The Lantern That Walked Home
fantasyEveryoneWren ran to fetch old Mira, who ran the festival every year. Mira took one look at the stubborn gold light and went pale. "Some lanterns," she said quietly, "aren't lit for the sky. They're lit for someone who never came home. That one's looking for the person who made it."
Mira tried to take the lantern herself, but the moment her fingers neared it, the flame shrank away and tugged hard toward Wren. "It doesn't want me," Mira breathed. "It wants you. It's chosen who carries it home." Wren's heart pounded as the light leaned her way.
What happens next?
1 ways forwardWren cupped both hands gently around the lantern. It settled into her palms, warm and light as a sleeping bird. "All right," she said. "Show me where home is." The flame leaned forward, pointing the way down the misty road, and together they set off into the dawn.