From Esfandiar C. Hale's contest: Yet Another Picture Prompt
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLweZk0iRe
Stella awoke from her slumber up in the treehouse when she heard the sound of crickets trilling nearby. Her eyes flickered up and down as they met the moonlit, indigo sky. It was far too early for her to be awake, but hearing the crickets made her form a small smile. They were a sign of good luck. She hadn’t heard crickets in ages.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpqXNv8ch9
Something pulsed next to her. Something flooded with blazing light. She sat up and steadied herself, yawning deeply. Then, turning her head to the right, her eyes immediately widened. The flames in her magic lantern burned as powerful as ever, blinking wildly as if someone was on the other side, signaling for help. Stella extended her arm and grasped the handles. The blinking eased.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTvZtOmS0K
“Who’s there?” she asked the lantern. At that moment, she realized how cold her environment was, especially because the treehouse was so exposed, and her dress was uncomfortably thin.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6sVSCwIWJ
The lantern spoke. Not with words, but with swift surges of light. It glowed twice, then stopped. “M,” she mumbled. Three times, then stopped. “O.” Once, then stopped again. “T.” It emitted four short beats. Then another short beat after that. Finally, it released a short, then long, then short pulse and gradually dimmed. Vanished.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO2qdraBRl
Stella, having already learned the lantern’s language, jumped giddily. The lantern spelled out MO-T-H-E-R. She was sure of it.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMAV4bCDEQ
She hadn’t heard from her mother in a long time. Specifically, two years. And now, her mother wanted Stella to find her.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBlucns5If
“If that’s really you that’s calling, Mother,” she whispered, “then I’m coming to find you.”
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVa4XARHE8
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi15CyYI2Up
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOE2FTenjso
Stella’s magic lantern had been passed down for generations. It started with her great-great-great-great-great grandfather, who was an artisan. Her mother used to tell tales about him before she tucked her into bed with a night kiss. He, Taveon, built everything from children’s toys to women’s jewelry, from flower vases to cutting knives. He was the most skilled and known craftsman in the village. One afternoon, he purchased a pouch of magic gold dust that he had mistaken for salt. The same night, he poured the salt into his dinner, and was taken aback when he realized it wasn’t. He threw the pouch on the floor, spilling its contents, thinking he was scammed with sand. Little did he know, as he went to sleep that night, the wind flurried through the windows, sweeping the dust into the corner of one of his unfinished projects — the two wooden lanterns. Now, Stella and her mother had one. They used them to communicate.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwCWS9ksUG
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TScr57oXf
Stella loved that story, mostly because of how her mother told it. She would speak in a low, mysterious tone when she talked about magic, gesturing with her hands as she talked. She’d even make realistic noises, like the sound of crickets chirping the next day when Taveon woke up. Her mother could imitate sharp footsteps, thunder, and the sound of the autumn breeze, which would send thrilling shivers up Stella’s spine.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGCGrDOyaw
Her mother’s voice made it so much more magical.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmKlpq36Sz
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nO6MTvVSb
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNM5jJHZKH
The glow of the stars somehow made Stella feel warmer. The wide, navy sky somehow comforted her, like a tender, familiar embrace.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO8pVfHD9C
“Mother,” she said gently, gazing at her lantern. “I’m here. I’m here, Mother.”
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7aZ3YXi4Q
The lantern didn’t respond. It was dead silent.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadAvf2UvBy
Stella took off her slippers and trod further north. It was faster that way, and her feet were much freer.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1tfeeIl3L
“Mother?” Her voice cracked and echoed.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37h4ftL3K0
Her strength did not decrease any less than what she had to begin with. The stars gave her hope. Stella breathed in the air; a briny odor shot up her nostrils, mixed with seaweed.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR1LlgYBFU
She was smelling the sea.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHnRQGp4Jf
The lantern suddenly buzzed with light. Her mother was there. Stella could sense her presence.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgm3lha2GVq
She hovered the lantern over her head and squinted.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1I7D8jUcVq
The lantern pulsed violently. She stepped forward.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAxdy4Y3rf
Warmer. She took another few steps. Her feet brushed against the cool water.
Warmer. Stella’s ankles were soaked. She wiggled her toes to keep them from numbing.
Warmer. Her knees submerged.
Even warmer. The hem of her dress was drenched.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIk0og1xpc
But Stella, with barely any traces of uncertainty, stared at the lantern, now being held at shoulder level. Four swift beats. Once. Stella focused on the rhythm as her mother continued to communicate.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0xJqPe1TD
H-E-R-E.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R8nktpSxt
Then, at that moment, that exact second, a little star fell and landed on her head.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3EZSYkkFO
She slowly reached to pick it up, startled.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeEtLhl7VG
It wasn’t a star. It was a firefly, glowing in the same rhythm as the message her mother sent. Then flew dozens, hundreds of them, surrounding Stella, like gleaming orbs from heaven. For a second she forgot that she was knee-deep in the bitter, freezing ocean.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPH2bhlnlJ
Because Stella was flying. Flying above the water, her feet no longer touching the sea. Her dress wavered behind her like a cape. She was no longer trembling. No longer afraid. Both her arms were outstretched in the air, trying to get ahold of the fireflies. Trying to grasp the light that led Stella to her mother.
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLs8fY660H
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA3sYvXYV5
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrmFtkVuVz
268Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFijxhIact
This was where her mother was all along. It was her home.
In the stars.
ns3.147.70.194da2
然後按「加至主畫面」