Lanterns

• Ginger Mcarthur, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2015

As a child, before I got into bed my parents said. “Lanterns will show the way to someone you love or care about.” I didn’t know what they were saying but I always listened.

I lived with my Aunt and Uncle, Grandma and Gramps. And the most important people in my life, my Parents.

My story starts on the 24th of November. Why? Let’s just say it’s a very important day for me. I was shopping with my Mum, for my Grandma and Gramps’s anniversary.
I got distracted because I saw a toy car. “Mum can I get this! Oh please!” But she wasn’t there. I was lost.

The next day I was miserable. With no one to talk to except the rats in the cafe. The seconds went past slowly. This led to minutes then hours.

A few days later a strange sobbing sound got me into the mood of getting up. I slowly stood up, my knees aching from sitting down so long. I carefully weaved through the people passing. It was a girl.

She looked at me and said “Who are you and what are you doing here?” In deep pain of mentioning my parents I tried to make a believable story. “I am the young prince of… Umm… Antarctica!” I felt like a fool. My palms started to sweat. I started to get cramps and then the girl said… “No such thing! I’ve been to school and I know that there is no such thing.” She looked like she was lost, too. I slowly bent down and said… “Look I am actually lost. See I was…” But she interrupted me. “It’s ok, I am too.”

Days went past. We were now a team. We roamed the streets, and worked together to get a decent meal.

One day when we were walking, I saw a lantern seller. I told the girl what my parents used to say. She suddenly looked shocked. I asked why she looked like this and she explained to me that her parents said it, too. She asked me what date I was born in. I told her it was the 1st of January. I asked what her name was. “Alex, my name is Alex” There was a dead silence. “So you mean… Wait what’s your name?”
“Allen”
“Well Allen, I think we might be siblings.”

There was an awkward silence. Then I finally said something. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go and get a lantern!”

When we got there Alex made a distraction that her foot was broken. I snuck up and got two lanterns.

When everyone had cleared off, we lit the lanterns. We watched them go up, and up.

We followed the lanterns. Then I gasped. Alex stared. We went over, it was our parents! In a quiet whisper they said… “Well look at that, it’s our lost children.