The Long Table at the Lantern Festival

Kasia arrived in the old town on festival night. She came alone. She did not know the language. Her phone had no battery.

The streets were full of people. Paper lanterns hung from every window. They were red, gold, and white. Music played from a small stage. The air smelled of fried food.

A very long table stood in the square. Hundreds of people sat at it. A woman in an apron pointed at an empty chair. "Sit, sit," she said in simple English. "Eat."

Kasia sat down. A man sat in the chair next to hers. He had a camera and a kind face. He spoke to her. She did not know the words. She shook her head and smiled.

"Sorry," she said. "I do not understand."

The man laughed. "Me too," he said in English. "I do not understand anyone here."

"You speak English," said Kasia.

"A little. My name is Leandro. I am from far away."

"I am Kasia."

A boy brought two big bowls of noodles. The noodles were hot, and the soup was red. Kasia took one bite and her eyes filled with water.

"It is very hot," she said.

Leandro tried his. He went red in the face. He drank a whole glass of water. Kasia laughed. She could not hold her spoon.

An old man across the table watched them. He said a word and pointed at their bowls. Then he pointed at a plate of white bread. He pushed the plate toward them.

"Bread," said Leandro. "It stops the fire."

"Thank you," said Kasia. She put a small piece in her mouth. It helped a lot.

The old man smiled and said a word again. This time Kasia repeated it. The old man laughed and clapped. Soon five people at the table taught her words. She learned "thank you," "very good," and "moon." Leandro learned "friend."

"Friend," he said. "This one is easy."

The bowls were empty. A girl came with a tray of lanterns. Each one was small and white. A thin pen lay next to each one.

"For wishes," said the woman in the apron. "Write a wish. Then we send it up."

Kasia looked at the white paper. She did not know what to write. She looked at Leandro. He held his pen over the paper.

"What do you write?" she asked.

"I cannot tell you," he said. "A wish is a secret."

"Then I write mine, and you cannot see."

They bent over their lanterns. Kasia wrote three words and covered them with her hand. Leandro wrote a longer line. Then they both stopped and looked at each other.

The whole square walked to the river. A man lit each lantern with a small flame. One by one, the lanterns rose into the dark sky. They were soft golden dots that went higher and higher. Hundreds of them floated over the river.

Kasia held her lantern with both hands. It was warm. "Ready?" said Leandro. They counted together, "One, two, three," and let go.

Their lanterns rose side by side. For a long time, they stayed close. Then the wind took one a little to the left.

"Mine goes away," said Kasia.

"No," said Leandro. "Look. It comes back."

She watched. It was true. Her lantern came back toward his. The two lights flew up together.

Kasia turned to him. "Leandro, I have no battery in my phone," she said. "Can you take my photo?"

He lifted his camera. She stood by the river. The sky was golden behind her.

"Say 'friend,'" said Leandro, and he pressed the button.