A Light To Guide You



The Summerville Lighthouse

As I sat down to write to write tonight’s post the wind is howling on the ridge above my home. I can hear the wind chimes ring loudly in the front porch. There’s a storm on the way. That’s the reason why I chose the picture of our local lighthouse. Lighthouses are the iconic representation of hope in the storm. I can’t look at a lighthouse without having a sense of peace and security. (That’s why I incorporated a lighthouse in my business logo.) Finding peace during a storm one of life’s necessities. It helps to have a lighthouse to provide a fixed point to focus on. Metaphorically speaking, we know that there will multiple storms in our lives. We will need that beacon of hope to focus on and guide us through the fog and blinding rain. For me, Christ is my lighthouse. That doesn’t mean that there’s never a storm. But it does mean that I have a fixed point to focus on and find that peace again.

The Beacon final chapter.

I’m bringing the story to a close.  I’ve enjoyed daydreaming and writing. The story started out as a way of  drawing attention to the digital art I’ve produced and it took on a life of its own.  I’ll probably have other stories from time to time.  I hope you’ve enjoyed The Beacon. 


The past few weeks had been pretty uneventful.  The caretaker and his young guest passed the time with sharing chores and playing chess near the fire. Every so often the young man would take out the telescope and scan the horizon for any signs of a passing vessel.

He had been on this stormy and rocky little island for months.  Even with the supplies he salvaged from his little ship they would not have much longer before rationing was not an option.  The young man thought about his options as he prepared for sleep. He looked into the mirror as he washed his face in the basin on the far side of the little bedroom.  He thought for a moment that he heard a voice calling out.  He walked into the kitchen but it was empty.  He checked the supply room and found nobody there.  The top of the lighthouse was also void of any presence.  The lamp was lit but no one tended the flame.  Outside the window the wind howled as the clouds began their march towards his shelter.  He strained his eyes and searched the rocks for the signs of the caretaker.  Panic began to set in. He opened the glass door and stepped out to the balcony but it was gone.  He looked up into the night sky as he fell. Just before he hit the ground his body jerked and he woke up in a sweat.  The nightmares started with the fever but were growing steadily worse. He could see the sunshine peeking through the window.  He got out of bed and washed up. The caretaker was sitting at the table with the morning meal ready.

The young man wondered what the dream meant.  He had spoken of it to the caretaker before but their language barrier was still too great for a clear conversation.

As the caretaker slept the young man walked the shoreline. This had become his daily routine.  As he walked in silence he continued his contemplation of the reoccurring nightmares.  Once more he could hear someone calling out to him. He continued to walk. The voices were growing louder.  He could hear them above the crashing waves this time.  There was something familiar about the voices. The young man quickly spun around to see three men running up the shoreline in his direction.  They were speaking his language! “Hello!” He called back.  Behind them was a ship’s launch on the beach and on the horizon was a ship flying the colors of his home country.

“We’ve been spotting the light in the old tower for days but could not get a safe anchor until today.” The oldest of the three spoke.  The young man was shocked and found it hard to form a reply.  The oldest sailor spoke again, “We’ve got to hurry.  We don’t know how long it will be before the wind picks up again. ” My things are in the lighthouse.” Was all the young man could say at the moment.  The leader of the three men ordered the other two to go with him and help him carry out what possessions they could.  As the entered the cottage the young man called out for the caretaker but there was no answer.  Confused the young man began to head up the stairs calling out for his friend when one of the sailors grabbed his arm. “Sir, we’re leaving with or without you. There’s no more time.  We have to get back to open seas before the next storm.” The young man understood.  He regretted that he wasn’t able to let the caretaker know what was happening.

As they rowed for the ship the others just did their work without speaking.  They were quickly hauled aboard as soon as they arrived.  The young man was instructed to go below deck and get himself in order. His possessions were placed in storage and he was assigned a berth.  As the ship was getting underway the young man ventured back to the deck for one last look at the rocky island that had been his home for nearly a year.  There was something wrong with the lighthouse.  The lamp was out and the storm was gathering.  “We’ve got to go back! He shouted.  There’s something wrong,  the caretaker wouldn’t fail to light the lamp with weather like this setting in! Everyone just stared at him strangely.  It was then that the captain placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder.  “Son, this lighthouse has been abandoned for almost one hundred years.” the captain spoke calmly.  The young man protested and began to recall all that occurred when the captain handed him a telescope.  “See for yourself” was all he said. The young man raised the glass.  The lighthouse was falling apart.  No smoke from the cottage fire, no lamp in tower. He just stared in disbelief as they sailed on.

The young man couldn’t explain the experience. The captain suggested that he go back below deck and try to recover.  His personal surgeon would check in on him in a bit. The young man stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked due to the cold wind. Something brushed his hand in his right pocket.  When he pulled out the chess piece get knew that something supernatural had preserved his life until his rescue could be arranged.


It was a full 2 years ago since the young man had been rescued.  He worked hard and saved enough money for a second one man ship.  He was able to gather extra supplies and was now beached on the island where he sheltered from the storms and helped the caretaker maintain its Beacon.

He hauled the cans of lamp oil and food to the small cottage.  It was dusty and the rooftop was falling in.  On the table was the chess set.  He returned the missing piece to the board.  He called out a few times but there was no answer.  He returned to his ship and set sail for open sea. As he looked back to island the lamp began to glow once again.  The young man whispers “I love you too father.” and returned home.

