In the middle section of the book, the lighthouse watches, mystified, as men build a great gray bridge right next to it. When the bridge is finished, it towers above the lighthouse, making it now feel very small and unimportant. Then one night, a light begins to flash atop the bridge's tower, and the lighthouse becomes convinced that it is no longer needed. Even worse, as the night continues on, the man does not come to activate the lighthouse, and it fears it truly will never shine again.