Jeremiah showed up promptly one hour before sunset just as he said he would. Charlie was still resting on the sofa when he rapped loudly on the door. The sudden break in the silence made her jump. She hurried to open it to find him fidgeting with a small notebook. "Are you ready?", he asked her with that same sheepish grin he had earlier. He had a boyish charm about him. She imagined he would be like the younger brother she never had. She liked that he always seemed happy.
"Yes, as ready as I will ever be", answered Charlie. Actually she was quite ready. She stepped outside the door and shut it behind her. She didn't feel the need to lock it as she would have back home.
The lighthouse was less than a stones throw from her cottage. He turned and headed toward the door at its base. It looked formidable this close up. She had been so enthralled in the cottage she hadn't bothered to look beyond at the towering lighthouse. Now it was frightening. Just inside the door was a winding staircase. Step by step, she and Jeremiah made their way to the top. As they climbed, he told her some of its history. The lighthouse was built by the St. Clare family. The last living St. Clare still lives on the island but in a house away from the village and lighthouse.
"Mr. St. Clare was the lighthouse keeper until a few years ago,", Jeremiah told her over his shoulder as the neared the top. Charlie didn't know how he could still talk. They hadn't stopped on any of the landings that were placed throughout the winding stair case. At least there was a handrail. After the first two flights she started counting the steps. There were 31 steps between each landing. She quickly did some math in her head. That would be the equivalent of a 12 story building with about 257 steps from bottom to top. She regretted not making a New Year's resolution to work out more. She would have been in better shape to tackle this. As it was, her legs felt like jelly and she was sure she would just have to spend the night at the top because she would be sore by morning.
On the last landing there was a door. Jeremiah opened it and waited for her to follow. Charlie was grateful to have a break. She made a mental note to give herself ample time for a few breaks until she got used to the climb. A remote control would be so much easier, but then she wouldn't have a job, now would she.
Upon entering the balcony, she quickly looked around. The light was in the center of the tower. The room was surrounded by windows giving a beautiful view of the whole island and the ocean surrounding it. The climb wasn't so bad after all to be rewarded with such beauty.
Jeremiah broke the silence with a cough. "Ok, so I made a notebook of all the duties required and how to turn on the light and shut it off. It's real easy", he told her. He handed her the notebook. She took it from his hand and opened it. The first page was all about the light. It was a detailed description of how it worked and how to turn it on and off.
"Here is the control panel", he said as he pointed to a small box mounted to the rail surrounding the light. He opened it and there was a toggle switch and a red button. "Don't mind the toggle switch, I really don't know what it does, but you just push the red button." And with that he turned on the light. The light began to rotate giving off a bright beam of light.
Jeremiah pointed to a broom leaning against the glass. "Sometimes bugs get in here and they have to be swept out the door. I sweep them out onto the balcony", he told her as he motioned to the glass door that led outside. Charlie wanted to step outside. "Can we go out there?", she asked, still slightly out of breath. He grinned again and quickly opened it so she could walk out on the balcony surrounding the light. "I like to stay up here and watch the sunset before I go back down", Jeremiah told her.
"It's almost as beautiful as the sunsets on the ocean". Jeremiah went quiet. He was likely thinking of being back on the boat and she wondered what kind of lonely life this teenage boy had lived to have spent most of it on a small fishing boat in the ocean.
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.