The Lantern of Lost Footsteps

A wandering girl found a lantern said to reveal where someone had walked before. When she lit it, glowing footprints appeared—sometimes human, sometimes animal, sometimes ancient. She followed them across deserts, forests, and ruins, learning that every path held a story. One evening, she saw glowing steps circling back toward her starting point. She realized the lantern wasn’t guiding her to others—it was guiding her to understand her own journey. She returned home, lantern in hand, leaving her own bright footprints for the next traveler.