Sanctuary - The Lantern Keepers Tale

Elena picks up her shawl, draping it around her shoulders. Her gray braid hangs down her back to her waist. Her gnarled fingers pick up her walking stick. Approaching a lantern above the fireplace, she holds the stick in the flame and the wood flares with light.
She hobbles out of the cottage, closing the door lightly behind her. Humming a warm tune as the sun begins to set, she walks a familiar path, lighting lanterns that hang above. Each light brings into view the empty cottages, overgrown flowerbeds, and empty gardens of the place she calls home. Her ears recall the laughter of children, the whispers of women, and the call of men as those who filled the space loved to laugh and live.
It is all quiet now. Each abode empty and dark within.
A stranger, walking along the path on his journey to somewhere marks the old woman and watches her diligently, reverently, light each lantern with care. He sees the decaying buildings, the unkept lawns and lanes. Softly, he approaches her.
“Why do you light the path? There is no one here.”
Elena stops and smiles at him, her face wrinkled and kind. Soft mossy eyes spark with golden light as she leans close and says without preamble. “You’re here.”
“I’m just passing through,” He mutters, scratching his chest with dirty fingers. “The light won’t help me for long.”
“Ah…” She looks around at the empty town, “I remember everyone who’s ever lived here. People come and people go. Sometimes the cottages shimmer with golden light, filling the forest with love and laughter, but life is fleeting and time marches on. For a time, here, they find peace.”
“So why bother lighting the lanterns?” the stranger waves his hand at the nearest light. “If no one stays, what’s the point?”
Elena smiles. Turning her back, she looks at the tiny village tucked against the forest in the falling twilight. “Because this isn’t just home… It is sanctuary.” She turns to face him. “Any who need a resting place can come and sit awhile. Light a candle and find a spark of love in the night. A safe place to rest.”
The man’s lips soften as he watches her. “What happens when you die, and the lights are no longer lit?”
She looks at him with warmth in her smile, her face lighting up like a flame. “Then someone will take my place. It is the way things work. Light keepers are everywhere though we rarely see them. They don’t shout or call attention to themselves… they just light the lanterns at twilight and let God do the rest. He knows who the seekers are. He knows who needs rest. All we do is light the path for those who are looking for home.”
Turning, she points to the far end of the path, the man follows her gaze. A small group of three, a man, woman, and child, carrying large bundles approach one cottage gate and look at the dilapidated building. A light flares in the window. They smile, the child jumps up and down and then opens the gate. As the family approaches the door, the flowers bloom, the cottage begins to glow with warmth.
“See,” Elena smiles, “someone seeking rest and Him. They will grow and love and laugh in this peaceful place until their time has passed.”
The man’s eyes are wide, “How did you know they would be coming?”
“I didn’t…” Elana whispers, chuckling as she moves her staff from one hand to the other. “It is not my place to know, only to light the lanterns.” 
The stranger shakes his head.
“You are welcome to stay,” Elana invites. “There are beds and fires to spare.”
He seems to consider her request for a time, then looks down at his feet. “Not now…” he murmurs, “But I thank you. And maybe in a while… I’ll come back. I have things I must do.”
Elana nods. “I see… “she takes a deep breath and straightens her old frame as best she can. “Well, I must continue. Please be safe out there and I pray you find this path again.”
The stranger watches her as Elena moves down the path humming a happy little tune. She nears the next lantern and touches it with her staff and the light flares into being. Another house in disrepair appears inside a little wooden fence. He hoists his pack onto his back and moves on, reassuring himself he will come back after a time. But he never found his way again.

RebeccaRuth 2025