• It was a dark and mysterious night when my sister introduced The Lantern Man to me and my younger brother, Jonathan. She led us into that enormous, frightful mouth belonging to the wild wild woods. She led us further away from home, our safe sanctuary. It seemed to suck us in further, ready to swallow us from the face of the earth. It frightened me terribly, but I knew my sister would protect us. I trust her with my life.

    As we settled down into that cold moist building, with nothing but blankets and candles to warm us, my sister sat in front of us looking frightful and wary. She finally spoke, “I’ve wanted to tell you guys something for quite some time now…I’ve just been scared to.” We sat there silently, glancing around the dark room at the tiniest noises waiting for something to jump out. After a slight pause she began again, “You guys are in danger. You see…every night, including this night, The Lantern Man comes for you.” Shocked and doubtful I asked in a small voice, “but, why?” I had so much to question, but yet I couldn’t force them out of my dry mouth. “He takes his revenge out on innocent children….no one knows why exactly. Every night you have to set out some food and a glass of water. And if you don’t, he kills you in your sleep.” My sister said, looking at me and my brother with huge, terrified eyes. I could tell she was afraid for us. She loved us. And with those eyes, I had no choice but to believe what she was telling us was true. But there was one thing that didn’t make sense, so I managed to ask, “We haven’t been setting out food and water, and we’re still here.” She told me, “That’s because I’ve been setting it out for you, and he doesn’t know that. If he ever found out…” She gulped and took a long shaky breath and turned to a whisper. “If he ever found out, he’d probably kill our whole family.” She gagged, scrunched her watering eyes, and covered her mouth. Was she crying? I felt the panic rise up in my chest. Seeing her this way crushed me and I too began to feel my throat burn; ready to cry. My sister saw this and immediately grabbed me into a hug. She began again with broken gasps trying to catch her breath, “Don’t worry Kayla,” she grabbed my brother into that hug, “If we all start doing this together, he’ll never find out.”

    So eventually we had to go to sleep that night. My sister chaperoned us to our house which was only a few feet away from that back building. We refused to go by ourselves. As I lay in bed, with the covers over my head and a stuffed animal to cuddle, I was tormented all night long with the thought of this Lantern Man. Tears silently dripped sideways off my cheeck down to my pillow. I loved my mother, father, sister, and brothers. I couldn’t bear to lose them to this horrible man. With an aching head and red puffy eyes, I eventually fell asleep.

    The next morning I was awoken by my sister poking me in my
    shoulder. “There’s something I want to show you.” She said with eagerness. I shot up out of bed, and we went to get my younger brother. She led us both out of the house into the warm summer day, and way back into the wild wild woods; which were safe to explore in the daylight. “Look!” She demanded us, pointing to a half eaten grapefruit and a half empty water glass. I looked at her with surprise. That was it; this evidence confirmed all measure of doubt. The Lantern Man had been here.


    As of today I’m grateful I have those memories as a child, even though it may have seemed cruel to frighten a toddler as young as my brother and I were, like she did. My sister was full of imaginative genius, and she made everyday like no other. I can’t once remember ever being bored as a child. My sister was the light of my childhood. It was as if she craved to scare the burgesses out of us. She’s always loved the horror genre, and that has rubbed off on me. This Lantern Man story was just one of many. I’ve always dreamed of having that kind of creativity, and that is why she is my childhood hero.