The Keeper of the Light

Chapter 2

Jeremiah showed up promptly one hour before sunset just as he said he would. Charlie was still resting on the sofa when he rapped loudly on the door. The sudden break in the silence made her jump. She hurried to open it to find him fidgeting with a small notebook. "Are you ready?", he asked her with that same sheepish grin he had earlier. He had a boyish charm about him. She imagined he would be like the younger brother she never had. She liked that he always seemed happy.

"Yes, as ready as I will ever be", answered Charlie. Actually she was quite ready. She stepped outside the door and shut it behind her. She didn't feel the need to lock it as she would have back home.

The lighthouse was less than a stones throw from her cottage. He turned and headed toward the door at its base. It looked formidable this close up. She had been so enthralled in the cottage she hadn't bothered to look beyond at the towering lighthouse. Now it was frightening. Just inside the door was a winding staircase. Step by step, she and Jeremiah made their way to the top. As they climbed, he told her some of its history. The lighthouse was built by the St. Clare family. The last living St. Clare still lives on the island but in a house away from the village and lighthouse.

"Mr. St. Clare was the lighthouse keeper until a few years ago,", Jeremiah told her over his shoulder as the neared the top. Charlie didn't know how he could still talk. They hadn't stopped on any of the landings that were placed throughout the winding stair case. At least there was a handrail. After the first two flights she started counting the steps. There were 31 steps between each landing. She quickly did some math in her head. That would be the equivalent of a 12 story building with about 257 steps from bottom to top. She regretted not making a New Year's resolution to work out more. She would have been in better shape to tackle this. As it was, her legs felt like jelly and she was sure she would just have to spend the night at the top because she would be sore by morning. 

On the last landing there was a door. Jeremiah opened it and waited for her to follow. Charlie was grateful to have a break. She made a mental note to give herself ample time for a few breaks until she got used to the climb. A remote control would be so much easier, but then she wouldn't have a job, now would she.

Upon entering the balcony, she quickly looked around. The light was in the center of the tower. The room was surrounded by windows giving a beautiful view of the whole island and the ocean surrounding it. The climb wasn't so bad after all to be rewarded with such beauty.

Jeremiah broke the silence with a cough. "Ok, so I made a notebook of all the duties required and how to turn on the light and shut it off. It's real easy", he told her. He handed her the notebook. She took it from his hand and opened it. The first page was all about the light. It was a detailed description of how it worked and how to turn it on and off.

"Here is the control panel", he said as he pointed to a small box mounted to the rail surrounding the light. He opened it and there was a toggle switch and a red button. "Don't mind the toggle switch, I really don't know what it does, but you just push the red button." And with that he turned on the light. The light began to rotate giving off a bright beam of light.

Jeremiah pointed to a broom leaning against the glass. "Sometimes bugs get in here and they have to be swept out the door. I sweep them out onto the balcony", he told her as he motioned to the glass door that led outside. Charlie wanted to step outside. "Can we go out there?", she asked, still slightly out of breath. He grinned again and quickly opened it so she could walk out on the balcony surrounding the light. "I like to stay up here and watch the sunset before I go back down", Jeremiah told her.
"It's almost as beautiful as the sunsets on the ocean". Jeremiah went quiet. He was likely thinking of being back on the boat and she wondered what kind of lonely life this teenage boy had lived to have spent most of it on a small fishing boat in the ocean.