The Lighthouse

the lighthouse

14 April 2014

The Lighthouse keeper




It had been a beautiful blue-sky day – that perfect shade of Happy Blue – dotted with thick white cotton ball clouds. Gulls dance in the soft breezes, their cries echoing the happy sounds coming from the children playing on the sandy shore of the bay.  White triangles of sails glide over the water, while farther out over the deep, longer, bulkier vessels plod forward, too weighed down with importance to play in the waves.

Later, the clouds lower and darken, made heavy with the rain they will soon release in torrents on the earth. The sky, too, darkens – an ominous promise of the storm to come.  Families scurry to pack up children and blankets and hampers by the first fall of rain. Once jolly waves are churned into a froth, causing the dogged ships in the distance to hunch their shoulders against the forceful wind, unwilling to stray from their course.

The sky is petulant now, working its way to a sullen temper tantrum, hurling rain from the blackened clouds, growling with thunder, and moaning with wind.

High above the seething water, on an outcrop of sturdy rocks stands a watchtower, placid, unmoved, and tranquil amidst the turmoil.  A light of safety and reassurance flashes around in a steady rhythm, unchanging in weather fair or foul.

And in that watchtower lives a lone guardian – the keeper of the light.  The bay is his to protect, and the deep as far as he can see. He carefully tends his tower and watches over the ships that pass back and forth beyond his windows perched high over the water.  It is driving storms like this he loves best, feeling the power of the elements working against the enduring presence of his tower, knowing that the stone walls and circling light will prevail. All are kept safe on his watch, though they know not his name or his face.

Lighthouse of Port SOHOE
Photo by NLE  (Mama Nut)

4 comments:

  1. Again I can see it. I can see the scene you have written. Especially those ships in the distance, hunching their shoulders against the forceful wind.

    I find myself wanting to see more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those poor ships just trying to get the job done!

    Would you like to see the cozy chair pulled up in front of a window with a little table in easy reach? There is a pile of books on the floor on the other side, with the crossword puzzle from today's paper folded neatly on top. On the table we see the Keeper's glasses and a cup with cold dregs of tea in the bottom, for while he is a tidy man, he often forgets to bring his cup to the kitchen. The windowsill is home to a rock collection and other treasures collected from the beach, a pair of binoculars and a bird watching guide.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, thank you! If only books and movies would behave as you do, and give us the extra glimpses we crave.

    Getting my pencil. The crossword puzzle is calling my name

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's a fun exercise for me: you tell me what to write, and I try to see if I can pull it off.


    I'm having trouble with 16 down...

    ReplyDelete