Young Storykeeper Volume III

218 | STORYKEEPERS VOLUME III AGE ELEVEN | 219
OUR LIGHTHOUSES
When I was young and I had some fun,
lighthouses were full and plenty.
But now they are starting to disappear
and it’s only the 21st century.
It’s true that lighthouses are fading,
something with which I disagree.
They have saved many lives,
the sailors and their wives,
and they have not boasted of their talents to me.
Yes, I don’t know half of the tales,
I don’t think anyone does actually,
but if the stories are true,
then I must tell you,
they did a great job of protecting those at sea.
Yes, lighthouses are getting crumbly,
slowly tumbling into the dunes,
so that’s why I’m here,
to get people to sightsee,
and to look at the lighthouses and their ruins.
I am sad to say I have not visited a lighthouse,
even though I wax lyrical about them,
and even though they are crumbling,
in my eye they are sparkling gems.
But lighthouse history isn’t all smooth,
there used to be people in a horrible mood,
who would hold up lights,
in the direction of the rocks,
then the boat would crash in the opposite direction of the docks.
Then most people would die,
and those villains would laugh till they cried,
then they raided the ship of its goods,
but in came new laws and the police saw their flaws,
and arrested them in their floods.
The rain was lashing down on the roof of the
lighthouse. The thunder was deafening and the glow
of the lightning was eerie as it seeped through the
window on to the floorboards. Not that that I was
scared though, not yet at least. I had seen storms
worse than this more times than I could count- wait,
you’re confused, aren’t you?
I should probably start at the beginning. My
name is Jamie Stone and I am a lighthouse keeper.
I have been for 40 years. Now, this may not have
been the worst storm I had ever seen, but it was
definitely the worst day of my life.
I had been asked to guide a large yacht called
The White Mermaid to shore during the storm. I had
done this many times before, but, still, hundreds of
lives depended on me. I went over to the beacon
and shot its white light over the ocean, searching for
the ship.
When I finally found it, everything changed. I
saw it sinking down it to the deep Atlantic, a jagged
rock sticking out of its hull. It was terrifying. I leapt
into action. I called the lifeboat service immediately,
asking them to send as many boats as they could.
When they returned … well, l don’t like to tell
this. But the point was they had not rescued anyone.
This is when the real trouble began. They said there
was a beast. It had taken The White Mermaid’s
But sadly to say, because of us today,
the sea is higher,
which to Antarctica is a situation that’s dire,
and the sea levels mean higher waves,
which eventually in storms will flood some caves.
So we need to try for the lighthouses sake,
to reduce our carbon footprint,
so much is at stake.
Caoimhe Crawley
Co Sligo
THE BEAST NEAR THE LIGHTHOUSE
passengers and swum to Dot Island. They were too
scared to go out again.
I took my boat and sailed towards the island.
I may be an old man, but l was a determined one!
I patrolled the island and that is when I saw the
beast - it had green, scaly skin and huge yellow
eyes. It resembled a giant snake and … and … it
had a snarling, hungry face like it was looking for an
afternoon snack. It snatched me up and swept me
off to its cave. I found the passengers there, lying
down in the cave, most with nasty gashes on their
faces. I had to do something.
I went over to the corner of the cave to think.
That is when I spotted a tooth - probably belonging to
the beast. If it were anything like a snake the tooth
would be poisonous! l waited for the beast to return
and stabbed it with its own tooth. The passengers
were shaken but happy!
When we returned l was feted as a hero. I
received many medals and awards, and people were
always thanking me. But to be honest, the cheers of
The White Mermaid’s passengers was all the thanks
I needed.
Rose Leyden
Co Dublin