The Christmas Lantern — Version for children aged 13 to 15 years
The Christmas Lantern — Version for children aged 13 to 15 years December slowed the town of San Jacinto. Not because of the lights, but because people seemed more aware of one another. The lantern in the square had been restored that year. Anyone could place a wish inside—no names, no explanations. Luna stood in line with her grandmother, watching impatience ripple through the crowd. She felt it too. The cold, the waiting, the quiet pressure to move faster. Ahead of her, a younger child struggled to write. The pencil scratched faintly. A pause stretched longer than expected. Luna considered stepping forward. It would be easy. Instead, she stayed where she was. She handed over her pencil and held the silence. The child wrote slowly, carefully, as if time itself had softened. When the lantern lit up, the light didn’t promise anything extraordinary. It simply stayed on. Luna understood that some gestures don’t shine loudly—but they remain.