The Lantern’s Call

In the quiet town of Eldermoor, stories of the Lantern Keeper were told to children to keep them from wandering into the woods at night. The Keeper, they said, was a ghostly figure who roamed the forest, offering a magical lantern to those lost or desperate. But the lantern came at a price—once you took it, you could never leave the forest again.

Rowan never believed in fairy tales. But when her younger brother, Liam, went missing during a camping trip, she had no choice but to search the woods, ignoring the warnings. As the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness enveloped the forest, she lit her lantern and called his name into the void.

Hours passed with no sign of him. Exhausted, she leaned against an ancient tree, tears threatening to spill. That’s when she saw it—a soft glow weaving between the trees, accompanied by a faint, melodic hum. She followed it, heart pounding.

The light led her to a clearing where an ethereal figure stood—a woman cloaked in mist, holding a lantern that shone brighter than any Rowan had ever seen. Her face was obscured, but her voice was clear and resonant.

“You seek something precious,” the figure said. “But are you willing to trade your freedom to find it?”

Rowan’s mind raced. This couldn’t be real—could it? “My brother,” she said. “He’s lost. I need to find him.”

The Lantern Keeper raised a hand, and a vision materialized in the air. It was Liam, lying asleep by a riverbank, unharmed. Relief flooded Rowan, but it was quickly overshadowed by dread as the Keeper stepped closer.

“You can save him,” the Keeper whispered, “but the lantern will bind you to the forest. You will become its Keeper, just as I once was.”

Rowan’s instincts screamed at her to run, but the thought of leaving Liam behind was unbearable. She reached for the lantern. It was warm in her hands, and she felt the forest itself awaken around her. The Keeper’s form dissolved into mist, and Rowan’s own reflection glimmered in the lantern’s surface.

The glow faded, and the clearing emptied. Rowan stood alone, a Keeper now.

She found Liam moments later, waking him with gentle shakes. He blinked up at her, groggy and confused. “Rowan? What happened?”

“Nothing,” she said, forcing a smile. “Let’s go home.”

But as they walked back, Rowan felt the forest watching her, a constant presence at the edges of her awareness. She knew she could never truly leave. The Lantern Keeper’s call had claimed her—and one day, it would call again.