Agnes

Thea’s eyes lit up as the flashing lights and the speaker above the booth announced Elijah’s win. She rushed forward, reaching her little hands out.

“Which prize would you like?” the vendor, a teenage boy with his hair hanging in his eyes, asked with a sigh. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“The shark, please!” Thea exclaimed with a grin.

The vendor, however, didn’t seem to share in her enthusiasm. He grabbed a much smaller shark off of another shelf. “Here, kid,” he said, thrusting it toward Thea without even looking at her. “Next!”

Thea’s excitement faltered instantly. She stared at the tiny, floppy shark in her hands, her lower lip trembling. “But… I wanted the big shark,” she said softly, her eyes darting back up to the grand prize.

I stepped forward, frowning at the vendor. “Elijah won the game fair and square. The shark is the grand prize for hitting all the targets, isn’t it?”

The boy shrugged and leaned lazily against the counter. “You didn’t score enough points for the shark. He’ll have to win three more rounds in a row for that one.”

My jaw dropped. Three more rounds? I glanced at the stuffed shark hanging from the hook—it wasn’t even the highest-quality plush. Definitely not worth the money it would take to win four games in a row.

“That’s ridiculous,” I muttered, shaking my head and turning to Elijah. “We could just buy her a similar one from the gift shop for half the cost.”

But Elijah seemed to have other plans. I could see it in the determined set of his jaw, the flicker of defiance in his eyes. He wasn’t about to back down. Not when Thea was looking up at him with such hope on her round little face.

“Elijah,” I started, tugging gently at his arm. “It’s just a toy—”

“My daughter wants it,” he said simply, reaching into his pocket for his wallet again. “So I’ll get it for her.”

Thea’s eyes widened, her disappointment melting into excitement once more. “You will? Really?” she asked.

“Of course. We’re on vacation,” he replied, giving her a small, reassuring smile. “I’ll hit all the targets in a row and get you your shark. Just watch.”

With that, Elijah handed the vendor another bill and picked up the toy gun again. The targets popped up, and I wrapped my arm around Thea’s shoulders, both of us watching as Elijah aimed carefully.

But something happened this time. The first shot missed, then the second, and the third. By the time the round ended, not a single target had fallen.

“Sorry, no points for you,” the boy said, flipping his hair out of his eyes. “Better luck next time.”

Elijah frowned, his eyes narrowing. He handed over more money without a word.

“Elijah,” I whispered, tugging at his sleeve. “Maybe we should just go…”

“No.”

The second round didn’t go any better. The same thing happened—every shot except for one veered just slightly off course. The vendor leaned back against the counter with a bored sigh.

“You’re not very good at this, are you? Maybe it’s time to let go of that ego and give someone else a turn. Look, you’re holding up the line.”

But Elijah ignored him, his jaw tightening as he pulled out more money. Thea, who had been cheering him on enthusiastically at first, now shifted back and forth on her feet, glancing back at the growing line of waiting customers and then up at me. Even she was starting to look a little tired of this.

“Elijah,” I tried again, “it’s fine. Really. She’ll be perfectly happy with something else.”

He turned to look at me then, and the expression in his eyes stopped me in my tracks. This wasn’t about pride. It wasn’t about proving anything to the sneering vendor. It was about Thea—the little girl who believed her dad could do anything. He clearly didn’t want to let her down. I couldn’t get in the way of that.

“Alright,” I murmured, stepping back with my hands held up in surrender. “One more try.”

But it wasn’t just one more try. Elijah played six rounds in total, missing almost every time. The vendor’s smirk grew wider with each failed attempt, the line grew restless, and even I could feel my frustration bubbling over. Something about the way the targets seemed to dodge every shot didn’t sit right with me.

That was when I noticed it. Every time Elijah’s aim was about to land perfectly on a target, the targets shifted—just slightly, hardly even perceptible, but enough to make a difference. And every time they moved, the vendor’s foot twitched beneath the counter.

I narrowed my eyes, stepping closer. Sure enough, as Elijah lined up another shot, I saw the vendor’s foot press down on something beneath the booth. The targets wobbled ever so slightly, and Elijah missed yet again.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, pointing a finger at the vendor. “You’re cheating!”

The boy blinked, his smug smirk faltering for the first time. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re moving the targets with a switch under the counter,” I said, stepping closer. “I saw you do it.”

“That’s ridiculous!” he said, his face turning red. “I didn’t do anything!”

But I was already moving around the side of the booth. “Oh, really?” I challenged, planting myself firmly in front of him. “Go ahead. Try it again. I’ll wait.”

The vendor spluttered, his hands flailing as he tried to come up with an excuse. “Y-You can’t be back here! That’s against the rules!”

“So is rigging the game,” I shot back, crossing my arms. “If you’re not cheating, then there’s no harm in me just standing here, right?”

Elijah raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips as he watched the exchange. “I’ll just try one more time, and if I don’t hit the targets, then you win,” he said placidly. “Let’s see what happens.”

With no other option, the vendor reluctantly started the game. Elijah took aim, and this time, just like the first time, every shot hit its mark. The targets fell one by one until the game announced his victory with a catchy little jingle.

“Winner, winner!”

Thea clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “Daddy, you did it!”

“Round two,” Elijah said, sliding more money across the counter.

I didn’t budge from my spot, keeping a close eye on the vendor as Elijah played. Sure enough, with the boy unable to use his switch, Elijah won the next three rounds in a row.

When the final target fell, the booth lit up, and the robotic voice blared, “Winner, winner! Graaaand prize!”

Without a word, Elijah reached up and snatched the shark off the hook, handing it to Thea before the vendor could even move. The boy sputtered indignantly, his dark hair wiggling in his eyes, but Elijah ignored him and turned to Thea with a small smile. “Here you go, sweetheart.”

Thea hugged the shark tightly and beamed up at him. “Thank you, Daddy!”

As we walked away from the booth, Thea skipping ahead with her new prize, I couldn’t help but laugh.