The Lantern in the Distance

         Thaddeus sucked on his thumb since he was alone, knowing it may be his only opportunity to have some much-needed thumb time.  He chewed on the end and salivated, brown eyes staring out of his bedroom window while he tried to sleep.
         The day had been taxing to say the least.  New shoes, new clothes, new family.  Thaddeus was adopted a few days prior, and his new parents seemed to have the best intentions.  They wanted to love him and take care of him, and it delighted his heart.  The only thing that bothered him was their constant need to swat his hands when he started to suck his thumb.
         "It will make you have big, buckteeth," they would say.  He didn't care as long as he finally had a family.
         This was the third night he had lived here, but something caught his eye in the distance.  The large lake in the backyard had a light flickering over it, like a lantern.  It also looked like someone was passing their hand over the flame repeated times to catch his attention.  It worked, and he climbed out of bed, sliding his chilly feet into bed slippers and trudging toward the back door, fumbling with the lock in the darkness.
         Childish curiosity piqued, he walked toward the lake's edge and saw that the light seemed to retreat backward with every step he took.  He couldn't swim, so doing that was out of the question.  Just as he was about to turn and go back into the house, however, an older man with a gray beard and a peculiar smile approached him.
         "Hello there, Thaddeus," he began, eyes pools of black ink.  "Oh, I see.  You're interested in the will-o'-the-wisp, are you?  Well, it takes a special kind of boy to catch one of those."  For a second, his peculiar smile was even creepier, perking at the corners and seeming to stretch his entire mouth.  It made Thaddeus uncomfortable to look at so he averted his gaze.
         "What do I have to do to catch the willer-wisp?"
         "Well, first of all you need a key."  A door suddenly appeared by the lake's edge, ornate and just his size.  Thaddeus watched in awe before turning his attention back to the old man, who was now stroking his massive beard with slow, sure movements.  "Once you have the key, you can go right to the will-o'-the-wisp, little Thaddeus.  There is treasure to be found there, you know.  Think of it as being a rainbow and I am the leprechaun."
         Thaddeus nodded, accepting this explanation.
         "You have until dawn to find the key, or you will never get another chance to catch it.  Be a good boy and go look.  Your new family has the key somewhere in their house.  Don't wake them, however, or they will be very cross with me.  Why, finding treasure is worse to them than, well, sucking your thumb."
         "I'll get the treasure!  Just you wait!"  His feet pounded against the tamped earth on his way back to the house, searching it from top to bottom until he finally found what he needed - an ornate key that was out of the ordinary, hidden away in the attic in an old jewelry box.  Excited, Thaddeus eased his way down the stairs and practically flew out of the back door, seeing the man standing there with his black-voided eyes. 
         "What is your name, mister?"  He asked, looking around for the door.
         "Why, I'm Loki, child.  It is a pleasure to meet you."  The will-o'-the-wisp was just out of sight, moths collected around it as Thaddeus walked in place out of impatience.
         "It is good to meet you too.  Mister, what are those?"  He pointed at small bugs that were flitting around the lantern, trying their best to get to the flames within.
         "Those," the word sound choked, "-are moths.  They are attracted to light.  They spend their whole life seeking the one thing that they cannot safely obtain.  They have excellent taste as you can see.  If you're not quick, they may figure out how to take the treasure for themselves.  It would be best for you to hurry."
         Loki knocked on the ground as the door appeared, Thaddeus playing with the key in his hands.
         "Well, don't be afraid.  Knock on the door and enter the key."  Thaddeus did just that, knocking loudly as the door wheezed and the key hole began to glow a fiery crimson.  The child inhaled deeply and turned the key in the lock, the cold chased away by the heat behind the door, and as he opened it, he could see a floating lantern just within reach.  He smiled brightly, passing through the door frame, though something wasn't right.
         His body twisted and shrank, the child screaming as his body contorted and became smaller, wings sprouting from his back while Loki slapped his knee and cackled.
         "You greedy little idiot!"  He wheezed, fangs showing in that too-large mouth.  "Everyone wants what they cannot have, now you can spend an eternity chasing it!"
         His body finally turned inside out as Thaddeus' screams were drowned out by the sudden roar of fire from the door.  Once is soul was purged from his body, it became a moth, attracted to the lantern as he flew around it with other trapped souls, the tiniest, ethereal voices whispering in child-like tones.
         "I almost had it..."
         "...Want it so bad..."
         "I miss my family...but I can't leave the light..."
         "It is almost morning...the will-o'-the-wisp will be gone soon..."
         "Welcome Thaddeus."
         "Welcome Thaddeus..."
         "...Come Thaddeus..."
         Thaddeus became one with the others, the door disappearing, the last thing he saw before it closed was the menacing, curled up smile that Loki wore.