t hug. “Let’s see what other games they have.” She was aware that a lot of them were money traps, but that didn’t mean they weren’t fun. There was a goldfish catching game, a booth with a “certified” tarot reader, and many other games of skill and chance in the rows.

“Where to next?”