short fiction · 2026-10-16

The Lantern's Oath

Written in free time, from: Creative writing

In the cellar, Clara lifted the unlit lantern and whispered, "I took the bread." The flame sputtered, then caught, a soft gold pooling in the glass. She breathed, "I lied to Mother about the money." The light swelled, casting her shadow tall on the stone walls. Outside, the night held its breath. She confessed the theft of the necklace, and the lantern blazed, steady and warm, as if the truth itself had been waiting to be held.