The Lantern of Ash Vale

Hi ,

Long ago, in the quiet valley of Ash Vale, the elders told of a single lantern that kept the village safe. They said as long as its flame burned, no harm could cross the hills. Each month, a different villager was chosen to keep it lit, and with that honor came the promise: “The light is yours, and yours alone to guard.”

One season, the keeper was a young man named Corren. He was strong and quick, but his thoughts often wandered. The first nights, he kept the lantern close, trimming the wick, shielding it from wind. But as days passed, he began leaving it outside his door while he visited friends or took long walks by the river.

One afternoon, clouds rolled over the valley, and the wind came howling through the pass. The lantern’s flame trembled, then died. Corren returned to find it cold.

Panic spread when night fell. The villagers rushed to relight the flame, but without the original fire, the lantern gave no warmth, no glow. The old tales proved true—shadows crept in from the hills, taking the form of every fear the villagers had tried to keep away.

In the morning, the elders gathered. They did not shout. They only said, “It was your lantern, Corren. No one else’s hands could hold it for you. The light is not lost because of chance. It is lost because you thought another might keep it burning for you.”

From that day, each keeper of the lantern carved these words into the base before their turn ended: No one will guard your flame but


Many blessings,