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Introduction by Mister Rogers
Hello, neighbor.
I’m so glad you’re here with us today.
Stories have a special way of helping us understand things that feel confusing or even a little scary. Sometimes the world asks us to choose sides, or tells us that people who look different or believe different things aren’t safe to be around. And when we hear that again and again, we can begin to feel afraid of one another.
But I’ve learned something over the years:
when you take the time to look closely at someone — anyone — you’ll usually find a very good person there, trying their best to shine their own small light.
In this story, you’ll meet some children who live in a forest full of lanterns. Their lights are all different colors, just like people are all different in the world. And sometimes those differences can feel confusing. Sometimes we might wonder if someone else’s light somehow makes ours dimmer.
But lights don’t work that way.
One light shining helps every other light shine a little brighter.
As you read this story, I hope you’ll remember something important:
Whenever we listen to each other with kindness… whenever we look a little deeper… the world becomes just a little warmer, and just a little safer.
And I’m proud of you for wanting to understand.
The Story of the Little Lantern Keepers
Once upon a time in the Forest of Many Voices…
there was a village where the lights began to dim.
For many years, the villagers fought and shouted.
Each person said their lantern was the only one that shined the “right” kind of light.
Some lights were blue.
Some were green.
Some were red.
Some were gold.
Every group believed their color meant:
“I am on the side of the good.”
And every other color meant:
“You might be dangerous.”
The louder the shouting grew, the dimmer the lanterns became.
The Little Lantern Keepers
One day, a band of young villagers—full of fiery hearts—said:
“If the red lanterns ever take over, the whole forest will burn!
We must stop them! We must shout louder!
We must smash the dangerous lanterns before they grow!”
They called themselves the Little Lantern Keepers,
because they wanted to protect the forest from darkness.
Their hearts were pure.
Their intentions were good.
But their fear made their hands shake.
Soon they were running through the streets,
yelling at anyone whose lantern looked too red.
They thought they were saving the forest.
But the more lanterns they smashed, the darker the forest grew.
And in the darkness…
it became harder to tell who really wanted harm
and who was simply holding a lantern of a different color.
The Stranger with No Lantern
One evening, a quiet stranger walked into the village.
He carried no lantern at all.
This confused the Little Lantern Keepers.
They surrounded him.
“Where is your lantern?” they demanded.
“Which color is yours?
Are you with the oppressors or the oppressed?
Are you safe or are you dangerous?”
The stranger smiled gently.
“I don’t choose one color,” he said.
“I walk with everyone. I see light in all of them.”
The young Keepers stepped back.
“That’s impossible,” they said.
“If you don’t pick a side, you’re helping the darkness!”
The stranger knelt and whispered:
“My friends… the forest isn’t dark because of lanterns.
It’s dark because we’ve stopped seeing each other.”
He touched a broken red lantern on the ground.
Inside, the wick still glowed a tiny ember.
He breathed on it softly.
It flickered back to life — a small, warm flame.
The Keepers watched in silence.
A New Question
The stranger handed the lantern to them.
“Tell me,” he said,
“When you smashed this lantern,
did it make the forest brighter or darker?”
The Keepers looked around.
The forest felt colder.
The air felt heavier.
The arguing felt louder.
One Keeper whispered:
“…Darker.”
Another said:
“We only wanted to stop danger.”
The stranger nodded.
“I know.
But sometimes, when we try to destroy the darkness outside of us…
we forget to calm the darkness inside of us.”
The Keepers lowered their heads.
Learning to See Again
The stranger taught them a new way:
Look people in the eyes before judging them.
Listen for pain before assuming evil.
Protect others, but don’t punish shadows.
Remember that fear can disguise itself as courage.
And never smash a lantern you haven’t taken time to understand.
The Keepers tried it.
For the first time, they approached a man holding a red lantern
and asked:
“Why do you carry that color?”
The man answered softly:
“My daughter is sick.
This lantern reminds me of her favorite scarf.
I don’t know much about politics…
I’m just trying to stay hopeful.”
The Keepers looked at one another.
They had never asked before.
The Forest Brightens
Over time, the Keepers changed.
Their shouting turned to conversation.
Their anger turned to awareness.
Their fear turned to wisdom.
They still protected the forest.
They still stood up for others.
But they no longer smashed lanterns without listening.
And slowly…
the whole forest glowed again.
Because light doesn’t grow
by blowing out someone else’s flame.
It grows when we help each other shine.
Moral of the Story
You cannot protect the world by destroying what you fear.
You protect the world by understanding what you fear.
And sometimes, just sometimes…
the “dangerous” lantern
is just another person trying to find their way in the dark.
Final Thoughts by Mister Rogers
You know, as we come to the end of our time together, I’m thinking about something very special:
how brave it is to choose kindness in a world that often chooses fear.
The children in our story learned that even a broken lantern still has a tiny spark inside. And when someone takes the time to notice that spark… when someone cares enough to kneel down and look closely… that little light can begin to glow again.
People are like that, too.
Sometimes someone shouts because they’re scared.
Sometimes someone gets angry because they’ve been hurt.
Sometimes someone decides that others are “dangerous” just because it’s the only way they know to protect their own heart.
But every person — every single one — carries a light inside them.
And when we treat each other with gentleness…
when we offer listening instead of judgment…
when we choose to look for the good instead of the worst…
we help those inner lights shine again.
It’s such a good feeling to know that even a small act of kindness can brighten a whole forest.
I’m glad you shared this story today.
And I’m glad you’re learning how much your light matters.
You make the world a better place —
just by being exactly who you are.
Short Bios:
Nick Sasaki
Nick is the storyteller who brings the Lantern Forest to life. He believes that kindness can soften even the hardest hearts and that stories help people see one another more clearly.
Lila
Lila carries the yellow lantern. She’s quiet, thoughtful, and good at noticing what others feel.
Milo
Milo carries the blue lantern. He’s curious, calm, and always trying to understand how things work.
Rosie
Rosie carries the red lantern. She’s warmhearted, brave, and feels deeply when others are hurting.
Theo
Theo carries the green lantern. He’s friendly, adventurous, and loves discovering new places.
The Stranger With No Lantern
A peaceful traveler who listens before he speaks. He helps the children see that every light matters, even the ones that seem dim or broken.
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