Young Storykeeper Volume III

92 | STORYKEEPERS VOLUME III AGE NINE | 93
LIGHTHOUSE LEGEND
Antonio Firmino lived in a small coastal town in Italy in a tall, majestic lighthouse
beside a racetrack called Lighthouse Loop. The lighthouse had beautiful red and
white horizontal stripes.
The waves of the ocean crashed against the rocks and the colourful buoys,
like friends of the lighthouse, helped it to guide ships from hidden rocks and high
sandbanks that hid at the surface of the water ready to wreck any ships that dared
come near. The president wished to turn the racetrack into a regular road and use
the lighthouse again, but Antonio objected.
Antonio was nervous about the big race. His driver Roberto collected him, put
his Formula One racing car in the back of the truck and they arrived just in time.
Antonio was up front in the race and was ready. Lloyd, Antonio’s arch-nemesis, was
an English racer who drove a Lamborghini and he was ready.
The grand marshal waved the flag - the race began.
“They have to go through the Enchanting Forest into Boathouse Bay around
Lighthouse Loop. It is a fifty-lap race,” roared the commentator. The racers went
300 miles per hour through the Enchanting Forest. Nine cars crashed into the
trees. They went 195 miles per hour through Boathouse Bay. Five cars accidentally
drove into the Mediterranean Sea.
There were only nineteen racers left. The brave Antonio went around Lighthouse
Loop at top speed while the tyres of sixteen racing cars burst as they drifted on
the cement around the Loop. The racers reached Boathouse Bay for the final time
and Antonio was first in sight. Lloyd mysteriously went left and crashed into a tree.
Antonio was confused and stopped. Number 36 passed by and now Antonio was
even more confused.
“He’s a rookie!” cried the commentator. “He wants to be on the top team,
Hawkson.”
Antonio’s car was low on petrol and he knew his car tyres would burst at any
moment. The grand marshal pulled out a yellow flag and the yellow car drove onto
the track. The rookie went behind it. Antonio drove into the pit zone. Luigi put on
new tyres and Mario gave him gas. Antonio raced out and passed the yellow car.
The rookie caught up on Antonio, passed him out and won the race.
Antonio went home, feeling sad. “Could it get any worse?” said Antonio in a
whisper. No, it got better actually - the president negotiated with Antonio, offering
him an alternative route for his racetrack and the opportunity to continue living in the
lighthouse if he looked after it and made sure the light was working all of the time.
A road was built with access for everyone to the great lighthouse.
The Hawkson boss asked if Antonio would be on their team.
Antonio said, “But I didn’t win -the rookie did.”
The wise Hawkson boss said that the careless rookie was far too dirty, that
they needed someone with more experience.
Antonio screamed, “Yes of course!”
He became known as The Lighthouse Legend.
Seán Cotter
Co Wexford