As Xavier peered through the pounding rain he could tell the lighthouse was...

...shining on the churning water.

Another jolt of thunder shook his humble cottage. Xavier suddenly yearned that he had visited his aunt. How could have he, only fourteen summers, have insisted on staying alone for a week?

The cottage trembled. Yet it was no thunder. A mass of mud rampaged down the hillside. Xavier stood stock still for a heartbeat, and then he prayed that his hours of running paid off.

He made a dive out into the open, the mud hill almost upon him.

He made it. As the pelting rain hit him, Xavier let out a sigh of relief and the adreniline left his veins. He then trudged over to the lighthouse, which would offer him shelter.

Looking back at the place where his home once stood, his eyes showed no loss, but a hint of relief... No, happiness. He had lived to see another sunrise.

by Reine Phillips, Lithia, FL

...still miles away. Thank goodness for the incredible safety beacon the Meecham Point light was able to display, even through the deluge that the ship was now in the midst of. Having navigated freighters around Meecham Point for decades, Xavier knew that the intermitent flashing of the light would grow even brighter as the Anthonia Celeste made her way in the heavy seas accompanying this nuisance squall she was now traveling through.

Thirty minutes later, as the Celeste emerged from the western boundry of the storm, Xavier knew by the position and growing intensity of the lighthouse beacon, that he would soon he hearing the clanging of the channel markers as their buoys rocked in the moderate waves. After nearly sixty years, the Meecham light was still guiding Xavier safely home from his travels.

Stewart Lindsay, Buffalo, NY

...lit. He smiled. He knew the old sea dog had things under control. In the abating storm he rowed the skiff across the bay to the rocky island. His crusty friend yelled, "Why in tarnation did you come out here in this rain, ya blinkin fool?"

"Because, you old coot, someone has to look out for you."

"I lived through storms before, you barnacled faced block head."

"Avast, ya bow-legged spindly lubber. Grab the rope, belay me. I brought eggs, bacon and tobaccy for you."

They clouted each other with scorching names and snarling remarks that could wrinkle paint. Neither one would ever admit how truly glad he was to see the other.

After a meal of bacon and eggs, they sat up in the lighthouse as night turned into day, puffing on their pipes, and reminiscing about the years of sailing together on the whaling ship, Charles W. Morgan.

by Anthony Bagnick, Lake Ariel, PA

...working, but barely visible in the downpour outside his window. His heart sank because he realized that he would have to make his way to the lighthouse and see what was wrong. This meant crossing the narrow footbridge that connects the lighthouse island with the shore and in this weather it would be slippery and therefore treacherous. "Why did I accept this job?" he muttered as he donned his rain slicker. "It's only parttime and the pay sucks." He pulled his rain hat down snug on his ears and braced himself as he opened his door to face the storm outside.

by Mary Smith, Fredericksburg, TX

...quickly becoming overwhelmed. The creatures swarmed it with such fury that he knew they'd soon find that what they sought was not in the lighthouse. He grabbed the box between his hands and, with dread, began to open it. Not sure if what was inside was any worse than what was outside. His sweatshirt was drenched, making it even darker. Blood stained his left sleeve, and a nasty cut bled in a shallow stream on his upper arm. His dark hair fell in strands about his face, and as he opened the box a dark aura surrounded his body. He clenched his teeth as the aura pulsed through his body, causing a raging inferno to course through his veins. The creatures turned their eyes to him instantly. The darkness drew them. They hungered for it. He knew he'd die, but maybe he could provide one last good deed before Judgment.

by Michah S, Tennessee, USA