Kids ran around, smiles plastered across their faces. Arcade cabinets blared comical sound effects, lighting up like a carnival. Balloons flew through the air, occasionally snagging on dangling ribbons. Most importantly, the delightful Fredbear and Springbonnie animatronics were up on stage, performing as usual. The birthday party of Christopher Afton was in full force - today was a great day at Fredbear’s Family Diner. Michael, Christopher’s older brother, sat cozily by himself at one of the party tables. He had paid his four friends 5 dollars earlier to mess with his brother, and all he had to do now was wait. He chuckled to himself as he remembered how scared Chris was of Fredbear. To him, it was basically a giant moving teddy bear - a silly thing to be afraid of. But something about it made Chris want to run away as fast as possible. Moments later, he saw his friends barge through the arcade door, each holding Chris by his arms and legs. “No…I don’t want to go!” Chris cried out as he squirmed, trying to escape the situation. “Hey Mike…we got him!” one of them yelled out. Michael burst into laughter at the sight of it. “Well, you heard the little man! He wants to get even closer!” another of them called out as they cackled to themselves. Quickly, they began to carry Chris towards the Fredbear animatronic. Michael leaned back in his seat in laughter and clapped, utterly entertained by what was unfolding in front of him. Chris, on the other hand, was terrified - his gaze locked onto the Fredbear animatronic, its mechanical movements and off-putting design causing him to shake in fear. After a few seconds, the group was right in front of Fredbear. “Hey guys, I think the little man said he wants to give Fredbear a big kiss!” another one of them chimed in. The friends looked at each other and instantly knew what to do. They climbed onto the stage and, as Fredbear’s mouth opened, stuffed Chris’ head in it. The group howled with laughter as they watched him struggle to get out. Michael was in the back laughing as well, but something about this seemed off. Suddenly, it hit him - he had seen this before. “Guys - I think we should…” Michael called out, growing incredibly uneasy. Something within Michael was screaming at him to do something. The feeling grew unbearable, prompting Michael to stand up. Chris yelled as Fredbear’s mouth exerted more and more pressure on his head - at that moment, Michael couldn’t take it. Not long after, Chris let out a blood-curdling scream. “NO…STOP!” Suddenly, Michael woke up - it was all a dream. As he looked around, he saw that he was buckled in the backseat of his father’s purple Cadillac, driving off somewhere. Michael gripped the side of the car door and hyperventilated - the dream remained clear as day in his mind. “Mooom…I think Mikey had that dream again…” Elizabeth said as she pointed at him. She was buckled in the other side of the backseat wearing her usual outfit: a red bow, pink blouse, and blue skirt. “Sh…shut up!” Michael fired back. “Michael…” his mom warned from the front passenger seat, “...don’t talk to your little sister like that.” “But she’s making fun of me…!” “No she’s not. Michael, say sorry.” Michael huffed, turning away from Elizabeth. Clara sighed, watching her son sulk through the rearview mirror. “Michael, can you please just - keep it together…? Today’s a big day, you know,” William asked as he drove the car. “I don’t wanna go to your stupid restaurant, Dad!” Michael angrily replied. Clara gasped, shocked at her son’s behavior. “It’s not a 'stupid restaurant', Michael. It’s the start of the biggest pizza chain Utah has ever seen. Show some respect!” “I wanna go home! Why do I have to be there anyway?” “Because this is *our* family business, Michael. And one day, you will help me with it. You’re just a few years from being an adult.” “No! I don’t care about your stupid robots, or that recycled pizza…or, or…any of it!” “Michael, that is not true. All of our pizza is cooked to order - don’t believe the news.” “I *want* to go *home*!” “For the last time, NO…!” William yelled out, slamming the steering wheel. The entire family went silent, shaken by the argument. William took a deep breath, then exhaled. Elizabeth grew nervous - she could feel the tension in the air. “I wanna go to Freddy’s too…” she chimed in. “Shut it, Lizzie…” Michael blurted out. “Michael!” Clara exclaimed - she bent over to William, trying to tell him something. “William, honey…go easy on him,” she whispered to him. His grip on the steering wheel loosened - he could feel himself begin to calm down a bit. “Look, Michael, you can be mad at me all you want…but I need you to keep it together today, okay?” William explained in a calmer tone, “...If this reopening goes wrong, and this restaurant fails…our house goes along with it, understand? First impressions matter. So please, just…keep it to yourself.” Michael sat in silence. He felt jaded and unheard by his father. Still mad, he looked out the window and watched the buildings whizz by, trying to distract himself from everything. “Alright, we’re almost there…” William told everyone, “...just follow my lead.” A minute later, the car pulled up into the parking lot in front of Freddy’s. The building was large and rectangular, with a bright green roof and a checkered stripe pattern lining it - just the way William wanted. Above the double-door entrance hung a giant sign with a welcoming illustration of the main mascot himself, Freddy Fazbear - black hat on, microphone in hand, waving happily. Below him was the name of the restaurant in bold letters: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. William smiled as he saw a decently sized crowd in front of the entrance; eager families and their energetic children waited patiently for it to open. With that, William parked the car and the entire family got out - the grand reopening was about to begin.