The Lantern Game No One Saw — Every night at Oak Ridge, Calla counted tent stakes before bed and listened to the lantern tick softly in the branch above camp. Read the full story →
Every night at Oak Ridge, Calla counted tent stakes before bed and listened to the lantern tick softly in the branch above camp. She wanted to invent a game that needed no players, only kindness, so she whispered, “Three shadows for anyone awake.”
Until one windless night, the flame made an acorn’s shadow look like a tiny door. Because of that, Calla turned the lantern a finger’s width, and a moth found the pale path around the glass instead of bumping it. Because of that, she angled the handle again, and a shrew slipped through the grass where owl-eyes would not catch its silver back.
At last, when everyone else breathed deep inside the tent, Calla hung the lantern steady and left her game glowing for whoever needed it. Next time you notice the little stars around the moon, see if one of them is keeping score for three shadows.
