short fiction · 2026-10-17

The Lantern in the Fog

Written in free time, from: Creative writing

In the thin veil of twilight, a single lantern swayed on a rusted pole, its flame trembling against the gathering gloom. Each wisp of fog curled around the glass, muffling distant sounds and turning the street into a quiet river of shadows. I stepped closer, feeling the cool breath of night settle on my skin, and whispered a name that no one else could hear. The lantern flickered, then steadied, as if acknowledging a secret kept for centuries.