Word: Lantern
Genre: Mystery

Sidewalks in Chengdu are cold, especially when you are flat on your back on one, dressed in a silk robe, drenched in rice wine, feeling the sting of the lovely Jingyi’s slap, and regretting your life choices.

“That’s for my sister!” Jingyi screams at me.

Which one was the sister? The fog of eight shots of baijiu that led to my current predicament aren’t helping. The short one? 

She storms away, and I take a deep breath. Above me the yellow glowing lantern shaped like a chicken gazes down at me with the characteristic disinterest of an actual chicken, and I smile.

I love the lantern festival.

—

This is a part of my Daily Writing Challenge, where I write a short story inspired by a single word and genre prompt each day. The goal is to rekindle my creativity and try to reignite the storytelling embers.