After Boyfriend Let Sweetheart Release Lanterns, They Regretted Madly

1: 1

On a Labor Day weekend road trip to a century-old mountain village, my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart decided that, to pray for every stray animal in the world, she absolutely had to release nine hundred and ninety-nine sky lanterns.

I looked at the century-old timber buildings crowded all around us, every one of them tinder, and snatched the lighter out of her hand.

"You send those up and you're setting the whole mountain on fire. Are you trying to get everyone in this village killed?!"

Carmen Fox dissolved into wounded tears and threw herself into my boyfriend's arms.

"Poor little animals are suffering, and all you care about is these cold, ugly old houses. Do you even have a heart?"

I didn't give an inch. I threw the law at her until she backed down.

Herman Dickerson was afraid of the whole thing blowing up, so he grudgingly shut Carmen in her room.

Carmen felt her sincere prayers had been ruined. On the drive back she slipped off in secret to feed wild animals, lost her footing, and fell off a cliff.

The day the news of her death came, Herman was inconsolable. He clutched Carmen's things and sank into a month of grief.

I thought he'd finally let go of the obsession, and I threw myself into planning our wedding.

Then, on the day I was trying on the wedding dress, he poured a whole can of gasoline over my head with his own hands.

The instant the match scraped alight, his smile turned savage.

"If you hadn't stopped Carmen from flying her lanterns, she never would have fallen off that cliff!"

The flames swallowed me whole in a heartbeat.

When I opened my eyes again, Carmen was lifting the lighter, all sweetness and coquetry.

"I'm going to light up the whole sky and shine it down over every stray baby's night!"

...

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine sky lanterns floating up there is going to look gorgeous. I film it, post it online, and I'm guaranteed to blow up."

"Once I'm famous I can pull in tons of donations. I could even do livestream sales..."

Carmen's eyes glittered with excitement as she moved to light it.

Watching the scene in front of me, every drop of blood in my body ran backward.

I had been reborn.

Sent back to the exact moment that had changed my fate.

I stepped forward, wrenched the lighter away, and in the same motion ground that lantern under my foot.

"This whole village is unbroken rows of century-old timber. Everything around it is dry mountain forest."

"One bad outcome and you've broken the arson statute. That's prison time."

My voice was cold and hard, the words coming fast.

I didn't actually care whether she lived or died, but these old buildings were protected, and the lives of the hundred-odd villagers here were lives too.

Carmen stumbled from the shove.

She froze for a second, then her eyes went red on the spot.

"Maxine Harding, do you even understand what compassion means?"

"I only wanted to pray for them. To ask the heavens to watch over them."

"Why do you always crush my good intentions with these cold, dead rules?"

"In your eyes, are these ugly old houses really worth more than tens of thousands of living creatures?"

Carmen cut her eyes sideways, and her two friends, Nadia and Fifi, rushed straight over.

"Maxine, is this really necessary? Carmen just wants to say a prayer and you have to blow it up into some huge deal!"

"Right. Fixating on a few dumb rules all day, cold as ice. No wonder Herman keeps saying being with you is suffocating!"

Fifi rolled her eyes beside her, chiming in.

My boyfriend, Herman, stood off to the side, brow knotted tight.

He glanced at the warning signs strung up around the village, the ones reading NO OPEN FLAMES, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.

But the second Carmen tugged at his sleeve and the tears started dripping, plop after plop, whatever sense he had left evaporated.

He yanked me aside and dropped his voice to scold me.

"Maxine, that's enough."

"Carmen has a good heart. She's a simple girl."

"Do you have to back her into a corner in front of everyone and humiliate her?"

Looking at this man who in my last life had burned me alive with his own hands, my heart sank to the bottom.

I pulled out my phone, pulled up the sentencing terms of the arson statute, and pushed it right in front of Herman's face.

"Whoever causes serious injury, death, or major damage to public or private property through fire shall be sentenced to three to seven years' imprisonment."

"Herman, I'm saving your lives."

