Episode 7 — “The Festival Lights”
*(from Do You Like Rain or Sunrise?)

The annual school fair has never looked this magical — or this suspiciously like a scene from a teen drama. The courtyard glows in golden threads of fairy lights, every booth bursting with laughter, the smell of popcorn and sugar weaving through the chilly night. Somewhere, a group of seniors is performing an off-key version of “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, which only makes it all more cinematic.

I tell myself I’m here to enjoy the fair. Not to look for the mystery writer. Not to overanalyze every passing smile or glance. Definitely not to stare at the old wishing wall like a lovesick detective.

But then — I see it.

Pinned right between a note that says “I hope I pass math” and another that screams “Confess, coward!” is a small, neatly folded paper.
In that same familiar slanted handwriting:
“See you under the fairy lights tonight.”

My heart does this weird somersault — excitement, dread, curiosity — all in one Olympic move.

I spin around, scanning the crowd. Everyone’s face glows under the lights: friends snapping photos, couples sharing fries, someone in a panda mask selling cotton candy (why?). Any of them could be you.

Then I spot the fairy lights — the ones strung under the old oak tree. The place where every fair ends and new stories begin.

I walk toward it slowly, like the world’s most nervous movie protagonist. My pulse beats in sync with the music. The night hums.

And there — under the soft golden glow — stands a silhouette.

Tall. Still. Waiting.

For a second, I forget to breathe. My hand tightens around the note. Maybe this is it — the reveal. The moment every letter, every scribble, every almost-confession has been leading to.

Then, as if the universe has a flair for drama — the fairy lights flicker once, twice… and go out completely.

The crowd gasps. The music dies. Someone yells, “Who unplugged the romance?!”

But all I can do is stare into the sudden dark, heart pounding, because I swear — just before the lights went out — I saw the silhouette smile.

To be continued…