nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

It was Halloween night, cold enough that you could see your breath. Eddie, Steve, and Mikey didn’t have a plan — just that restless feeling that comes when you’re too old for candy but too young to stay home. So when Eddie said, “Let’s go find the Hollow Creek lantern,” the other two went along, half-laughing, half-scared. The story went that a miner died out there a hundred years ago and his ghost still wandered the creek, looking for a way home. People said if you saw his lantern, you were next to be lost. They parked by the woods, flashlights cutting through fog that looked thick enough to touch. The trees were quiet — no crickets, no wind, just the sound of the creek bubbling somewhere in the dark. They walked for maybe twenty minutes when Mikey froze. “Wait… do you see that?” Across the water, through the mist, a light flickered. Soft. Orange. Moving. Eddie grinned. “There it is.” Steve frowned. “Don’t. Seriously, man.” But Eddie was already stepping into the water. The current pulled at his legs, and for a second, they heard him laughing. Then it stopped. “Eddie?” Mikey called. No answer. Just a soft metallic scrape like a chain dragging over stone. Then they saw it. The lantern was floating a few feet above the water, no hand holding it, just hanging there, glowing faint blue. Behind it, barely visible, was the shape of a man's face hidden under an old miner’s helmet, clothes dripping wet. “You boys shouldn’t follow the light,” the figure whispered. “It doesn’t lead home.” The lantern flared, blindingly bright. Eddie came crashing back through the creek, shouting, “Run!” They didn’t stop running until they reached the car. Their lungs burned, their hearts pounded, and when they finally looked back, the forest was still. No light. Just silence. They laughed it off on the drive home — or at least tried to. Steve said it was probably some hiker. Mikey said it was a prank. But Eddie didn’t say a word. He just stared out the window, water still dripping from his shoes. Later that night, as he sat alone in his room, he saw something faint in the reflection of the glass — a tiny blue glow hovering behind him. And for a moment, he thought he heard a voice, quiet and tired, whispering: “You found it… Now it follows you.” Stake - nimsara135

nimsara135

Stake - nimsara135

Stake - nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

Eddie, Mikey, and Steve, if these three guys come to my birthday party, I will be the happiest guy on earth Stake - nimsara135

2023 nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135

4 Stake - nimsara135

nimsara135

nimsara135