IF LOVE IS REAL I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN

**The Promise of the Lanterns**

The village of Ashbourne was nestled in a quiet valley, surrounded by thick forests and rolling hills. It was the kind of place where time seemed to stand still, where traditions were kept alive, and where everyone knew everyone else. Among its many customs, one stood out as particularly magical—the Lantern Festival. Each year, on the night of the winter solstice, the villagers would gather by the riverbank, light lanterns, and set them adrift on the water, sending their hopes and dreams into the night sky.

For as long as she could remember, Elara had looked forward to the Lantern Festival. It was a night of wonder, when the dark sky was filled with glowing orbs of light, each one representing a wish or a promise. But this year, the festival held a special significance for her. It was the night she would say goodbye to the one person who meant more to her than anything else in the world—Caleb.

Elara and Caleb had grown up together, their lives intertwined from the very beginning. Their families were close, their homes just a short walk apart, and from the moment they met as children, they had been inseparable. They spent their days exploring the forests, swimming in the river, and dreaming about the future. As they grew older, their friendship deepened into something more—a love that felt as natural as breathing.

But life had a way of pulling people apart. Caleb was a dreamer, always talking about the world beyond the valley, about the cities and places he wanted to see. When the opportunity came for him to study at a prestigious university far away, he couldn’t resist. Elara understood his desire to leave, to explore, but the thought of being without him filled her with an ache she couldn’t ignore.

The night of the Lantern Festival was their last night together before Caleb’s departure. They stood by the river, the cold air biting at their skin, as they held their lanterns in their hands. Elara could see the sadness in Caleb’s eyes, a reflection of her own, but she forced a smile.

“We’ll see each other again,” Caleb said, his voice soft but steady. “This isn’t goodbye, Elara. It’s just… until next time.”

Elara nodded, but the lump in her throat made it hard to speak. She wanted to believe him, wanted to hold on to the hope that they would be together again. But deep down, she feared the distance, feared that time and space would create a gulf between them that they couldn’t bridge.

Caleb reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of parchment. He unfolded it carefully, revealing a sketch he had drawn—a picture of two lanterns floating side by side on the river. Beneath it, he had written: “If love is real, I will see you again.”

He handed the parchment to Elara. “This is my promise,” he said. “No matter where I go, no matter how far apart we are, if our love is real, it will bring us back together. One day, I’ll return to this river, and we’ll send our lanterns into the sky again.”

Elara felt tears prick her eyes, but she blinked them back. She clutched the parchment to her chest and nodded. “I’ll be here,” she whispered. “I’ll wait for you, Caleb.”

With that, they lit their lanterns and set them adrift on the river. The glowing lights bobbed gently on the water’s surface before being carried away by the current, joining the hundreds of other lanterns that illuminated the night. Elara watched until they disappeared from view, until all that was left was the memory of their soft glow.

The days that followed were filled with a sense of emptiness. Caleb’s absence was a constant ache, a void that nothing could fill. Elara wrote to him often, and his letters came back full of stories about his new life—his studies, the people he met, the places he explored. But as time went on, the letters became less frequent, and Elara’s fears began to grow. She wondered if Caleb was forgetting her, if the distance was slowly erasing the bond they had shared.

Seasons changed, and the years passed, but Elara never stopped thinking about Caleb. She kept the parchment with his promise tucked safely away, reading it whenever doubt crept into her heart. She continued to participate in the Lantern Festival each year, always sending her lantern with a wish that Caleb would return.

The village around her changed as well. New families moved in, children grew up, and old traditions faded. But Elara remained, a constant in the ever-changing landscape of Ashbourne. She built a life for herself, taking over her family’s bakery, but she never stopped waiting. She never stopped believing in Caleb’s promise.

Ten years after Caleb had left, on the night of the Lantern Festival, Elara stood by the riverbank once more. She held her lantern in her hands, just as she had every year, and stared at the dark water. The years had been kind to her, but there was a sadness in her eyes that had never fully gone away. She wondered, as she had so many times before, if tonight would be any different, if this would be the night when her waiting would finally end.

As she was about to light her lantern, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, her heart skipping a beat, but it was only one of the villagers, coming to join the festivities. Elara smiled politely and turned back to the river, trying to push away the disappointment that weighed on her heart.

She took a deep breath and lit her lantern, watching as the flame flickered to life. She closed her eyes and whispered her wish, the same one she had made every year. “If love is real, let me see him again.”

With that, she let the lantern go, watching as it floated away. She was about to turn and leave when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye—a faint light on the other side of the river. Her breath caught in her throat as she squinted through the darkness, trying to make out what it was.

The light grew brighter, and as it did, Elara realized that it was another lantern, floating toward her from the opposite bank. Her heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the shoreline, and there, standing in the shadows, was a figure she recognized instantly.

“Caleb,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

He stepped forward into the light, his face older, more weathered, but still the same Caleb she had always known. He smiled at her, the same warm smile that had always made her feel safe, and Elara felt all the years of waiting, all the doubt and fear, melt away.

“I told you,” Caleb said as he crossed the bridge to join her. “If love is real, I’d see you again.”

Elara couldn’t speak; she could only nod as he took her hands in his. The world around them faded, and in that moment, it was just the two of them, standing together by the river, as if no time had passed at all.

They stood there for what felt like hours, talking, laughing, and catching up on all the years they had missed. Caleb told her about his travels, the things he had learned, and how he had never stopped thinking about her. Elara shared her own stories, the life she had built while she waited for him to return.

As the night grew late, they lit two new lanterns together, just as they had ten years ago. This time, there were no words needed—just the unspoken promise of a future they would finally share. They watched as the lanterns drifted into the sky, their light merging with the stars above.

In the years that followed, Elara and Caleb were never apart again. They built a life together, full of love, laughter, and the kind of quiet contentment that only comes from knowing you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. And every year, on the night of the Lantern Festival, they would return to the riverbank, light their lanterns, and send them into the night—two souls who had found their way back to each other, proving that love, if real, could withstand the test of time.