The Abandoned Lighthouse
Fiction Story
Part One
For several days, the town of Ocean Valley had been ravaged by Hurricane Sid. Sid was a bear of a storm. It uprooted trees, tore off roofs, and flooded streets. This had been the worst hurricane anyone had seen in a long time. Even the oldest resident, Mr. Patterson, who had just celebrated his 90th birthday, was amazed by the hurricane’s ferocity. The last hurricane to cause so much damage was over fifty years ago.
The townspeople had evacuated to the local high school which sat atop a slight hill towards the edge of town. Because of its location and elevation, the floodwaters couldn’t reach it. The gymnasium was overflowing with people. The town had grown over the past decade due to its proximity to the beaches. It had attracted many tourists who flocked to Ocean Valley from late Spring to early Autumn. Retirees moved to the town because of its natural setting and slower pace. Soon, young families moved into the town due to its welcoming vibe.
Eunice and her young brother, Duncan sat on a bunch of mats on the far side of the gymnasium. Their older brother, Lance, was standing against the wall next to them. His face was buried in his phone which is how he looked to most people — curly brown hair and a cell phone for a face.
Eunice frowned at Lance. He was always on his phone. Ever since their parents had bought him a phone for his 13th birthday, Lance had changed. He used to play with Eunice and Duncan. Now, he couldn’t be bothered with them. There were only two weeks left before school started and Lance hadn’t spent any time with his younger siblings. He was either on his phone or out with his friends.
Duncan didn’t care if Lance played with him and Eunice or not. He loved his adventures with his big sister. Although they were two years apart, Eunice didn’t behave like an older sibling. She never bossed Duncan around or treated him like a baby. Eunice always played with Duncan.
Lance couldn’t keep track of all the message threads that appeared on his Snapchat. He was trying to connect to his friends who were somewhere in the gymnasium. Everyone was posting about things they had seen during the storm.
“Yeah! I saw a tree snap in half!”
“My aunt’s car was flipped over in her driveway!”
“We lost the roof to the horse’s stable!”
Eunice stood up and stretched. Her arms reached for the huge ceiling lights of the gym. She was bored and wanted to do something other than watch people stand over her, step on her leg, or trip over her feet.
“Come on, Dunc,” she said to her brother. “Let’s go walk around and see what we can find.”
Duncan leapt to his feet. His sister didn’t need to tell him twice. Duncan was ready for some action. A wide grin spread across his face.
“I saw some police officers carry in bags of food over there,” Duncan said, pointing to his left. “Let’s go see if we can get something to eat.”
Eunice smiled. Duncan was always hungry. He could eat without hesitation. But her stomach growled in agreement. Time to find some snacks.
As they made their way across the gym, Eunice saw that Lance had not looked up from his phone. She stuck out her tongue at him as she and Duncan approached a long table packed with food.
“Yes!” exclaimed Duncan, pumping his fist. “We scored big time!”
Eunice nodded her head in agreement. The table was crammed with plastic bags full of chips, popcorn, sodas, juice boxes, fried chicken, cheese pizza, french fries, pasta salad, and several fruit trays. At one end of the table, there were paper plates, spoons, and forks. A line had formed and the kids quickly jumped in.
An hour later, Eunice and Duncan were licking crumbs off their fingers as they walked around the gym. Most people were still eating and some parents were settling younger children down for bed. The kids headed back towards where they had left Lance. Surprisingly, Lance wasn’t where they had left him. But their parents were and looked very worried.
“Eunice! Duncan!” cried their mother, hugging the two. “Where have you two been? Where is Lance?”
“Lance was here when we went to get food,” replied Eunice, searching the gym. “His face was in his phone.”
“That boy and some of his no-good friends have run off!” said their father, his face was a dark red. “ I bet they went to the lighthouse!”
“The lighthouse?” repeated Eunice. “There’s a lighthouse around here?”
Her mother nodded. “Yes, the old Talbot Lighthouse,” she said. “Every time there’s a storm, kids go there to find the ghost of Captain Talbot.”
“Ghost?” said Duncan.
“Apparently, Captain Talbot died trying to protect his lighthouse fifty years ago.” said father. “Every time we get a bad storm, kids go there to see if his ghost will appear.”
“And it seems your brother has decided to be a part of the tradition.” said mother.
“Can we go to the lighthouse?” asked Eunice. She was worried about Lance but was also curious about the ghost.
Father glared at Eunice. “No one else from this family is going to that lighthouse!” he said. “The hurricane is due to move out in a couple of hours. I and a few others will search for your brother and his friends then.”
Eunice pouted but said nothing else. The expression on her father’s face told her not to plead any further. Duncan had sat back down on the mats. His back against the wall where Lance had once stood. He looked stressed. His eyes were wide with worry.
Father went off to speak to a member of the board of selectmen. Mother sat down next to Duncan who immediately leaned against her. She cradled his head and whispered words of assurance in his ear. Eunice watched for a few minutes, thinking about what to do. Lance should have known better than to go off to some old lighthouse. If there was a ghost there, Eunice wondered what he might do if he found Lance and his friends. Eunice had to help her brother.
To be continued………
