Lighthouse Visitor

Lighthouse visitor

Some nights I sleep with my eyes open. It still scares my wife even after so many years together and my daughter who’s only three.

We live a humble life, taking care of a lighthouse right of a rocky coast. There isn’t much here. The closest city is many miles away. There is a small village few miles in land. We are the only ones here on the coast.

At night I tend to the light often, and don’t sleep much. As most nights, on this rainy night I made my way to the top. On the way I glanced at my shotgun which was hung higher since my daughter’s birth and the cross next to it. Wasn’t it strange for those two things to be next to each other, I suppose no more strange than glances of those who considered us anti church in the village, because we did not attend on the weekends.

I had my black raincoat on and got all the way to the top. The rain was heavy, blackness surrounded the lighthouse and it’s spinning light. As for a second it illuminated the violent black waters I thought I saw a small boat with someone in it, standing. I watched the spot again and again and it looked like someone.

I ran down the stairwell and got my flashlight. I came out of the lighthouse and shone it in that direction, I yelled, but alas, no one was there anymore. Perhaps it was just an illusion, a mistake of the eyes.

In the morning as I went to take a nap a horrible nightmare took over my mind. Something that resembled a man stood in front of the lighthouse. This man was tall, his neck seemed soft and eellike, making his head almost hang forward. He had long and deep black eyes. His arms were stretched out and from the right one a small tentacle appeared coming from the forearm. I woke up with a scream and ran outside to check on my family.

They were safe there, playin on the ground, but something prompted me to go down the rocks and unto the shore. Once there I was breathing heavily and could not find anything, but as I turned I saw a carving on a rock. It was an image of a creature coming out of a water, it had long claws and a face that resembled a mix of a bat and a shark. I’ve never seen this here before, it sent chills down my spine as in horror I looked up at my family worried for their safety. A messenger only came here once a week, there was still two days left. I wanted to notify the inspector in the city this way.

The following night while my family slept I had my shotgun ready and I prayed, I begged! I saw nothing this night, but following night it changed. As I got ready to go up, I heard a slight knock on the door! How was this possible? I came to the door with the shotgun and flung it wide open, no one was there. Leaning against the wall of the lighthouse and lighting my flashlight I moved around. Still no one. The I saw him, on the water. He stood on top of a small wooden boat with black waves rocking it. He was motionless, I dared not shine the flashlight on him, the horror grasped my heart. I felt his eyes staring at me through the darkness. What did he want from me? I slowly made my way back inside and locked the door. I briefly checked on the light, during that time horror intensified as I was in fear of that thing coming inside. The rest of the night I spent at the door.

In the morning I was exhausted. I drank coffee and my wife was concerned, but I told her nothing. Such horror should not be a burden for my family.

When the young messenger came, I took him to the side and told him that a strange man has been around. I knew famous detective Lumiere from way back, he now worked in the closest city. I gave a letter to the messenger to be delivered as soon as possible.

Next night I passed out after tending to the light, I was sleeping at the very top when the nightmares began. The man came again, his neck grew as did his one tentacle, he wrapped himself around the lighthouse and his mouth opened wider than humanly possible, but no sound came out. Again I woke with a scream and cold sweat. I looked down around the lighthouse, but did not see him. The paranoia was taking over my mind slowly, but surely.

In dread of the next night I went through the motions of playing with my daughter and kissing my wife. The horror was starting to make me lose my nerve.

The knocking came again, but thankfully my family did not wake up. I sat by the door listening to it, but I did not unlock it to check.

To my awful dismay the next day came two investigators, none of whom were Lumiere. They explained that he had to go and investigate a case up state and wasn’t returning for at least another several days.

I took them to the shore, and showed them the carvings. Yes, multiple! I There was a new one with each day that passed. They found it strange and creepy indeed, but sadly they both reeked of inexperience and it drove me even more mad. I told my wife that it was just a routine check up and that they were looking for someone on the shoreside. They said they would spend the night in their car, parked right behind the lighthouse.

The darkness came and so did another nightmare. The man was now inside the house and his tentacle wrapped around my family. A knock followed. Awake and in rage I ran down to the door with my shotgun, I kicked it open and fired.

I had killed one of the investigators. I was arrested and soon after local police came to help take me away, at first to a cell, but now I reside at an asylum.

My wife and child moved in with her parents and they visit me time to time. Still I tell them nothing of the horror, although my wife asked about it, which means the psychiatrist here, Albion, told her.

Maybe in a way this is for the better, they are safe now, living far from the shore and away from him.