The Lantern of Unasked Questions

A wanderer carried a lantern that emitted no light. For years he walked through deserts and forests guided by moon and intuition alone. One night, burdened by a question he had been afraid to face, he whispered it into the darkness. The lantern flickered. Encouraged, he whispered another. With each unasked question spoken aloud, the lantern grew brighter until it cast a warm, golden glow ahead of him. Travelers later wrote that the lantern wasn’t fueled by fire or oil, but by honesty — the kind we save for the moments we believe no one will hear.