My heart skipped a beat. “Did someone die?” I asked instinctively.


    “No… It’s not that,” Wayne replied. I let out a breath of relief.


    At least no one was dead. That meant it wasn’t a catastrophe.


    “All the lights just stopped working,” he said.


    I nced out the window at the glittering city skyline. “The lights all went out at


    once?”


    “Yes, everything. It all went dark suddenly. The technicians have already checked–it’s not a power


    outage, the wiring is fine, and the equipment is operational. But there’s no lighting effect, Wayne


    exined, his frustrationing through loud and clear.


    His words left me equally frustrated. I didn’t know much about lighting systems, but I did know one


    thing: the entire design and post–production of the park’s lighting had been Hayden’s work.


    If only he were here.


    But there were no “if onlys” in life.


    “Are all the lightspletely off?” I asked, slipping on my shoes.


    “No, they’re… white,” Wayne said, catching me mid–step.


    “White?” I repeated, frowning.


    “I’ll send you some photos,” Wayne offered. There was a pause before he added, ” Since Hayden


    designed the lighting system, I thought you might know what’s wrong. And… you’re the legal owner


    of the park now.”


    That was true. The amusement park had been handed over to me, though I’d left everything in


    Wayne’s capable hands. I never asked about it, and he never brought it up.


    Maybe I should start paying him a sry.


    “I’m on my way,” I said, ending the call just as Wayne’s photos came through.


    +25 BOHUS


    The park, once bursting with vibrant, kaleidoscopic lights, now glowed with a stark, sterile white. It


    looked haunting–more like a ghost town than the dazzling attraction it used to be.


    A chill crept up my spine, and a ridiculous thought wormed its way into my mind. Was Hayden’s


    spirit behind this? Was he angry about my earlier antics- sending me a warning?


    My chest tightened at the idea, and I shoved it aside, driving straight to the park.


    Lena called me when she came out of the shower and found me gone. I exined quickly, and her


    response was a snort. “Well, looks like karma didn’t waste any time hitting you.”


    Apparently, she also thought Hayden might’ve had something to do with the lights–from beyond the


    grave.


    By the time I got to the park, a crowd had already formed, snapping photos and recording videos.


    Angry tourists–many of whom had traveled from across the globe for the famous light show–were


    loudly protesting.


    The park, now a social media sensation, had built its reputation on its mesmerizing lighting disys.


    With everything malfunctioning, their frustration was more than justified.


    I headed straight to the control room, where Wayne was surrounded by technicians and


    maintenance staff, all frantically trying to diagnose the issue. “Ms. Kay!” one of the staff called out


    as soon as I walked in.


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    “Still no progress?” I asked, though the grim expressions in the room already told me the answer.


    If they’d figured it out, the park wouldn’t still be drenched in that eerie white glow.


    “We’ve checked the equipment, the wiring, the power supply–everything’s in perfect working order,”


    one technician said, his voice tinged with frustration.


    “Then what’s causing it?” I asked, my eyes shifting to the monitors, which disyed the same stark


    white light stretching across the park.


    “It seems to be a programming issue. But that’s… The technician hesitated, his words trailing off.


    What else? Of course, it was Hayden’s domain. And only Hayden could have fixed.


    1. it.


    “So what are you saying?” I snapped, my voice slicing through the tension. “That since Hayden’s


    gone, the park’s lighting system is permanently broken?”


    The technicians lowered their heads, too afraid–or too ashamed–to respond.


    I wasn’t truly mad at them–just crushed by a wave of helplessness.


    It was that gut–wrenching feeling of needing someone so badly, only to know they were gone,


    forever out of reach.


    Wayne stepped in to smooth things over. “Hayden did leave some handover notes. It’s just… this


    situation is urgent, and it might take time to pinpoint the


    issue.”


    I didn’t respond. What was there to say? Wayne turned to the technicians. “Get ? the


    programming team on this. Work overtime if you have to, but this needs to be


    resolved.”


    Then he looked at me. “For now, we should focus on calming the guests.”


    I nodded. Of course, that was the immediate priority. I turned to leave, but before I could take more


    than a few steps, someone behind me shouted, “It’s fixed!”


    Wayne and I whipped around at the same time. On the monitor, the stark white light began to shift,


    morphing into vibrant, kaleidoscopic hues.