The Lantern Girl

The Lantern Girl Rasya Swarnasta

Nora and her friends headed home after their Qur’an class at the mosque. Nora urged her friends to take a different path.  “It’s closer that way,” said Nora.  “And pass by the haunted house?” Devon exclaimed.  “Why don’t we take our usual path home?” asked Silva. 

“It looks like it’s going to rain soon. We have to get home quickly,” said Nora.  Devon and Silva agreed but Nora knew they were scared. Every time there was a noise they immediately huddled closer to Nora. Then ... 

… Nora’s torch fell and went out! Everyone was startled. Devon and Silva immediately ran away, scared.  “Hey, wait!” shouted Nora. But they kept running away. 

Nora walked home alone. Ah, if only they had electricity in their village. Was there any other way to light up the path?

Back home, Mom was cooking. Seeing the flames gave Nora an idea.

“Mom, can I light my torch with the flames?” asked Nora. Even though she was confused, Mom nodded.  “Why do you need a torch inside the house?” asked Mom.  “I want to put it out front to light the path home,” Nora explained. 

 “Wow, that’s a good idea,” Mom replied. “Let’s try it.”  Nora and Mom tied the torch tightly to a bamboo pole. The front of Nora’s house immediately became brighter. Nora was happy. 

However, a gust of wind made the flames of the torch sway back and forth. Lightning struck in the distance.

The wind grew stronger. Mom and Nora hurried back inside the house. Nora was anxious. What about the torch? Would the flames survive?

The flames went out. Nora was disappointed. Her idea of using a torch didn’t work. “I need to find another way,” she thought.

Nora could feel the wind blowing through the window. Strangely, the flames of the lamp didn’t go out. Nora realized that the glass of the lamp protected the flame from the wind.  “Aha, I can use the lamp to replace the torch!” she proclaimed. 

Dad helped Nora install the lamp. They waited to see what would happen to the flame.  Success! Even though the wind was blowing, the flame in the lamp was still burning. 

Pitter… Patter… rain!  Nora hurriedly grabbed an umbrella. She went outside again to make sure the lamp was safe. Oh no, the cool raindrops hit the hot glass of the lamp and caused it to shatter! The flame immediately went out.  Nora had to come up with a new plan. What could protect the lamp from the rain? 

What could Nora use?  A pot lid? No, Mom needed the lid to the pot for cooking.  The bamboo tray? No, Mom needed the tray to separate the rice grains from their husks. 

What about a banana leaf? No, that wouldn’t work. A gust of wind would tear the banana leaf.   

Nora tried a used can. Oh no, the lamp was completely covered. Not only did the light not shine through, but the flame was also starting to go out.  Nora looked around again to see what she could use. 

Aha! There was an old pot lid. The lid had dents and holes in it. Nora was sure she could use this pot lid. She just needed to fix it a bit.

Nora covered the holes on the pot lid with used plastic bags. She painted the pot lid to make it look pretty.

Now the pot lid was ready to be used.  “The lid has to be straight, and the knot has to be tight,” Mom instructed. 

They erected a pole and attached the lamp to it.  “Hopefully the lamp will be safe, and the flame won’t go out again,” said Nora. 

“Whoa, this is so cool!” exclaimed Devon.  “Let’s make one of our own,” said Silva.  “Yes, let’s light up our village,” urged Nora. 

The news of the lamp in front of Nora’s house began to spread. A lot of people were interested in following in Nora’s footsteps. Soon, lamp poles were erected in front of several houses in the village.

Now, the streets in Nora’s village weren’t as dark. Even though there was no electricity, the lamps lit up all the paths and made the night much brighter.