The festival was already in full swing by time Vivienne arrived. Paper lanterns had been hung from every place a hook could be placed. They were the most beautiful swaying from the tree branches she noted until she reached the lake. The water caught every glint and sparkle from the lanterns being held by the familiar hands of her Millcreek neighbors. The light was stretched across the surface in long wavering reflections that shifted with the smallest movement. It was a serene setting.
Ferrell took one look at the crowd and approved. He moved ahead with purpose, tail high, ready to greet anyone who looked remotely promising. Vivienne followed at an easier pace. She recognized several faces from earlier visits. A few nodded while others waved. There was a sense of familiarity already settling into the place, the sort that usually took longer to earn. It was comfortable and she smiled to herself.
“Vivienne!” She turned. Jenifer stood a short distance away, Gus circling her feet with restless enthusiasm.
“Good evening,” Vivienne answered, stepping closer.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Jenifer admitted.
“If we had a choice, Love, we’d be having this conversation at the library.” Vivienne shot back with a wry smile.
Gus had already located Ferrell, and the two of them launched into a lively greeting that involved far more energy than elegance. Vivienne watched for a moment, then glanced toward the tables set along the water.
“That’s where you get one,” Jenifer said, following her gaze.
Vivienne approached the table. The lantern felt weightless in her hands and there was a small light fixed inside. A brush rested beside a shallow dish of ink. Around her, people wrote without hesitation. Others paused, staring down at the blank space with expressions that suggested deep thoughts.
Vivienne reflected for a moment. She had spent most of her life acquiring things. Planning heists that would make her mother proud, taking, leaving before folks started asking to ask questions never staying in one place for too long. That life had suited her. It was what her mother had done. It had also, she realized, left very little room for attachments.
Millcreek offered something different. A house that did not need to be abandoned. A studio that did not require a false name. Time, if she chose to use it. Here she was driven by something new, she had choice and that felt like a new piece being added to the board. Her hand moved as she wrote in a steady, deliberate line.
To create a life of my own design.
“That’s a good one,” Jenifer said softly from beside her.
Vivienne glanced over. “Its honest if nothing else.”
They walked together toward the water. All of Millcreek was milling about the waters edge holding their arms out and releasing their lanterns one at a time. Each release was marked by a brief pause, then a slow ascent as some drifted higher than others. A few even wavered before finding their direction. Jenifer stepped forward first and let hers go. It lifted cleanly and joined the others above the lake. Vivienne waited a second longer. Ferrell pressed against her leg, watching with focused interest.
“Yes, I see it,” she murmured.
She raised her lantern, held it level for a brief moment, then released it. It rose without hesitation nor did it flicker or falter. The light held steady as it drifted upward, slipping into the growing field of lanterns above the water and hovered.
Vivienne watched it for a moment, then let her attention drop back to the shore. “Well,” she said, almost to herself, “that answers that.”
Jenifer exhaled beside her. “I wasn’t sure what would happen after all the hype.”
“Neither was I,” Vivienne replied.
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By Heather Patton · Launched a year ago
A creative space with over 170 enchanting stories and poems. I write fantasy, folklore and genre bending prose that can step off the path into comedy, adventure or the unsettling at any moment.
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