Elf Story: The Old Elf and His Old Lantern
In the southernmost part of the Elf Castle lies a cluster of old houses, forming a run-down district. The buildings are crowded together, with narrow, winding alleys crisscrossing the area. Many elves come and go in this part of the castle.
Among the scenery to the south, the most distinctive sight is an old, tall building—the tallest in the area. At the top of this old building sits a lantern, and atop the lantern, an old elf silently watches the houses below, the alleys, and the bustling elves moving about.
This old elf is the oldest living being in Elf Castle. He is incredibly old—his hair has turned white, his face is wrinkled, his back is hunched, and his eyesight is failing. He doesn’t talk much. The old elf’s lantern has been with him since he was a child, and he has used it ever since. As a result, the lantern is also very old. It has become blackened with age, can barely fly, and its light is dim, not as bright as it once was. Sometimes, the lantern doesn’t have enough magic left to keep its flame burning. Like the old elf, the lantern occasionally falls into a state of lethargy. When the old elf dozes off while sitting, the lantern’s flame quietly extinguishes.
The elves don’t quite remember when the old elf and his lantern first began appearing atop the old building, nor do they understand why he does so. No one has ever asked him why, and the old elf has never offered an explanation.
Every evening at dusk, the old elf leaves his home and slowly flies to the top of the old building. His old lantern follows him slowly. The old elf is so old that he flies very slowly, and the lantern, also aged, flies slowly as well. When the old elf finally reaches the rooftop, he is so tired that he needs to sit down and rest. The old lantern, upon finally reaching the rooftop, is too tired to light up immediately. Once the old elf has rested enough and regained his strength, he flies to the handle of the lantern and sits down. The old elf and his old lantern sit on that rooftop all night long. As the sky brightens and the sun begins to rise, the old elf takes his lantern and slowly flies back home.
Day after day, the old elf brings his old lantern to the rooftop at dusk, sitting quietly through the night before slowly flying back home just before sunrise.
Some elves believe that the old elf is simply fond of the night view of the castle and enjoys it with his lantern. Some curious elves have even flown to the rooftop to join him in watching the cityscape, but they couldn’t see anything particularly beautiful. All they saw was a dilapidated, chaotic old town with many elves wandering and flying about. Especially at night, the view was so dim that it was difficult to make out anything clearly.
The elves whispered among themselves, wondering why the old elf persisted in bringing his lantern to the rooftop to watch the castle.
Eventually, some elves speculated that the old elf was lonely, and so was his lantern. They thought that he spent his time sitting there because he was nearing the end of his life. As his body would soon fade and return to nature, he couldn’t bear to waste what little time he had left by sleeping at home. He must have a deep sense of attachment and nostalgia for the castle where he had lived for so long. With this in mind, the elves felt sympathy for the old elf, who had only his lantern for company.
Some kind-hearted elves went to sit beside him on the lantern. Though his eyesight was failing, making it difficult for him to recognize anyone, he would smile at each elf who came to visit and offer them the same advice: “It’s dark, and the road is hard to see. But don’t worry, my lantern will light the way for you.”
It turned out that the old elf was concerned about the other elves struggling to find their way at night, so he brought his lantern to the rooftop to light the path for everyone.
In the days that followed, the old elf continued to bring his lantern to the rooftop to light the way for others.
Later, he started staying there not just at night but during the day as well. Because his eyesight had deteriorated so much, he could no longer see clearly even during the day and thus treated daylight as if it were nighttime.
The old lantern’s energy also waned, just like the old elf. It could no longer light up. The old elf, however, was unaware of this and believed that his lantern was still shining. Sometimes, when he caught a glimpse of sunlight, he mistook it for the light from his lantern. He would smile at this illusion of brilliant light. His smile was radiant like a flower in the sunlight, and then, bit by bit, he faded away, vanishing. The old lantern also quietly faded and disappeared.
…
From then on, the old elf and his lantern were never seen atop the old building again.
However, in the hearts of every elf, the old elf and his lantern remained, and the old lantern’s warm light continued to shine brightly, forever.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
