Chapter 137

• Chapter 137: A Thousand Versions of Her
• After the gaming arcade, the energy between them has shifted—lighter, freer. There's a comfortable rhythm now, a playful beat in the air as they continue to explore more of the park’s endless attractions. From one section to the next, they wander with no clear destination, caught in a lazy current of noise and neon lights and sugary air. At one point, they end up in a weird little dining corner occupied by a strange, oversized costume character—somewhere between a duck and a robot—sitting stiffly beside a pinball machine, its fake plastic arms outstretched in a comical attempt to play the game. They take dinner right there beside it, laughing through each bite, the absurdity of it all adding a surreal charm to the night.
• After the food, she tries her hand at the pinball game, and he moves behind her, attempting to guide her through the process—how to control the weight, how to line up her aim. But the heavy ball has a mind of its own, apparently, and she seems desperately unable to tame it. More often than not, the thing rolls away in wild directions, throwing off her balance, forcing her to stumble and twist in awkward, hilarious movements. Once, it practically hurls her backward over the side of the game table.