The Ashley Harms Collection: Circa 2016-2018

Lantern.

Prompt: Write a story based off of a picture of your choosing. In this one, I chose a picture with a bunch of floating lanterns, but I've lost the picture since then

...

From a distance away, it may seem as if the night is brightened by millions upon millions of stars. Each star coexists with the other to form intricate sketches for the Gods above. The crowd stands below, hypnotized, watching their wishes and prayers dance with the clouds. You would love it. I can almost imagine your figure dancing along to the driftless rhythms as the lights climb higher towards you.

We used to play in this same field as children. The way the sun reflected off of the porcelain of your skin made you look even more beautiful, if that was even possible. On the rainy days, we would hide between the canopy of trees, dodging branches and weaving through the silky, green brush. Our favorite game was evading the inevitable calls of our mother as daylight glides into the dusk of night. "There's always tomorrow," you would say to me, your eyes twinkling with joy.

The world embraced you with open arms, even as a baby. There was just a spark in you that ignited and brought light to people who've lived in darkness for far too long. Perhaps that's why these stars mean so much to me. A piece of you lives and blossoms in each flickering flame, and I refuse to envision how dark the sky will be once the light burns out.

I deeply regret the nights where I didn't say I love you enough, didn't tell you how important you were to me. I'm sorry for pushing you down the stairs as kids, I'm sorry for constantly stealing your lunch money, but most of all I'm sorry for not saving you in time. I wish every night for a different outcome, and I now do the same among these stars. Goodbye. I'll see you soon.