Oorja De
It was a rather boring day for Maya. Boring friends, boring teachers, and boring school. Maya was a curious and bright little girl who always loved a little adventure, but today there was nothing adventurous going on. Usually, Maya spent her school day being a bit mischievous, like bringing in her beloved Teddy and treating it like her new classmate, except today the new teacher didn’t let any of that happen. School life felt so dull today, like a grey sky with dark clouds.
That afternoon, as Maya was trudging towards her home, she shot a quick glance at the confectionery, sniffing the delicious aroma of caramel, but remembered that she had no money left to soothe her craving stomach. The smell almost pulled her away from her path back to Grandma Joe’s little shop, yet she still resisted and walked on. As she got home, her mother noticed that her little daughter wasn’t looking as adventurous and naughty as usual, so she decided to boost Maya’s mood by offering her a popsicle of her favourite flavour.
“Here,” she said, “your favourite.”
It instantly brought a smile to Maya’s face, and she happily ran to her mom and hugged her.
“Thanks, Mom.”
And with the icy treat in her hands, Maya ran upstairs to her room to change. As she walked back down the stairs, she thought of going to Willow Lake, her usual spot for daily walks, taking out her anger or frustration, or sometimes just to think in peace.
“Mom, I’m going to Willow Lake to eat the popsicle. ’Kay?” Maya asked.
“Okay… but be safe,” her mother replied.
“Relax, Mom, I’ll be fine,” Maya assured, as she walked out, slightly slamming the door. Maya’s mom flinched and said, “Oh, that kid…”
Maya walked down the path which led to Willow Lake, licking her popsicle on the way. She could hear the dry leaves crumbling under her boots with every step and feel a cool breeze on her face. As she approached a big boulder, where she usually sits, she spotted a faint glow coming from the other side. Maya gave one big lick at the popsicle before going to the other side to check it out.
She wasn’t very surprised at what she found. It was just an old lantern, but she had never seen it before. Just then, she saw an eerie mist swirling around the surface of the water. Something wasn’t right… who did it belong to? Why was it here? What did it mean?
Maya thought, “Hmm… this definitely wasn’t here yesterday.”
She noticed its cracked glass, rusted handle, and the dying bulb inside. She felt bad for whoever it belonged to; they probably didn’t have enough money to buy a new one. Slowly, she extended her hand towards the lantern and grabbed its handle. Surely her dad could repair it. He was the expert in the house for fixing and building things—so Maya could get it repaired in no time.
Maya had already finished most of the popsicle, so she bit off the last part and walked back home. She had the lantern clutched in one hand and thoughts swirling in her brain. Maya opened the door to her house.
“Who’s there?” asked her mom from the kitchen.
“It’s me, Mom,” replied Maya.
Her mom walked to where Maya was standing, with a book in her hand.
“How was your walk?”
“Interesting… I found this old lantern near the rock I usually sit on, but I didn’t see it yesterday when I went to Willow Lake,” said Maya, thoughtfully.
“Oh, how nice. Show me!”
“Umm… it’s a bit old and rusty. I was thinking of asking Dad for a little makeover, you know?” said Maya.
“How about you put it in your room?” suggested Maya’s mom.
“Great idea!” said Maya. “I’ll meet you for dinner in a minute.”
Here you go, my princess,” Maya’s dad said, much after dinner.
“Ooh, wow!” exclaimed Maya, her eyes widening, almost like a balloon about to pop.
Maya took the lantern in her hand and went up to her room. She turned it on and squinted at the brightness of the new bulb. Outside, Maya could hear the whispering of her parents and then the closing of the door of their room. Finally, she went to sleep with her Teddy, thinking of the next day.
“Maya sat up with a startle. She looked around… the lantern was still on.
“What was that sound?” she thought.
Maya heard it again. A knock, one more, and a final one on the main door. She got up and went down to check through the eyehole. She peered through, but no one was there. She opened the door anyway.
“Give it back, or all shall perish!” read a note on the porch.
Nothing else was written, no one was there, and Maya stood there puzzled. Who was the mysterious person who sent the note? Why to her? What were they talking about? Maya understood nothing. The door open, note in her hand, Maya went inside and back to her room. She tried to recall what she did today that might have made someone want something back. Then a thought struck her mind.
“The lantern!” she realized.
Maya didn’t want “all to perish,” so she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, grabbed the lantern and note, and set out back to Willow Lake; at night, in her pajamas. She walked on the path filled with dry leaves crunching under her boots like before. As she approached the boulder, it felt like the mist was alive, whispering something. She ignored it and placed the lantern right where she had found it, with the note sticking out from under it. When she turned around to go back home, she noticed the mist above the lake part two sides. There stood a man, on a boat, smiling gratefully.
“Thank you,” said the man.
She smiled back and hurried home. As she went back to sleep, the man’s voice—saying thank you, echoed through the room, or maybe it was just her mind playing games.