The Old Lighthouse

danai (61)in #fiction • last year

The Old Lighthouse

The old lighthouse stood alone on the rocky cliff, a silent sentinel guarding the coastline. Its limestone walls rose into the gray sky, cold and dark without the warmth of the light that once shone from its tower every night.

Jenny pulled her coat tighter as she walked up the winding path to the lighthouse. The chill autumn wind carried the scent of the sea and faint memories of the past. She hadn't been here in over 10 years, not since the night before her father's ship was lost at sea.

Her father was the lighthouse keeper, and she had grown up within these walls, listening to the constant rhythm of the waves and the sounds of the massive light rotating in the tower. Some of her earliest memories were of sitting on her father's shoulders, watching as he lit the oil lamps every evening to guide the ships safely through the night.

But the lighthouse was now empty and abandoned, replaced by an automated light on the nearby pier. Jenny slowly climbed the spiral stairs to the top of the tower. The old lamp still stood there, cold and dark. She ran her fingers over its rusted metal housing, remembering the warmth it once held.

Her father would be heartbroken to see the state it was in. The lighthouse had been his life's work, a responsibility he cherished. He took such pride in maintaining the light, keeping the ships and sailors safe. The day they turned off the light and locked the door for the last time was the day a piece of his soul died.

Jenny gazed out the tower windows at the sea below. The waters were as restless as her memories, waves crashing against the rocks with a familiar rhythm. She wondered if her father had found peace in those waters, if his spirit still lingered here in the place he loved.

She knew what she had to do. Jenny pulled a matchbook from her pocket and struck a match. Shielding the fragile flame with her hands, she relit the old lamp. The light glowed to life, faint but growing stronger, a beacon once more in the dark.

Her eyes filled with tears as the light shone through the windows of the tower. The lighthouse and its keeper were united at last. And her father could finally rest, knowing his light was guiding the way home.