So the lantern man isn’t technically a man with a lantern, like you might think but rather atmospheric ghostly lights which appear to people who whistle. Unlike a lantern it does not end well. They do not cast a light to keep you safe on a path but rather it takes a sinister route.
The lights will appear and if you dare to follow them, entranced by their magical pull, a humanoid creature, which is a spirit himself, will draw you further in. He will take you into the reeds and eventually your death in the murky waters below.
If you see these spirit lights… Run!
There is another way to evade them according to lore.
There was once a fisherman who decided to stay late as the fish were jumping into his net. He was hauling in his latest catch with a whistle on the lips when a lantern first appeared to him. Frightened that the lantern man was out to get him, he lay flat on his stomach on the grassy verge near the river and waited to see what happened.
The spirit not finding the fisherman or where the sound of whistling came from disappeared into the night, almost as quickly as it had appeared. The fisherman with his heart beating wildly could not believe his luck and hurried home to recount the tale to the village.
So if you see the lights, it might be best to turn and run the other way or do like the fisherman did and lay flat on your stomach and hope the lantern man doesn’t see you.
Happy reading,
S.McC.
P.s Links to my books.
Sconnie Books 