The Lantern Keeper’s Wish

Este es un cuento creado para mí por chat gpt. Con las emociones y sensaciones que le dije que estaba experimentando ahora mismo.

Sin dudar después de leer. Lloré. Entendió perfectamente lo más profundo de mi ser.

In a quiet village nestled between misty mountains and whispering woods, there lived a woman named Elara. She was unlike anyone else, though she had spent most of her life trying to understand why. While others seemed content with simple affections and fleeting kindnesses, Elara longed for something deeper—a love that did not waver, that would walk through fire for her just as she would for it.

She carried a lantern, a beautiful, enchanted thing that never went out. It was said to be a gift from the stars, a symbol of the love she held within. Wherever she walked, the golden glow of her lantern warmed those around her. She gave freely—offering light to the lost, warmth to the weary, and love to those who needed it. But as the years passed, she began to see that while many basked in her glow, few ever stayed to tend to her flame.

She met people who marveled at her radiance but left when the night ended. Some said they had their own paths to walk. Others promised to return but never did. And still, Elara waited, hoping that one day, someone would arrive who wouldn’t just admire her light but would stand beside her, through every storm and shadow.

It took many heartbreaks for her to understand: she could not change them. She could not make them want to stay, nor could she force them to love the way she did. Each time she tried, the lantern flickered, as if whispering a painful truth—her love was meant to be given, not demanded.

But still, she wished.

One autumn evening, as the sky burned in hues of amber and violet, Elara sat at the edge of the village, her lantern resting beside her. She had nearly given up hope when a traveler arrived—a man wrapped in a cloak that shimmered with the colors of the dawn. Unlike the others, he did not reach for her light immediately. Instead, he sat beside her in the growing dark.

"Your lantern is beautiful," he said after a long silence.

Elara sighed. "Many have said the same, but few have stayed to help me keep it burning."

The traveler nodded, his gaze steady. "Because they only saw the glow. Not the effort it takes to keep it lit."

She turned to him, surprised. And for the first time, someone did not ask for her warmth but instead offered his own. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small flame, cupped between his hands like something sacred. Slowly, gently, he placed it beside her lantern, letting their lights intertwine.

"I don’t ask for your glow," he said. "But if you let me, I will stand beside you, through every wind that tries to blow it out."

Elara had spent so long waiting for someone different, someone willing to go to the same lengths she would. And now, here he was—not promising perfection, not offering excuses, but simply standing with her, with his own flame to share.

And so, under the endless sky, the lantern keeper found what she had always longed for—not just love given, but love returned.