Comic Story
Panel 1
The morning air bites, just like Grandpa used to tease. "Gotta be tougher than the wind, Rohan!" he'd say, ruffling my hair.
Panel 2
He's not here to say it anymore. Just the wind, whistling past the faded paint on our gate.
Panel 3
These lanterns... Grandpa made them for the festival. Said each one held a little piece of our family's joy.
Panel 4
Now they just feel heavy. Like carrying all the stories he won't tell me.
Panel 5
Mrs. Das always offers me sweets. Says I look just like Grandpa did when he was my age. I wish she wouldn't.
Panel 6
"He was a good man, Rohan. Don't you forget that." Her words are kind, but they sting. Like salt in a wound.
Panel 7
At school, the kids are already playing. Their laughter echoes in the empty playground. It feels... distant.
Panel 8
I see him. Grandpa. Sitting on the old swing set, just like he used to when he'd pick me up.
Panel 9
He smiles, the same crinkled smile that always chased away the monsters under my bed.
Panel 10
"Don't carry the weight, Rohan," he whispers, his voice like the rustle of autumn leaves. "Carry the light."
Panel 11
I remember the matches in my pocket. Grandpa always said, "Even the smallest spark can chase away the darkest night."
Panel 12
The lantern flickers to life, casting dancing shadows on the ground. It doesn't erase the sadness, but it makes it... bearable.
Panel 13
Maybe Grandpa was right. Maybe these lanterns aren't just about remembering the past. Maybe they're about carrying the light forward.