Mia stepped onto the empty stage and checked the time again. The park had been quiet for years, but tonight was supposed to be different. Tonight was the first rehearsal. She had built a whole show for the others — lights, music, movement — proof that animatronics could be more than props. She straightened the papers in her hands and waited for the others to arrive. The minutes stretched. Vines swayed against the wooden pillars. No footsteps came. Mia walked to the edge of the stage and looked out at the empty seats. The sign she had posted near the gate still hung crooked, untouched. Her gears clicked softly as she lowered the papers to her side. No one was coming. Not one of them had believed enough to show up. She stood alone under the dim stage lights, and the silence answered for them.