Lantern Festival

The rush hour began. Both of them enthusiastically sold tangyauns forgetting all their pain and fatigue in order to win the competition.

Maple began shouting on top of her lungs to pull people to their tangyaun stall. Jasmine watching Maple also began shouting to attract customers. In no time, it became a competition of attracting more customers to their stall between both of them. Because of the internal competition, they sold all tangyauns in half an hour. Seeing their outstanding results, other stall members also applied their tactics to bring in customers.

Maple and Jasmine, on the other hand were sitting on stools, there hands and legs spread out, huffing and puffing. They were utterly exhausted from all shouting.

Jasmine pulling all her stregth together said: My shouting skills are just at a different level. I can win a gold medal if only it was an olymic game.

Maple: You should like a crow. Plus is it something to be proud of?

Jasmine: Your shouting sounds like a pregnant cow. Moreover, shouting helps improve lungs. That's why in military they make you shout and sing to improve your lung capacity of intaking oxygen.

Maple: Ohh!! I never knew that. Anyway let me take you to enjoy the lantern festival.

Maple stood up from her stool and pulled Jasmine up from her stool. She began to walk in the middle of the street exploring latern festival stalls on both sides of the street with Jasmine.

Maple: People set up all kinds of lantern stalls. Look there are people who set up traditional style of lanterns stall and modern Led style lanterns. Both type of lantern styles display their unique and spectacular craftsmanship.

Jasmine: Yes, they all look so beautiful. Especially that rabbit lantern.

Maple: Let's go to that stall then.

Maple and Jasmine went to the stall that had the rabbit lantern that had caught Jasmins' eyes.

Maple: Hello Sir!!

Shopkeeper: Hello Dear Customer! Do you have a lantern that caught your eyes yet?

Maple: Yes sir. I would like to buy that rabbit lantern.

Maple pointed her right hand's index finger to the hanging rabbit lantern on top of the shopkeeper's head.

Shopkeeper: hmm...you will have to solve the lantern riddle written on that particular lantern. Also to participate, you have to pay an entry fee of 50 yen. Plus if you want to get an additional lantern than you pay 10 yen more.

Maple: Alright. So, 50 yen flat fee for 1 lantern and to get additional lantern you pay 10 yen. Sounds good.

Shopkeeper: However, if you can't solve the riddle than you will lose your money because there is no refund.

Maple: Huh!!!! That is so unfair. So, I can't give up. Here. Take this 50 yen and let us try solving that rabbit riddle.

The shopkeeper took the money and handed the riddle to Jasmine and Maple. The riddle read, "I am not alive, but I grow. I don't have lungs, but I need air. I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. Who am I?"

Maple: Not alive means its a non living thing.

Jasmine: Trees are living beings, so they can be considered alive. But, the fruits or vegetables that grow on trees are not alive but they grow from the tree.

Maple: something that needs air but is definitely not human because they have lungs. If we are considering fruits or vegetables, technically a tree needs carbon dioxide from the air to make its food through the process of photosynthesis. Throught these nutrients that the tree gets, the fruits come. So, fruits technically need air.

Jasmine: hmm...might be a little far fetched. The main point is water kills it. But, water is also an important part in growth of fruits and vegetables.

Maple: Ahh!!! You are right!! Then if we find something that is killed by water, we might be able to meet other conditions?

Jasmine: Yesss!!! Yess!!! You are a genius. Water's enemy is fire. And fire needs oxygen to keep going, which means it needs air. But, it doesn't have lungs to intake the air. Also, fire doesn't have a specific opening from which water needs to enter.

Jasmine: Shopkeeper sir! Fire is the answer to this puzzle.

Maple: huh..Am I a genius?? Oh, Yess! Yess! Of course I am a genius. Ha...Ha..Haaa

Shopkeeper was bewildered because Jasmine came up with the answer but Maple was taking its credit, how strange. But, shopkeeper didn't say anything and passed the lantern to Jasmine.

Shopkeeper: Would you like to play again to get another lantern??

Maple: No, Thank you sir. But, may I borrow a pen.

Shopkeeper: Yes, ofcourse. The pen is on the corner.

Maple turned to Jasmine and said: Write your wish on the lantern.

Jasmine took the pen from Maple's hand and wrote a wish on the lantern after pondering over it for a while. She then turned to Maple and offered her the pen to write the wish on the other side of the lantern. Maple hesitated.

Maple: It is your wish lantern. I should probably not interfere.

Jasmine: Its alright. We solved the puzzle together as a team. So, it is only natural both of us reap the rewards.

Maple took the pen from Jasmine's hand without hesitation this time and wrote her wish.

Jasmine peeked at what Maple's wish was and was astonished when she saw it: Please God! Don't let anyone in the office discover that I am a minor and only 14 yrs. Old. Jasmine was actually 19yrs. Old this year. So, she was an adult. Jasmine just chuckled and didn't dwell on it further. Maple didn't notice that Jasmine had already seen her wish and her little secret was exposed. While still in unknown, Maple turned to peek at Jasmine's wish. However, Jasmine was quick enough to hide it. Maple puffed her cheeks in annoyment.

Maple angrily turned to Jasmine and said, "Let's go and fly the lantern. So many lanterns are already in the sky. We should get our lantern in the sky also".

They both took the lantern to the nearby river bank which was temperorily converted into a launching site for lanterns. They both lifted their side of the lantern and released it in the sky.

Maple: May both of our wishes come true.

Later, she took Jasmine to a best viewing platform to view the spectacular scene of lanterns filling the sky.

Jasmine: Wooowwww!! This is the first time I saw a sight like this. This is truly amazinng.

Maple didn't repond and only watched lanterns flying away in distance. It reminded Maple of how your dreams just keeps flying away and if you want them to come true, you should have the courage to fly to catch up to them. Her eyes twinkled with determination.

Jasmine turned to face Maple and caught her twinkling eyes, and her will strengthened as well.