The Lantern of Dread

The legend of the old miner’s lantern was one everyone in town knew, but no one dared to test. They said that if you took the lantern from Blackstone Mine and lit it, the dead would rise to claim their lost light.

For Danny and his friends, it was exactly the kind of thrill they needed on Halloween night.

“Come on, it’s just a stupid story,” Danny said as they crept into the abandoned mine. His flashlight barely pierced the suffocating darkness.

“Stupid or not, people say no one who lights that lantern ever comes back,” Sarah whispered, clutching her coat tightly.

“People also say Bigfoot lives in the woods,” Danny shot back. “Relax.”

Behind them, Jake chuckled nervously. “Let’s grab the lantern, light it for a second, and get out. No big deal.”

The air grew colder as they descended deeper into the mine. The walls seemed to close in, the faint sound of dripping water echoing in the tunnels.

Finally, they reached the main chamber. There, hanging from a rusted hook, was the lantern. Its glass was cracked, and the metal was blackened with soot, but it still held a strange, menacing allure.

“There it is,” Danny said, stepping forward.

“Don’t,” Sarah said, her voice urgent.

Danny ignored her. He pulled the lantern from the hook, his fingers brushing against the cold, damp metal. For a moment, the mine seemed to exhale, a low, guttural sigh that sent shivers down their spines.

“Did you hear that?” Jake asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s just the wind,” Danny said, though his own voice wavered.

He struck a match and held it to the wick. The lantern flickered to life, casting an eerie, golden glow across the chamber.

Nothing happened.

“See? Just a dumb story,” Danny said, turning to grin at his friends.

Then the shadows began to move.

“Turn it off,” Sarah said, her voice trembling.

The shadows stretched and twisted, peeling away from the walls. They took shape—tall, gaunt figures with hollow eyes and mouths that gaped in silent screams.

“Turn it off!” Sarah screamed.

Danny fumbled with the lantern, his hands shaking. But the flame wouldn’t extinguish.

The figures stepped closer, their movements slow and deliberate. Their hollow eyes locked on the lantern, and their skeletal hands reached forward.

“What do we do?” Jake yelled, backing away.

“Give it to them!” Sarah cried.

Danny hesitated, then thrust the lantern toward the figures. “Take it! Just take it!”

The shadows paused. One of them reached out, its bony fingers closing around the lantern.

For a moment, everything was still. Then the figures dissolved into smoke, the lantern falling to the ground with a dull clang.

The mine fell silent.

“Let’s get out of here,” Sarah said, her voice shaking.

As they fled, Danny glanced back. The lantern was no longer on the ground. It hung from its hook, burning with a pale, cold light.

The next day, the sheriff found three sets of footprints leading into the mine. None came out.