Young Storykeeper Volume III

186 | STORYKEEPERS VOLUME III AGE TEN | 187
THE SLIMY LIGHTHOUSE
SCARED AT SEA
Chloe Fabunmi
Co Galway
Once upon a time, a lighthouse stood at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. It had been
abandoned by its owners. Whenever a storm brewed, the lighthouse got struck by lightning
and it became slimy and green. This continued any time there was a thunderstorm.
One day a young boy named Jack O’Connell was on shore and noticed the tall but
slimy lighthouse. The lighthouse was painted red with white stripes and had blue curtains
and old wooden windows. He loved the shiny green slime on the lighthouse, and scooped
some into a jar to show his parents when he went home.
He talked constantly about the lighthouse on the shore. He dreamed that one day he
could live there and told his father. “I will be happy to own the slimy lighthouse one day,”
but his father replied that he was too young to own it because he was just twelve years old.
Jack was really curious about the slimy lighthouse, and he never stopped asking people
what they knew about it. He read books about lighthouses and their keepers. He studied
maps to learn where another lighthouses could be found.
Years passed and when he was twenty, Jack met an old man who explained to him
that the owner had mysteriously left the lighthouse and that the only way to rescue the
lighthouse was for someone to love it. That day Jack returned home, thinking and thinking
of how he could be a help to the slimy lighthouse. He made up his mind that he would work
hard to be able to afford the lighthouse.
Twenty-five years later, at forty-five years of age, having saved all his earnings, Jack
became the rightful owner of the slimy lighthouse. Each day he showed his love for the
lighthouse by cleaning and painting it, polishing the lamps and making it habitable for himself.
Shortly after Jack moved into the slimy lighthouse there was a terrible storm. Lightning
flashed and thunder roared, but lighthouse never became slimy again.
Unknown to Jack, the lighthouse had been haunted during those abandoned years
when no one loved it.
Every night as Jack fell asleep, he could hear a deep voice saying: “I am hungry, give
me rotten apples!” It was a ghost. Jack was determined to do whatever it took to save the
majestic lighthouse.
One night Jack heard the voice again. He left his bunk, annoyed, and said in a loud
voice: “Whatever you want I will give you; I just want you to leave my lighthouse!”
He went to his kitchen and took two rotten apples from the bin and laid them on the
floor for the ghost. The ghost grabbed them and ate them. “Hmmmm, yummy,” he said.
The ghost spoke in a quivering voice.
“My name is Captain Brown and I can help you to get your lighthouse back, but you
must take part in a fish-eating competition with my king.”
“How is that possible when I cannot even see you?” replied Jack.
“I will open a portal where I live, step into it and you will become like us,” says Captain
Brown. “Then you can compete with the king in the fish-eating competition.”
Jack listened and followed Captain Brown’s instructions by stepping into the portal
while holding his breath.
“Woah, I can see you!” Jack exclaimed.
“Yes, because you are now a ghost,” says Captain Brown. “Follow me and I will bring
you to the king.”
Jack competed with the king, eating large amounts of salmon, bass and cod. He
won! The ghostly king and all his ghosts, including Captain Brown, disappeared from the
lighthouse forever.
“Guys I think I caught something,” said
Harry as he wrestled with the fishing rod.
“Careful, you’re rocking the boat!” Zoe
shrieked.
Harry, Zoe and Lucy were out fishing
at sea.
“Oh man, it’s just a smelly boot filled
with seaweed,” Harry sulked.
“Ha, ha!” Lucy laughed, as she pulled a
big cod out of the sea.
It was getting dark and the kids were
still in the fishing boat.
“It’s getting late, maybe we should sail
back to shore,” said Zoe with a yawn.
“No way, it’s only seven forty-five, silly,”
said Harry.
“But it will probably take thirty to forty
minutes to sail back,” Lucy told him.
“I don’t care, it will be fun, I promise,”
Harry said as he steered the boat further out
to sea.
“I’m too tired, Harry,” said Zoe as she
fell asleep.
Lucy was about to wake her up, when
Harry said something.
“If Zoe’s asleep we can sail our boat for
longer!”
Lucy felt a bit guilty, but she really
wanted to sail for longer.
“Okay, that sounds like fun,” Lucy
whispered.
Finally, Zoe woke up.
“Where are we?” she gasped.
“We were just sailing when you fell
asleep and, in the distance, we saw a flash of
light and we had to follow it, and we are still
following the beam of light!” Harry exclaimed
“Exactly,” said Lucy.
“This is just great,” Zoe muttered. “We
are stranded out in the sea.”
Zoe was annoyed.
“Yep,” Harry said.
“I can’t even sleep for 15 minutes
without you two getting me stranded in the
middle of the ocean!”
“Actually, Zoe, you have been asleep
for nearly an hour now,” Lucy said, feeling
guilty.
“It’s true,” said Harry.
“Are we almost there, Harry? I’m also
getting tired,” Lucy sighed.
Then suddenly they spotted a lighthouse
in the distance.
“Is that the beam of light?” Lucy asked
Harry
“I think so,” said Harry, optimistically.
“We have finally made it – it’s a lighthouse!”
“Can we go in?” asked Lucy.
“Sure!” said Harry.
“Please, no, it looks suspicious to me,”
Zoe said anxiously.
“Two beats one Zoe, I’m sorry,” said
Harry.
Harry opened the rusty metal door of
the lighthouse. As they climbed up the old
twisty turny staircase they heard a loud bang.
“What was that?” Zoe cried.
“I don’t know,” said Lucy.
“I bet there’s a huge supply of pizza up
there,” said Harry.
“I think there’s a person up there,” said
Lucy.
“I think there’s killer wolves up there,”
said Zoe.
“Don’t be so negative,” said Lucy.
“Should I open it?” asked Harry, and he
started to open the door.
“Ahhhh!” screamed Zoe.
She looked around - it looked like
Lucy’s bedroom.
“Why are we in Lucy’s bedroom?” she
asked.
“Why wouldn’t we be, it’s a sleepover,”
said Lucy.
“What about the lighthouse?” said Zoe.
“What lighthouse?” said Lucy, “this
is my bedroom. You were probably just
dreaming…”
Arabella Prunty
Co Dublin