Avi and the Festival of a Thousand Lanterns
The invitation was written on paper so thin it was almost transparent: "You are invited to the Festival of a Thousand Lanterns. Bring one wish and one truth." Avi found it tucked under their pillow on the night of the autumn equinox.
Following a trail of tiny glowing lanterns through the woods behind the house, Avi arrived at a clearing filled with people from every corner of the world. Paper lanterns hung from every tree — round ones, star-shaped ones, fish-shaped ones, each glowing a different color. Music played from instruments Avi couldn't identify, and the smell of food from a dozen cultures mingled in the cool night air.
An elderly woman with silver hair handed Avi a blank lantern and a brush. "Write your wish on one side, and your truth on the other," she said. "When you release the lantern, the sky will decide which one to grant."
Avi thought for a long time. On one side, they wrote their wish: "I wish for gratitude to spread to every corner of the world." On the other side, they wrote their truth: "I am afraid I am too small to make a difference."
When Avi released the lantern, it rose slowly — then faster, joining hundreds of others floating into the star-filled sky. As it climbed, the truth side glowed brighter than the wish side, and Avi felt a warmth spread through their chest. A voice on the wind whispered: "Your truth is your strength. The ones who know they are small are the ones who grow the tallest."
Avi walked home through the woods, the lanterns fading into the distance like ascending fireflies. And they understood that knowing your truth — even the scary parts — is what makes wishes come true.
Talk about it
Avi shared a scary truth and discovered it made their wish stronger.
Three questions for lights-out
- What did Avi write on each side of their lantern?
- How did Avi feel when they let the lantern go up into the sky?
- What do you think the voice meant about being small?
Words worth knowing
- equinox
- The night when day and night are exactly equal length
- transparent
- So thin you can see right through it
- gratitude
- The feeling of being thankful for something
- clearing
- An open space in the middle of the woods
- ascending
- Going up higher and higher into the air
Is this story scary for young kids?
No. Avi's fear is gentle and the story shows that naming what scares us actually makes us braver, not more afraid.
What should I say if my child asks what the 'voice on the wind' was?
You could say it was the festival itself, or magic, or Avi's own heart speaking—whatever feels right. The point is that Avi discovered something true about themselves.