The Keeper of the Light

Chapter 2

He pointed towards the island, "Do you see that house over there about a half mile through the trees? That's Mr. St. Clare's house. You probably won't see him much. He keeps to himself since his wife died. And he never comes here anymore".

"Why not?", she asked as she gazed at the house nestled in the trees. "I imagine it's because his wife died here", he spoke quietly. Jeremiah probably shouldn't have told her that but he continued after he saw empathy on her face instead of fear.
"She fell off the balcony a couple of years ago and Mr. St. Clare never got past it. He has never been up here since she fell".

Charlie knew all to well what that sort of loss felt like. It was why she was here. She thought it ironic that her fresh start was filling in for someone else who had gone through a tragic loss and needed a change of scenery. Her heart ached for the man who had lost his wife.
"How did she fall?," she asked Jeremiah who was leaning on the railing with his elbows.
"No one rightly knows. She was up here tending the lighthouse for Mr. St. Clare while he was sick in bed. When she didn't come back, he went looking for her and found her laying at the base of the lighthouse."

Jeremiah continued talking, "There is gossip that he pushed her but seeing as how he was sick with the flu, no one ever really believed that. Besides, it was obvious to everyone that they were totally in love. She was a beauty. Every man on the island was envious of him. She was sweet and kind", his voice trailed off.

The sun was finally setting. The sky was turning into all shades of pink, purple and orange. It was breathtaking. She forgot about the St. Clare's as she watched the sun slowly dip into the ocean. She could lose herself up here. When the last light dipped below the horizon Jeremiah spoke up bring her back to reality. "Everything is in the book, just some housekeeping chores, who to contact in case of a malfunction, and how to start it up and turn it off. Pretty simple and self explanatory", he grinned as he told her.

She giggled and thought of the commercial "It's so easy a caveman could do it". Jeremiah glanced at her and grinned almost as if he could read her thoughts. He turned and exited the door to the first landing and waited for her to follow. Going down was much easier, however she wished she could hop on the railing and just slide down to the bottom. Maybe they could install a fireman's pole and she could just zip down that way.

When the reached the bottom, he turned to her and extended his hand, "Welcome to the island Miss Charlie. I hope you like it here. I will be leaving tomorrow with my uncle but you'll see me every now and again when we stay for a few days and when the season is over. If you need anything, just go see Gladys. She will make sure you are well stocked with supplies". She shook his hand and he turned on his heel.

A few feet away he turned and said "This is an old cottage and you will hear all sorts of strange sounds. It has made a few people leave after a night or two. They just weren't cut out for being out here alone. Don't you worry none. I have stayed out here to see what they were so scared of. All I ever heard was the wind and the ocean." And with that he grinned and walked away down the road leading to town.

She walked over to the cottage and went inside. She was thankful that she had left a light on. Her stomach rumbled and she realized she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. There were a few bottles of milk. How strange that they used bottles here instead of the plastic gallons she was used to. There was a dozen eggs, lunch meat, sliced cheese, condiments and lots of various fruits and vegetables.

The freezer was stocked too. Meats of all different kinds, an ice bucket and ice trays filled the two shelves. She reopened the fridge and grabbed an apple and lunch meat. She was too tired to cook. She found some bread in the cabinet along with canned vegetables, rice, instant potatoes, peanut butter and jelly and several other staples a person would likely have on hand. If Gladys had been the one to stock the house, she would have to thank her. She fixed her sandwich, grabbed her apple and headed to the sitting room to eat her dinner.

Tomorrow she would cook her first meal. She wanted to inventory everything so she could plan meals ahead. Her sandwich was heavenly. She smiled as she thought of how such a simple meal could taste so good when you were hungry. She took her last bite and went to the bedroom.

Her bed was calling her name. She quickly undressed slipped into a white cotton nightgown and crawled into bed. She had a weird feeling that she was being watched but shook it off as it was probably just because she was in strange surroundings. Charlie turned off the bedside lamp and closed her eyes. It took only a moment to drift off to sleep.

Maggie St. Clare stood beside Charlie and watched her sleep. There had never been another woman in the cottage and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Yet, this woman seemed different. Maggie had been watching her from the moment Charlie had entered the cottage. Would Charlie be able to help? Could Charlie help? Maggie would have to proceed carefully. She didn't want to scare her off like the others. As Maggie faded away, she finally felt hope. Charlie was the one. She could use Charlie to deliver justice. And with that last thought, Maggie left the room.