Spotlight: Lantern: The Complete Collection by Chess Desalls
/
The story of every lantern is unique, just like yours and mine.
This collection includes all three novellas, Lantern, Beacon, and Torch.
Tori discovers a lantern that shines for her and nobody else. Is it a ghost or a living being that must be set free?
Serah unseals a globe made of Celestial Glass. Does success bring her happiness or create more trouble than it's worth?
Evelyn meets Graham after attending a party where a lantern burns out. Who lights the way to pull the other through?
Experience three different stories, all with a connection to a mysterious lamp maker.
Excerpt
Tori slipped the phone in her pocket and looked up. It was a clear night with a round moon and a sky full of stars. The glow of light brightened as she neared the lantern.
She stopped about a foot away from the pole and shined her flashlight at its base. Unsure whether she felt more relieved or terrified that she didn’t see a pair of shoes and legs, she circled the pole to make sure no one was behind the lantern.
“No one’s shining a flashlight through it, so I can check that off my list. Now what?”
Tori stopped to think. She reached up to hold the lantern in her hands and took a look inside. Once again, condensation from the inside of the globe blocked her view. The glass felt smooth and cool between her fingers.
“Well, Lantern,” she said, “explain yourself. How come you’re out here all alone? And where does your light come from?”
Tori breathed through several beats of silence.
A dot appeared on the left side of the glass as if some of the condensation had melted away. The dot stretched to the right, and then turned back on itself and reached downward, forming the letter T.
Tori’s breath hitched. Her hands sprang free from the glass. Too scared to resume breathing, she watched, mesmerized as another dot appeared, then five more, each forming another letter until the globe of the lantern spelled out a message:
Too Loud
“What?”
The lantern dimmed, and then brightened, as if accentuating its point.
Tori swallowed a lump in her throat. The words looked like they were written by a child, wavy and shaky, like someone forced to write backwards.
Okay, don’t freak out. Lantern hasn’t hurt me; there’s no one else here. Too loud? Maybe it means me—I guess I’m shouting right at it.
“What are you trying to tell me, Lantern?” she whispered. “Are you a ghost?”
Another dot disappeared from the condensation below the T and formed the letter N, followed by more dotting and stretching until a second message appeared:
No I’m Jared
Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble
About the Author
Chess Desalls is the author of award-winning young adult fiction. Her nonfiction writing has been included in academic and industry publications, with a focus on law and technology. She's also a contributing editor for WritersTalk, South Bay Writers' monthly newsletter. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys traveling and trying to stay in tune on her flute.
Sign up for Chess's newsletter to receive updates on giveaways and new releases.