Herman shoved my phone away in irritation and flung my hand off.

My wrist slammed into the wooden railing, swelling red at once.

"Enough!"

He turned to soothe Carmen, gentle again, and in the same breath swept every lantern off the ground into his backpack.

"Carmen already said she's doing a good deed. The heavens will look after her."

"Come on, Carmen, stop crying. We'll go release them somewhere quiet at the foot of the mountain, where she can't stick her nose in!"

Carmen nestled against Herman and shot me a taunting look.

My fingertips dug hard into my palm; I barely held back from slapping her on the spot.

"If you're all so set on doing this, then I won't stay for it."

I turned to grab my suitcase and go.

"Stop! You are not leaving!"

Carmen shrieked and suddenly lunged over, flinging her arms wide to block me.

She wept like a spring rain on pear blossoms, her voice shrill.

"Maxine, what's that supposed to mean, walking off now?"

"If you won't stay and pray with me today, then you've got a guilty conscience, then you're cursing those poor strays to die!"

"You are staying here to watch me light these lanterns, and you're going to sincerely apologize to the little animals!"

Nadia and Fifi caught on instantly and clamped down on my arms, one on each side, dragging me back by force.

"That's right, you're not leaving!"

Herman watched Carmen cry until her whole body shook, and that finished it. He turned on me and roared.

"Maxine! Carmen already gave in and agreed to go release them at the foot of the mountain, and you still want to make a face and walk off?"

"You apologize to Carmen right now, and you calm her down!"

Looking at this man who claimed, over and over, that he loved me, yet forced me to bow my head and admit fault for the sake of his childhood sweetheart.

In my last life, it was exactly his indulgence and his favoritism that let Carmen act without a thought for the consequences, and it got me killed.

I didn't waste another word arguing.

I only lowered my eyes and gripped the phone still recording, tight in my palm.

2: 2

That night, Carmen still wouldn't let it go. She crouched by the door of the guesthouse, arms wrapped around her knees, wiping at her tears.

She tugged at the hem of Herman's shirt, her voice thick with sniffles.

"Herman, every time I close my eyes I picture all those poor strays out on the streets."

"If I don't do this tonight, I really won't be able to sleep..."

I stood at the far end of the hallway, watching, and it turned my stomach.

I ignored the whole clinging scene and stepped aside to call my lawyer friend.

"Coco, I need to ask you something. If someone in my group knowingly breaks the law and insists on setting a fire, and I've tried to stop them more than once and failed, do the property owner and the others in the group share liability?"

"And what if I draw a clear line ahead of time and keep the evidence?"

Coco's tone turned serious. She told me to be careful, to stay away from these people.

Then she texted the relevant points of law on liability exemption straight to my phone.

I put my phone away, my face grim.

I walked over to Herman and kept my voice as even as I could.

"Herman, give me the car keys."

"Whatever you all want to do here is your business. I don't want to stay. I'm driving back into the city now."

I didn't lower my voice, and Nadia and Fifi, who were still comforting Carmen, heard every word.

Carmen shot to her feet and grabbed me, as if I'd just dealt her the worst insult of her life.

"You leave now, and you'll go straight to the police! Don't even think about it!"

"You have to come pray for the strays with us!"

I knocked her hand off in one motion.

"Don't touch me. If your head's sick, go get it treated. Don't stand here guilt-tripping me."

"I barely know any of you. I'm under no obligation to go to prison alongside you."

"Maxine, are you done throwing a fit?!"

Herman glared at me, pulled out the keys, and shoved them into Carmen's hand, his voice hard.

"Carmen's keeping the car keys tonight."

"You're not going anywhere tonight. You'll stay right here and behave."

"Carmen spent so long planning this trip. As my fiance, you should be gracious enough to stay and make room for what she wants."

I was shaking with anger. I stepped forward to snatch the keys back.

"Herman, this is unlawful seizure of someone else's property! What gives you the right to take my car keys?"

