In this area, the lights never come on, there are no visitors, and it's always dead silent. The houses stand empty without residents, and no one wants to buy a home here.
Twelve-year-old Luke Campbell suffers from loneliness - he has no friends, an...
Winter in the town arrived swiftly and imperceptibly, so much so that no one even noticed — snow was a rare occurrence here, so December, January, and February felt more like autumn months. As the days grew shorter and the nights longer, a barely visible transformation began. The once clear blue sky took on a muted, grayish shade, and the bare trees stood as silent reminders to the changing season. But absolutely no snow.
The Campbells' house was full of relatives on Christmas. The dining table was set with a holiday-themed tablecloth and some small decorative snowmen. The house feels cozy, filled with the scent of pine and cinnamon, making it a welcoming holiday space. Inside, the living room was decorated with a big Christmas tree, covered with shiny baubles and colorful lights. The fireplace has stockings hanging from it and small lanterns were sticked on either side of the doors, adding a warm glow. The outside was adorned with strings of colorful lights that shone brightly.
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A major advantage of the vacation was that it was a great opportunity to enjoy the absence of idiots around. Luke didn’t particularly need new experiences or impressive emotions — just peace would be enough. And also to be alone with himself. That's very necessary sometimes.
However, solitude brings pleasure only until it becomes excessive. Then it becomes tedious and a heavy burden that's extremely difficult to shake off alone — help becomes essential, but it's nowhere to be found.
From time to time, Luke would look out the window and notice the local children enjoying themselves from afar. And in those rare moments when it snowed, they even built snowmen, had snowball fights, or went sledding — in a nutshell, everything Luke was unjustly deprived of. Childhood isn’t just about age. Who needs youth where almost nothing good happened?
For some time, the boy continued to visit Dark Lanterns Lane desperately, going inside the house and hoping for a miracle. Then he decided to go there once every two days, then once a week, and eventually he stopped completely. Hope dies last, but even it came to an end. It is futile to hope for something that has no chance to happen at all.
Thus, Luke spent his winter break in the cozy circle of family and surrounded by books, which had become his best and only friends at that time. Of course, they could not completely replace Aliya, but it was still better than nothing.
Nevertheless, the boy's desire to visit his friend and wish her a Merry Christmas, as well as to draw a greeting card and prepare a nice holiday gift, never disappeared. Unfortunately, not all dreams are destined to come true, even the most simple and ordinary ones.
