Young Storykeeper Volume III

278 | STORYKEEPERS VOLUME III AGE TWELVE | 279
LIFE AS AN ELECTRIC
LIGHTHOUSE
I do not remember when they built me, for I
was not awake. For me, it started when they
put the big shiny lamp in me.
I saw loads of people staring at me, with
smiles in their faces. After a while, people
started to leave on small boats, big boats,
rowing boats and sailing boats.
That night, the big shiny lamp lit up, so
I could see the little village and see all their
little lamps go out one at a time.
However, they don’t live in big cylindrical
like me, they live in much smaller triangles
and squares.
The next day the water was calm, and
birds were flying high when a boat came
close.
There was a man, a woman and two
little boys who were jumping up and down,
saying how tall I was. I stood there, proudly,
with them looking up at me.
As the father opened my door, the two
boys ran inside and ran up and down my
stairs laughing.
The boys went to bed. The father turned
my light on and went to bed with his wife.
Time passed. The boys grew up and
went to school every morning by boat. My
favourite time of the day was the evening.
That was when the boys would come home
to me with smiles on their faces and played
until dinnertime.
But then one day, the father replaced
my shiny lamp with a weird shiny lamp that
turned on by itself.
After that things stated to change. The
family packed up. At first, I thought they were
going on a holiday. But when they reached
land, they went into a triangle square and
that night no one was with me.
I was alone.
Sometimes the father would come to
see how I was, but he never stayed long.
I missed the laughter and fun. I watched
how the two boys rode their new bikes to
school. And in the evenings, before turning
off their small lamp, they would sometimes
wave to me.
But I was still sad.
Then one evening, the seagulls were
flying low. I knew that that meant a storm
was on its way.
That night, the cargo ship was bringing
all the towns’ foods and fuel from the
mainland. As usual, my lamp turned on. The
waves splashed high up on the rocks below
me. It rained heavily, and the wind was
strong. I could see the cargo ship fighting
the storm.
I shone my light so the captain could
see. The boat, rocking side to side, eventually
reached the dock.
“Wow,” said the captain, taking a deep
breath. “Last night was hard. Thanks to
your brilliant lighthouse, I knew where I was
going.”
The whole town agreed.
Now, every time I see a boat, in the
daytime, at nighttime or in a storm, I know
I am here to guide and to help and so I no
longer feel lonely
Rose O’Sullivan
Co Cork
THE LIGHTHOUSE LEGACY
One dark stormy night, twin girls were sitting
looking at the chaos outside.
The girls’ names were Eliza and Sophie.
They lived with their grandmother in a tall
lighthouse in the middle of nowhere. Earlier
that evening, their grandmother had gone to
bed, leaving the two girls downstairs.
The twins had eaten some supper
before curling up at the window to watch
the waves crash against the cliffs. Eliza
had started squinting into the storm, then
she cried, “Sophie, can you see a boat out
there?” Sophie stared at the spot to which
Eliza was pointing.
“We have to go help them,” Eliza
pleaded.
“Yes, we must,” Sophie agreed. They
raced quietly down the stairs, and pulled on
their coats and boots, before heading out
into the storm.
Eliza and Sophie sprinted for the boat
house. They dragged the most reliable boat
they could find and set off. The boat was
red, with a small captain’s cabin and a large
life buoy stored below deck. Eliza took the
wheel and Sophie stood on deck searching
for the lost boat.
“I see it, I see it!” Sophie screamed over
the noise of the wind and rain.
Eliza steered the boat in the direction
that Sophie was pointing. Battling the wind
and rain, the boat steadily made its way
toward the other vessel.
When they reached the boat, they saw
no sign of anyone on board it. “Spread
out, I’ll search below deck and you have
a look around up here,” said Eliza, before
disappearing into the belly of the boat,
leaving Sophie to search the deck.
After a few minutes, Eliza came back
up. “Found anything?” she asked hopefully.
Sophie shook her head. “Me neither. It looks
like a false alarm,” Eliza said dejectedly.
“We should probably go home then,
Granny Lavelle will be worried,” Sophie
shouted, trying to be heard above the noise
of the waves. Eliza nodded and they got
back into their boat and sailed into the storm.
“Look there’s our lighthouse beacon!
I’ve never seen if from this angle before,
isn’t it wonderful?” Sophie exclaimed.
“I can’t wait to be the lighthouse
keeper!” said Eliza.
“What do you mean? I’m the older
sister and Granny Lavelle has always said
the oldest sibling will become the keeper of
our lighthouse,” snapped Sophie.
Sophie was taken aback to see Eliza’s
eyes blaze with fury. “Eliza, it’s not my fault
that I was born first and, unless something
happens to me, I will be the keeper of this
lighthouse,” Sophie exclaimed triumphantly.
As these harsh words were being said, the
wind became stronger and the waves began
to lash over the boat. A freak wave hit,
taking Sophie with it. Sophie screamed,
“Eliza! Help!”.
Eliza, initially horrified, attempted to
throw the buoy for Sophie to catch.
However just as she did, the beacon
of the lighthouse caught Eliza’s eye and she
thought what if she were to become the
oldest sibling? Would she then be the next
lighthouse keeper?
Sadhbh Dunnion
Co Dublin