The amusement park had wound itself into twilight. The neon lights along the rides glowed brighter against the dimming sky, painting the streets in shifting hues of pink, violet, and gold. Families lingered with arms full of toys and snacks, children still buzzing with sugar-fueled energy, while teenagers chased the last rides before night full fell.
Above it all, the gravity coaster roared one last time, its cars streaking the dusk like shooting stars.
But when the first firework cracked open the night, the park stilled. A thousand faces tilted skyward as the explosion bloomed in sapphire sparks, cascading down like waterfalls of starlight. Then came another, and another. Reds, silver, emerald bursts that rained brilliance across the sky, reflecting on every glass surface of the city beyond.
