The Legend of the Sleeping Lighthouse
by Alayna Beck
Brigham Young University
Alayna Beck studies Editing and Publishing at Brigham Young University. When she is not writing, you can find her over-analyzing Barbie movies with her roommates and experimenting with gluten-free baking. Follow her writing journey on Instagram @alaynawrites.
It didn’t end the way it did in fairytales. With a kiss in a carriage, pulled to a secluded sunflower bungalow, the couple’s loved ones cheering as their conquered enemies stood resentfully by.
No, it ended the way legends began. With pathetic love and ugly death, on a night when the sea breathed like a slumbering giant, slowly in and out. A blanket of fog hugged the waves that gently caressed the rocky cliffs, tucking my sea in for the night.
Time grew lonesome living in a lighthouse by yourself. You tell stories, creating people to keep you company. But my sailor was different; he was real. I saw him every day, passing on his boat, my lighthouse guiding him. It was a quiet kind of torture, knowing my work kept him safe but so distant. I often envisioned the day he would first find me. His heavy hands would grasp my hips and the ocean scruff of his jaw would brush my cheek. And the more I imagined, the more it was real.
On that sleepy night, I lit the oil lamp at the top of my towering home, the fire’s brightness magnified by mirror panels. I grasped the iron railing, leaning over the edge until just before I toppled over.
And then I saw it, the faint glow of my sailor’s ship on the horizon.
The light called like a siren song and my legs burned as I raced down the stairs. The hand-sewn hem of my night shift whipped around my ankles like the sails he saw each day. Tiny stones bit into the heels of my feet as I approached the cliff edge. I could feel his love for me like a tightrope, tethered between our hearts, tugging and twisting almost painfully.
A sudden gust of wind extinguished the lighthouse behind me and darkness cloaked the rocky precipice, the milky moonlight my only illumination. I crept toward the edge, still in the siren’s thrall. I did not fear for my life, only for the life of my sailor. I could see the ship but there was no way he could see the danger he was in. I didn’t breathe as his ship came closer and closer. It was all I had ever wanted, but only dread solidified in my feet. My toes curled over the edge of the cliff.
I felt it through my bone marrow when the ship hit, tremors reverberating up the cliff. Wood splintered and people screamed. The rocks beneath me shifted and dropped. I was pitched forward into the mouth of my sleeping sea giant. My body hit another’s as we plunged into the inky depths.
A masculine hand wrapped around my arm and I knew who it was. My breath slipped out of me and I didn’t struggle as I watched the air float to the surface. The man still held my arm as we sank lower and lower together.
No, this wasn’t a fairytale, but it would be a legend.
Interview with the Author
1. What inspired you to write this piece? What was your thought process throughout?
I found the writing prompt, "It didn't end the way it did in fairytales," online and wanted to challenge myself to write something 500 words or less. *The Legend of the Sleeping Lighthouse *ended up being exactly 500 words. The idea of a past tragedy becoming a legendary story has always tickled my brain. As I wrote this, I imagined a tour guide leading a school group through an abandoned lighthouse, sharing the legend of the ghost that haunted the place.
2. What do you hope readers will take away from your piece? What effects do you want the piece to have on the person, community, or society?
I want readers to consider the impact of human connection and realize relationships are the most important part of life.
3. What is your favorite piece of fiction (short story, novel, flash fiction, etc.) that you’ve ever read? Why?
There are so many good ones! But *Anne of Green Gables *will always have my heart. The vivid imagery and strong characters are perfection.
4. If you plan on continuing to write, what are some goals/plans you may have for your future?
Hopefully, someday I'll publish a full-length novel!