The Lantern’s Hidden Note — Under the blue-black pines, Cyrus cupped both hands around Santa’s little lantern and wished its flame would stop shivering. Read the full story →
Under the blue-black pines, Cyrus cupped both hands around Santa’s little lantern and wished its flame would stop shivering. He wanted to carry it to the cottage at the hill bend before the cocoa steam thinned, but the path beyond the workshop gate looked wide and whispery. Snow squeaked under his boots. Stars pricked the dark like cold pins. “Just to the first tree,” he told himself.
At the first tree, the wind puffed, and the lantern went clink. Cyrus nearly turned back, but a tiny paper corner peeked from under the metal base, where nobody ever checked. He tugged it free with numb fingers. In Santa’s round writing it said: If the flame trembles, it is still shining. Bring it along.
So Cyrus walked on, slower than a rabbit, braver than before. The lantern warmed his mitten, the cottage windows blinked gold, and Santa’s gift sack rustled beside him like soft applause. When you find the lantern among the snowy pines, can you spot the place where a brave little note might hide?
