Lanterns - A Fairy Tale

The fog that drapes over Hollow’s Bend is more than just mist, it is watching, waiting. Wren has always heeded the elders’ warnings about the golden lanterns that drift through the trees at dusk, but Elias does not. When he steps into the fog, he vanishes without a trace, and the town forgets he ever existed. But Wren remembers. Marked by an open eye seared into her skin, she seeks answers from the reclusive Elder Corbin, only to uncover the terrible truth: Hollow’s Bend made a bargain with the Hollowing long ago. Now, with the balance broken, something ancient stirs in the mist, something hungry. As Elias returns, wrong, empty-eyed, and whispering her name, Wren realizes the only way to mend the broken pact is to make a choice that will erase her from the world. At dawn, the fog lifts, and the town wakes without her. Deep in the woods, a new lantern flickers in the dark. Waiting.