Vela's Lantern

What is Vela’s lantern?

Vela’s lantern holds a piece of a star. It glows warm and gold, and it goes everywhere Vela goes.

Columba says the lantern chose Vela. In Vela’s hands, it settles down, warm and low.

Why must it be kept low?

The places Vela visits only exist in the dark. When the lantern burns too bright, they start to fade, like a drawing being rubbed out.

So the lantern must always be kept low and gentle. At the end of every story, someone says it: “Keep the light low, Vela. Keep it low.”

Who else has held it?

The Crow wanted its light more than anything. He tried to turn it as bright as it would go, more than once. In the end, he held it himself and turned it all the way down.

Try this tonight

Turn the lights in your room down low. Is there one small light you can keep on, like Vela’s lantern?