The Sentinel Of Hope

A hush fell over the crowd at the popular 'secret beach' - a name that stems from the fact that locals know about it, not tourists. In a place like Dubai, the world's fourth most visited city, this makes a huge difference. The fireworks to ring in 2017 had just ended. A few were gazing straight ahead - probably still reminiscing about the year that passed by. The more practical souls were strategising their exit from the packed beach. And then a gentleman started lighting up Chinese sky lanterns. 
The first one decided not to bow down to convention and take a stand against something in the New Year. So, it decided not to light up. The second one lit up beautifully but refused to float. Instead, it became a tidy little bonfire that didn’t result in much warmth. The third one lit up, floated sideways and decided to go for a swim. Which, of course, went against the entire principle of sky lanterns. A brief powwow later to figure out whether they have got the basics right, the fourth (and apparently the last) lantern was lit. The lantern wobbled quite a bit, hovering a couple of inches above the ground. The crowd started cheering. Probably encouraged by the air of positivity all around, the lantern latched on to a gust of wind. It started floating up, a lone bright sentinel of hope against the dark sky. The gathering broke into spontaneous applause. Merry shouts of 'Happy New Year' started again.

Finding little moments of magic in everyday life? Now that could be my NY resolution.