The Lantern That ListenedIn the quiet village of Stillwater, where politeness was prized above all else, lived a boy named Leo. He was so shy his true thoughts felt like trapped birds in his chest. Words like “I’m lonely” or “That hurt my feelings” never made it past his lips, choked down by a fear of causing a stir.One misty afternoon, exploring his grandmother’s cluttered attic, Leo found a tarnished old lantern. Its metal was cool, and its glass was smudged, but it had a strange, comforting weight. A note, faded with age, was tucked inside: “I do not judge.