Once upon a time, Laura went to the lantern festival in Chiang Mai with her friends. There were thousands of people and it was chaos in the streets so she and her friends decided to light their lanterns in a nice grassy spot.
Laura saw two little girls without a lantern so she decided to give hers away but the little girls’ father insisted they light it together.
Soon after the lantern was lit, there was a commotion coming from the sidewalk. A Thai police officer came, jumping over a hedge, yelling.
“What are you doing?” The police officer yelled. “Who do you think you are?!”
Apparently, Laura was not allowed to light a lantern there.
The officer then told Laura she was being charged with a 2000 baht fine (about $60 USD). Laura was embarrassed and frustrated with the fine but knew everything would be ok.
She asked the police officer what she should do with the lantern.
Should she move?
“No,” the police officer replied.
Should she let it go?
“No.”
Should she try to blow it out?
“No.”
Should she stand there waiting for it to die on its own?
“No.”
Laura was confused but decided the safest course of action would be to stay put.
She looked around at the crowd gathering around her, filming her, and grew more and more embarrassed.
The police officer walked away, apparently to speak with other officers. At one point two other officers ran towards Laura but the first offer waved them away.
The officer came back and, in broken English, began to speak of a 20,000 baht fine (almost $600) and jail time.
Laura, panicking but attempting to remain calm, asked the police officer what she should do with the lantern.
She finally received permission to let it go.
Laura, the police, and the crowd watched as the lantern floated up into the sky. Thankfully, it didn’t hit the nearby power lines or trees. The officer seemed in a better mood, relieved that Laura didn’t start any trees on fire.
Laura asked if everything was ok, the officer just walked away.
Laura and her friends booked it and got the hell out of dodge.
Then they took selfies.
The end.
