The lighthouse

A short story about a woman sitting in her favourite spot overlooking a lonely lighthouse and remembering some of the good times shared with her husband.

It was the middle of winter, a freezing cold January and there wasn’t a soul around Ballyrameen bay. It was new year’s day and most of the citizens of Ballyrameen were in their warm and cosy houses with their families eating their new year’s dinner. She wasn’t though. She had no patience for all the traditional behaviour on this day. Instead she was out wandering around the bay, making her way up to her favourite spot.

A bitter wind was blowing and she pulled her scarf tighter around her to keep the sting of the cold from reaching her face. She made her way slowly to her spot, battling the wind every step of the way. She was heading towards the rocks at the end of the bay, the ones that stretched out into the ocean.

When she got there she squeezed through the narrow opening between two rocks and looked around at the beauty of the spot she adored so much. There was a flat surface on this large rock, it was perfect for sitting. The rocks that formed all around looked as if they could come loose at any time but she knew they wouldn’t. The spot felt like it was cut off from the rest of the world. She could no longer be seen from the other side and all that surrounded her now was rocks and water. She sat herself down and looked at the water in front of her. The windy weather was making the water wild today and the waves were crashing against the rocks with a vengeance.

She closed her eyes and smelled the fresh sea air, feeling completely peaceful now. Then she felt him beside her and she smiled. She grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it, he returned the squeeze affectionately. She opened her eyes but kept her gaze fixed ahead of her on the lonely lighthouse sitting on a large rock in the middle of the dancing waves. ‘Remember the first time I brought you here?’ she asked him ‘you were so scared you thought those waves were going to come up as far as you and suck you in.’ She laughed at this memory and could feel him smiling with her. ‘You sat here in a sulk for ten minutes, you refused to speak to me but I could see you softening with every passing second, you were falling in love with the spot too.’ She felt her heart glowing as she spoke of these memories. ‘remember that huge wave that hit the rock and splashed us’ she continued, ‘you almost cried with the fear, you thought we were good as dead’ she laughed hysterically as she remembered the expression of sheer terror plastered across his face ‘you were just a big baby, you always said I was too adventurous for you, that your mammy would never approve of me taking her precious baby into all kinds of dangerous situations’ she giggled at the memory of her mother-in-law, that woman never took a liking to her. She squeezed his hand again and smiled out at the sea.

Two hours passed faster that she realised and the sun was beginning to set. ‘I don’t even notice time passing when I’m sitting here with you’ she whispered. She looked at the lonely lighthouse sitting on the rock; the waves still battered the rock mercilessly. ‘that’s what I feel like most of the time’ she said to him quietly ‘I’m as lonely as that lighthouse and the world are the waves, the world batters me but I’m strong like the rock, I won’t let the world get me down, I just need to find a way to get off the rock and back to somewhere I feel good.’ She felt a tear slide down her face as she turned to face him saying ‘The problem is nowhere feels good since you went and left me.’ As she turned herself around her hand felt empty and she found herself looking at the rocks on the other side of her. The tears slid down uncontrollably now as she allowed herself to release the emotion she had been with-holding all day.

She allowed herself to cry for a while and then stood up and wiped herself down. ‘I suppose I should get home before the family sends out a search team’ she said with a smile spreading across her face. She turned around to face the lighthouse one more time before leaving to squeeze herself between the rocks again. ‘See you next year darling’ she whispered.

Author's Note

I wrote this for the competition on emotion. I would like to hear any feedback anyone may have on it.