Where the Lanterns Go

In a seaside town, a lantern arrives each evening carrying a letter from someone who has vanished.

A light across the water

Every evening at six, someone lit a lantern on the empty pier.

No one admitted to doing it. The harbour master blamed the children. The children blamed the wind. Lucia, who repaired clocks for a living and disliked explanations that could not be taken apart, decided to wait.

She arrived at five with a flask of coffee and her father's coat. By half past, the fishing boats had come home. By a quarter to six, the gulls had settled on the roofs. At six exactly, the lantern was there.

She had not seen anyone put it down.

Inside its paper shade was a folded letter. The handwriting belonged to her brother, who had disappeared three summers ago.

Lucia read it twice. Then a third time, very slowly.

Do not fix the clock in the square. Not yet.

Across the water, another lantern flickered into life.

An illustrative excerpt written for TaleFinch. Continue it in your own words.