Seeing that, Carmen, terrified I'd grab the keys back, snatched up my skincare bag.

Inside was the expensive set I'd eyed for months before I finally let myself buy it.

She sneered, and right in front of me, hurled the bag onto the floor.

Bottles and jars shattered, liquid spreading across the ground.

"That's for bullying me! You heartless witch, your things are as filthy as your heart!"

Carmen planted her hands on her hips, taunting me without a shred of shame.

"Carmen!"

I was livid. I raised my hand to slap her.

But Herman clamped down on my wrist and slammed me into the wall so hard I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Maxine, now you want to hit people?"

"Look at yourself right now, completely out of control. You're acting like a lunatic!"

Then, giving me no chance to speak, he shoved me roughly into a small guest room at the end of the hallway and locked the door behind me.

Through the door, I heard Herman say gently to Carmen.

"Don't mind her, Carmen. Let the girls keep you company tonight. I'll stand guard over her right here. No one's going to bully you."

3: 3

I kept my eyes fixed on the shut door.

The welts on my wrist burned, but my mind had never been clearer.

The way I died last time taught me one thing: showing feelings to people this blind to the law was digging my own grave.

I don't know how long it was before a faint rustling came from outside the window.

I crossed to it quickly and looked down.

Under the moonlight, Carmen had a huge pack slung over her back, stuffed full of bulging sky lanterns.

Nadia and Fifi trailed behind her, each hauling several big bags of fireworks.

All three were bent low, climbing over the low back wall of the guesthouse.

From the direction they were headed, it was the open ground where the historic village and the back-mountain woods met.

My heart lurched.

That clearing sat in the wind's path, ringed on every side by rows of century-old wooden stilt cabins.

One stray spark and the whole village would burn to ash.

There was no time to wake Herman. I gritted my teeth, climbed out after them, and followed at a distance.

By the time I reached the clearing, Carmen had already pulled the first sky lantern from her pack.

She dug out a lighter, itching to light it.

Stop!

Before I could rush forward, an old, forceful voice cut through the air.

An old woman came striding up from the mountain patrol trail.

She stepped in, knocked the lantern away, and slapped the lighter out of Carmen's hand.

This is a protected heritage zone. Open flames are banned across the entire area!

How did you even get this much flammable material up the mountain?

Pack it up right now and come down with me!

Her face was tight with alarm, her voice trembling from how hard she was pushing.

The moment Carmen saw it was some old woman cutting in, her whole expression changed.

She wrenched her arm free.

You old hag, who asked you to butt in?

I'm praying for every stray animal in the world here.

A heartless old fossil like you, still breathing, is just wasting air!

The old woman was shaking with rage.

This whole mountain is dry branches, and down below are wooden buildings!

If something happens, can you carry that?

She reached out and grabbed Carmen's pack, trying to stop her.

Get off me!

Carmen lost it completely, disgust in her eyes, and shoved out hard with both hands.

The old woman had no time to brace. She stumbled back several steps and nearly pitched headfirst down the steep, unguarded slope beside her.

Stop!

I lunged forward and caught her.

Just then a big hand shot out from behind, seized my collar, and yanked me back hard.

Herman had followed after all.

Maxine! It's you again?

You can't sleep in the dead of night, you just have to come out here and start something, don't you?

You can't stand seeing Carmen happy? You won't rest until you've driven her to her death?

He hauled me backward by force, cutting me right off from Carmen and the old woman.

Herman, open your eyes and look! She almost pushed that old woman down the mountain!

I fought him wildly, my fist slamming into his chest.

Carmen won't even step on an ant. How could she push someone?

You two are the ones ganging up on her, throwing your age around!

His grip was crushing. He pinned me against the tree trunk and killed every move I made to get to them.

Carmen, with Herman backing her, smirked in triumph.

Held against the trunk, my hands trapped.

The old woman steadied herself against the tree.

Then she faced Carmen head-on, dug a badge with a silvery gleam out of her pocket, and held out its embossed seal.

