Chapter 26 - The Lighthouse Walk
Winter arrived, blanketing the coastline in a crisp, biting cold. One Sunday morning, bundled up in heavy wool coats and scarves, Lily and I took a walk down the rocky beach toward the old town lighthouse.
The ocean was a deep, turbulent grey, the waves crashing violently against the stone jetty.
"Papa, why do lighthouses stay right by the edge where the waves are scariest?" Lily asked, holding tightly to my gloved hand.
I looked up at the towering white structure, its massive glass lantern room enduring the freezing wind.
"Because that’s where they are needed most," I told her. "If a lighthouse hid in the forest where it was safe, it couldn't help the ships find their way home in the dark. Sometimes, to help people, you have to stand right at the edge of the storm."
She looked thoughtfully at the crashing waves. "Are you a lighthouse, Papa?"
May you like
Her innocent question caught me off guard. I thought about the men I had driven away, the safe space I had built for Elena, the sanctuary I tried to be for my family.
"I try to be, little bird," I smiled, lifting her up onto my shoulders. "I try to be."
