“The Lantern in the Woods”
Every Halloween night, a single orange light drifts through the old forest behind Maple Street.
They say it’s just a trick of the fog — but no one who followed it ever came back to tell.
This year, Mia decided to prove the stories wrong. She stepped into the woods with her flashlight, the moon watching silently above.
Then she saw it — a tiny lantern, floating mid-air, swaying gently as if waiting for her.
“Mia…” a child’s whisper came from the dark. “You’re late.”
Her flashlight flickered. The lantern’s glow grew brighter — and for a moment, she saw dozens of pale faces behind the trees, all smiling.
When dawn came, the woods were quiet again.
Only the little lantern remained…
burning a little brighter than before.
Stake Id: musatufan