At seven fifteen, Priya discovered that one vendor’s name was missing from the printed registration list.
The booth number existed, and the table was ready, but the space had no assigned seller.
She checked the revised list on her tablet.
The name appeared there as Grace Ellison, a woman who sold handwoven blankets.
The printed sheet had been prepared the previous afternoon before the final changes.
Priya called Grace to confirm that she was still coming.
Grace answered from a roadside rest stop and said she had received a message telling her that the market was canceled.
The message had arrived from an unfamiliar number late the previous night.
Priya told her the market was opening as planned and that her booth remained available.
Grace sounded doubtful.
She had already turned around once and was worried about wasting fuel.
Priya offered to send her a photograph of the prepared space and the updated entrance instructions.
Grace agreed.
Within minutes, Priya sent the photograph and called again.
Grace said she would continue toward the hall.
Priya asked whether the cancellation message mentioned a reason.
Grace read it aloud.
It claimed that the building had failed an inspection and that all vendors should seek refunds from the organizer.
The superintendent listened and shook his head.
No inspection had failed.
Priya asked Grace to preserve the message because other sellers might have received the same warning.
She then sent a clear update through the official vendor contact list.
The message confirmed the opening time, the approved entrance, and the number to call with questions.
Within ten minutes, three vendors replied that they had received similar cancellation notices.
Priya realized that someone was still trying to turn confusion into empty booths.
She asked a volunteer to answer the registration phone while she contacted the venue owner.
The owner confirmed that the building was approved for the event and authorized Priya to share that confirmation with vendors.
Priya posted the notice at the entrance and on the event’s official page.
Claire watched her work and remembered how the first festival had collapsed under a flood of contradictory instructions.
She offered to call the remaining vendors individually.
Priya gave her a list of those who had not yet checked in.
Claire spent the next hour answering questions from people who were angry, suspicious, or simply exhausted.
She did not promise that the day would be perfect.
She promised that the space assigned to each confirmed seller would be there when they arrived.
Grace reached the hall shortly before opening.
She carried her blankets inside and stopped when she saw the table waiting beneath her name.
She ran a hand over the empty surface.
Then she began unpacking.
