THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER

It was an old lighthouse, crumbling as the cracks ran through it like mountain rivers. Vines crept up its side and around its base, threatening to overtake it entirely. There had been a time when it warned of the dangers present, warning sailors of the rocks waiting in the night to destroy ships and silence adventures yet to come. But that had been a long time ago, and the danger was no longer present. Where rocks had once been, waves crashed safely into a shore filled with nothing more than seashells and weathered sand. The lighthouse by all appearances was broken and utterly useless, and yet the Lighthouse Keeper insisted. Each night he worked over the fire, lighting the lamp, and keeping it going from sun’s set to its rise. Most of the townspeople smiled fondly as the light poured out over the unruly but perfectly tame waves. Sure it was useless, but they all considered its light nothing more than a town tradition.

I thought it was foolish.

The way the Keeper worked relentlessly, for what? To shine a light while everyone slept so soundly? The purpose of a lighthouse was to warn and protect from danger; without that it had no purpose. It was useless. And I, I was a sailor! I knew the seas and their unruly waves! I knew how kindly they embraced and how quickly they forgot that you or your dreams were even there. They allowed nothing to stand in their way.

Shaking my head, I began walking towards my boat. Passing the Lighthouse Keeper on the way, he waved. “Out for a journey, eh?” I nodded politely. “For a fortnight.”

“Well the light will be shining bright to welcome you home!”

He smiled and patted my back. Not bothering to respond, I walked on.

Stepping into my boat, I pushed off from the shore. I was only off to have a few adventures. Nothing too safe nor altogether dangerous.

The sea whisked me away and showed me the world as it promised. And after a week of new sights and well-worn roads, it was time to return home. Turning due north I sailed away. I was perhaps only a day’s journey from home when the sea began to rage. It rose and fell, tossing back and forth every which way with no direction. I tried and I tried but all my experience desperately failed me. This storm was unlike any I had yet faced! If night and day passed I had no knowledge of it. I was exhausted and simply ready for it to end. The skies were dark and the waves equally so. A cool, chilling wind wrapped its fingertips around my ship, and I knew then that I would never find the way home — not without daylight. The seas churned below me as I attempted once again to capture the sails from the storm; in my struggle I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. A glimmer of light! Perhaps it was another boat! A bigger, stronger boat with sailors who knew how to navigate the raging waves! I peered through the night and to my dismay I deciphered the unmistakeable shape of a lighthouse.

My heart sank. Lighthouses only meant one thing — danger. Stay away. As though the storm alone wasn’t enough, I was sure there were hidden rocks and caves waiting to seize me! The waters began to drag me in the direction of the lighthouse, and try as I might I could not change the course. Fear began to rise in me as I wondered, would I survive the night?

Swallowing hard, I gazed at the lighthouse, when suddenly my heart leapt! I knew this lighthouse! I knew it, and its Keeper! It wasn’t warning me to stay away, it was inviting me to come! This was the lighthouse I had always despised; this was home! As the waves carried me to its embrace, I jumped out on the shore in relief. Running to the lighthouse, I flung its door open and raced to the top. There sat the Light Keeper calmly by the fire. “Why? Why??” I sputtered. “All the town is safe! I was the only one away! Why would you light this fire for only me!” He smiled as he smoked his pipe, “Because you had yet to come home.” Turning back to the fire, “Glad you made it ok.”

I continued in my confusion, I could not understand, “But why! I am back home now, no one is gone. All the town is safe in their beds. Why are you still here? Why do you stay??”

The Lighthouse Keeper turned to face me, “Perhaps,” he began, “there are others lost in a storm simply looking for a safe place to land.”