I'm the chief expert appointed by the national government to protect this historic architectural site.

You light a single sky lantern here today, and I'll bring you up on arson and destruction of national cultural relics together. Enough to keep you behind bars for the rest of your life.

4: 4

I recognized the steel-embossed seal on that credential at a glance.

This old woman was Jill James, the national heritage authority who showed up on the news all the time.

Protecting her wouldn't just prove my innocence and cut me clean away from these lunatics. It was also my chance to save a priceless piece of national heritage.

I threw every ounce of strength I had into slamming the top of my head straight up into Herman's jaw.

Then I lunged in front of Grandma James and threw my arms wide, shielding her behind me for all I was worth.

Grandma James froze for a second, then gripped my sleeve tight.

Out here, I was the only one standing on her side.

She said it low, just to me.

"Thank you, girl. We cannot let them get away with this tonight."

"Some expert, my ass!"

"I bet you're with Maxine. You brought a fake ID here to trick me!"

Carmen shouted us down, then lit the first sky lantern.

Grandma James saw it and screamed.

"No! Put it out, hurry!"

I started to rush over to stop her, and two of them grabbed me.

One clamped down on my wrist, sharp nails digging into the flesh and dragging out streaks of blood.

The other seized my hair and yanked me backward with everything she had.

Two fists were no match for four hands. They dragged me back by force.

I watched the lantern drift straight down and my heart clenched tight.

But it dropped into the lake, and both Grandma James and I let out a breath.

"See! I told you it was fine!"

Carmen laughed as she walked up to me, waved her hand, and the two of them hauled me aside.

She stepped over to the elderly Grandma James and started shoving and hitting her.

"Cold-blooded animals like you, trying to ruin my act of kindness!"

"You don't know a good thing when you see it, and now you're impersonating an expert."

Carmen shoved her hard, and Grandma James crashed down onto the gravel path, her elbow and knees torn open into a bloody mess.

Fighting through the pain, she fumbled a trembling hand into her pocket for her phone, trying to make a call.

Carmen saw it and stamped down on the back of the old woman's hand.

She wrenched the phone away and smashed it against a jagged rock beside them.

"You old hag, still trying to call the cops on me? Drop dead!"

The phone was wrecked beyond use.

"Carmen, you're insane!"

I was furious, fighting with everything I had to break loose and get to her.

"Maxine, that's what you get for sticking your nose in!"

The two of them pinned me down.

My back scraped raw against the rough bark, burning, but my hand stayed jammed deep in my pocket.

Crying out from the pain, I recited the statutes at the top of my voice, trying to scare them off.

"Shut your mouth! Like you're the only one who knows the law!"

Carmen slapped me across the face, her nails carving deep bloody lines into my cheek.

I looked at Herman with the last shred of hope I had, but he wouldn't meet my eyes, and he didn't move a muscle.

He took three steps back.

"Maxine, you brought this on yourself!"

"If you hadn't kept hounding us and making things worse, why would Carmen ever lay a hand on anyone?"

"Besides, we're in an open wind here. The sparks blew off into the lake ages ago. What could possibly happen?"

I shook with rage, thrashing against them.

Carmen dangled the lighter and a sky lantern in front of my eyes.

"I want you two to see this grand sight with your own eyes."

Seeing it, Grandma James, lying in a pool of blood, poured out her last bit of strength, dropped to her knees, and screamed until her voice tore.

"I'm begging you, don't light it! Someone's going to die!"

"Nothing anyone does can stop me from what I want to do!"

Carmen sneered, her eyes wild.

She lit a whole row of sky lanterns at once.

The lanterns rode the night wind up into the sky, rising and dipping.

"Did you get that on camera? I'm definitely going viral!"

Carmen laughed and directed Herman to keep filming, satisfaction spreading across her face as she moved to light the next row.

That was when a dozen red dots gathered on the center of Carmen's forehead, and a furious shout rang out from the side.

"Hands on your head, get down! Stop what you're doing, now!"