The Legend of the Strange Hat

In the very north of Kemmes, in a small village that nestled between the centuries-old pines, lived an old woman Maria. Everyone knew her, but few dared to speak, because they were afraid of her strange hat, which was not just a piece of clothing, but a silent bridge to another world.
 
Once a year, when the moon occupied a special position in the sky, Maria appeared in the village square in her hat. She lit the candles that she carried in her fields, and at that moment there was silence. The light faded, the veil of the worlds thinned, and the living could see silhouettes appearing on the log walls of barns and houses. Villagers, holding their breath, watched the recognizable images of an old man adjusting his hat, children playing with a dog, and other shadows.
 
The magic was not in the summoning, but in the thinnest breakthrough of the veil between the worlds. Maria's hat did not attract the dead, but only momentarily erased the line, allowing those on the other side to look at the living and make sure that they are loved and remembered.
 
As soon as the sky in the east began to lighten, the flame on the hat fluttered, foreshadowing the end of the meeting. Maria took off her headdress, and the illusion melted away like fog. The bridge was collapsing. But there was no pain left in the souls of people, but only a quiet, bright sadness and confidence: their loved ones did not disappear. They are just waiting for next year to meet them again in the candlelight of the old hat.