The Exchange

In a foggy bayou town, locals strictly forbid their children from approaching the water at twilight. Yet, once a year, they force every child to participate in a ceremony, releasing floating lights into the swamp. A visiting boy, unaware of the curfew, sneaked down to the docks one evening. He returned with a raging fever, deliriously whispering about a 'wet lady in a red dress.' Three days later, he vanished from his locked room. Searchers found his muddy sneakers on the dock, placed neatly beside a rotting, antique red lantern that looked like it had been underwater for decades.