فانوس دریایی

LIGHTHOUSE

In the middle of the night, Sarah woke up, put a flower in her hair, and went into her mother and father’s bedroom. She sat on her father’s side of the bed for a long time. Finally, he woke up and said, “Sarah, what’s going on? It’s the middle of the night.” “Well,” said Sarah, “you always told me how Grandpa used to take you out to the lighthouse in the middle of the night, and this is the middle of the night, and tonight is the night to take me.” Her father lay still for a long time, and then he said, “Yes, I think this is the night.” So they got dressed very quietly, went out to the car, and drove off.

There was nobody else around. No cars were out, and the streetlights made the sea fog glow. “When Grandpa took me to the lighthouse there were no streetlights, and there were no doughnut shops open in the middle of the night,” said Sarah’s father. “But he would have stopped if there had been doughnut shops,” said Sarah. “Right,” said her father.

So they stopped at a doughnut shop and bought a bag of maple icing doughnuts and some coffee. They were the only customers there. “When I was little, Grandpa used to give me coffee, and it always tasted terrible,” said Sarah’s dad. So they both drank some coffee for Grandpa. Dad’s coffee tasted good, and Sarah’s coffee tasted terrible.

Then they drove out of town till they came to the road that led to the lighthouse.

“Grandpa always said we should walk up the road to the lighthouse,” said Sarah’s father. “Right,” said Sarah. So they parked the car and walked up through the fog to the lighthouse.

Then they sat on the top of the cliff above the beach and listened to the waves crash on the rocks. Sarah ate the doughnuts, and her father drank more coffee.

“All the times Grandpa took me with him,” said Sarah’s father, “we never once went up to the top of the lighthouse. The door was always locked. We tried to open it, but it was always locked.” “I’m going to try the door,” said Sarah. So she walked over and tried the knob, and the door opened. Sarah and her dad stood looking at the doorway. “What now?” said Sarah. “Grandpa would have gone up,” said Sarah’s father. “So let’s go up,” said Sarah.

They walked up the winding staircase, round and round and round and round, until finally they stood in front of the light.

“I can see forever,” said Sarah. “Can Grandpa see me?” “I don’t know,” said her father. “Can Grandpa hear me?” said Sarah. And she yelled really loud, “GRANDPA!”

They waited a long time. “He’s not going to answer,” said her father.

They stood for a long time and listened to the foghorn and looked at the mist and the ocean. Then Sarah took the flower from her hair, the flower she had saved from her grandfather’s funeral, and threw it way out over the ocean.

“When I grow up, I’m going to have a kid, and someday we will come here in the very middle of the night,” said Sarah. “Right,” said her father.

And then, covered with dew from the fog and smelling like seaweed, they went home to bed.