The Beacon part 5

The young man decided to leave the cottage for a while as the caretaker slept. He walked along the the rocky shore and enjoyed the sun while he could.  The weather was unseasonably warm.  Knowing that a warm front always proceeds a large storm front he decided that he would holed up in cottage for the next few days.  The golden sky was of particular concern for him. “Orange or yellow will hurt a fellow” he said underneath his breath.  He searched the horizon for any signs of a sail for a moment.  He could have sworn that he saw the glimmering of glass off in the distance but when no sail was spotted he presumed it was just wishful thinking.  With the tide out he actually had a beach to stroll on. As he did so he continued to look out to sea.  Just then he scuffed his foot across something half buried in the sand and fell face first on beach.  He rolled over and looked back to what it was that he had tripped over.  It was a wooden box approximately one foot wide by eighteen inches long and 8 inches deep.  He dug out the other end of the box.  It was a bit heavier than he expected for its size.  The young man lifted the box to one shoulder carried it back to the cottage. The box could not have been lost for too long.  There was no corrosion of the metal hinges or latch.  Once inside he placed his newfound prize on the table and contemplated on how to defeat the lock. He walked into the supply room and found some tools. There was a hammer and chisel, a file and after some digging around he found a box of miscellaneous keys. He would start with the keys.  He carefully began to remove the sand and debris from the lock.  Gently tapping on the lock with the handle of the chisel would get the bulk of the sand out. He inserted the first key and it wouldn’t seat fully into lock. However,  raking the key back and forth removed more sand. He patiently worked in this way for a few hours before he noticed a presence in the room. How long had the caretaker been sitting there watching him? The caretaker was just shaking his head when the younger man realized he was there.  The caretaker was holding the hammer and chisel.  With one pop of the hammer and chisel the lock opened.  Inside was a fine navigational kit consisting of a sextant, a compass, ships glass, and a chart. In the very bottom of the box well wrapped up in oil cloth was a watch. The set was exquisite. The fine craftsmanship of instruments was second to none.  The box was well fitted enough to prevent the sand from fouling up the instruments. There was a navigator somewhere that if still alive was mourning the loss of this kit. The placed the box on the hearth where the instruments could dry out and prepared the lamp for the oncoming evening.  For the first time since he was stranded the young man had a way  of plotting his position.  This was also the first night with a clear sky. Although the watch had stopped he could still latitude and general Compass points. To the best of his reckoning he was somewhere between Greenland and North America.  The compass had a sun dial on the lid which would make it possible to determine local time.  

The Beacon part 4

The young man was just putting away the last of his recovered belongings when the caretaker emerged from the bedroom.  Determined to not be a burden the young man had already prepared the next meal from his supplies.  It was early afternoon and dark clouds were already gathering to engulf the small island.  At the first flash of lightning they began to count the seconds between the flash and the sound of thunder.  This would let them know how many miles away the edge of the storm was.  The second flash was a few seconds shorter between flash and crash. This one was coming in fast.  The caretaker drops his spoon into the bowl with a splash and starts for the supply room . The young man catches him by the shoulder and motions towards the spiral staircase.  The caretaker understands, the young man had already prepared the next round of oil in the lamp.  They made their way to the top of the lighthouse and once more the beacon began it’s nightly battle with the darkness.  They returned to the meal and stoked the fire.  The little cottage had few creature comforts but the fireplace and generous supply of cordwood was one of them. It was while sitting by the fireplace that the caretaker noticed the small stack of personal items recovered from the wreckage.  On top was an oilskin wrapped around a book. The caretaker gestured for the younger man to show him what was in the bundle.  The young man handed him the oilskin and the caretaker removed a Bible.  The leather cover was very worn and pages were falling out but it was all there.  A certain look came over the caretaker’s face and a small tear formed in corner of one eye. The caretaker seemed to caress the book as he held it. Without lifting the cover he began to speak.  It didn’t take long for the younger man to recognise that the caretaker was quoting scriptures verbatim in his own native tongue.   After reciting a few passages the caretaker returned the sacred book to its oilskin and secured the closure.  “It was my father’s book.” The young man said as he returned it to the small stack. “He was lost at sea when I was a child.  It’s all I have left.” The caretaker placed a hand gently on the younger man shoulder as he spoke. After a few minutes of silence the caretaker motioned him to move back to the table and sit down.  He disappeared into the back of the supply room and returned with a bottle of wine and a box. The caretaker pours each of them a proper glass of wine and opens the box.  Inside was a chess board and pieces carved from shells gathered from the beach.  They passed the evening with a few rounds of chess until it was time for the caretaker to focus on the maintaining the lamp and watching the rocks for the signs of ship in trouble.

The next morning  the storm seemed to break early.  The young man ventured into kitchen and greeted the caretaker.  They had one more round of chess and the caretaker disappeared into the bedroom.

The Beacon part 3




The Beacon..part 2

This is second render of the lighthouse.  For this version I used the same lighthouse base image.  I added rain drops from the windshield of my truck.   I also wanted a brighter feeling to this one as if the storm was almost gone.  

The younger person draws the blanket around himself like a robe. His hands are heavily calloused from the time spent at sea.  His jet black hair hung coarse strands from being wet. The fire reflected in his dark eyes as he gazes at the flames.  The shock of his experience weighs on his very soul.  The old caretaker sets a thick earthenware mug of hot coffee on the table and slides it to him.  There’s no need for words. They only understand a few words of each other’s languages anyway.  They are brothers of the sea.  As they communicate with the few words and gestures the dawn breaks and the storm retreats.   The new day brings peace and with it new future.  

The story above is an excerpt from one of the many stories that I have in progress.   Inspection seems to come in spurts.  I will add more to the story as  time and inspiration allow.