From Lighthouse To Laughter

A glint of light in a broken glass reminded Carrie of the thrashing that the lighthouse continued to receive as though the sea were angry at being starved of rotting corpses as forever guests at Neptunes’ table.

Thick smoky clouds rolled in like the seven plagues of the apocalypse, ready to pound anything in their way. Warning all to hide from its impending promising crush. Rising up and pausing to suck in air, the oceans’ rage came gushing down, throwing itself onto the gagged curved rocks to hone them into knife-like edges ready to splice victims.

The rocks seemed to slice the water in a push-and-pull from its newly made many thousands of sharp daggers, embedded all over it. 

Merciless winds caused enormous waves as jack frost, invisible to the human eye, battled with Neptunes’ kraken. With Carries’ human eyes witness to enormous waves crashing and erupting like lava absorbing everything in its path. The waves punching and beating the rocks with all of their might and the wind gusts knifing all to join in the battle.

Deep below marine life hid in shaded rock homes protected from the tempest raging above. The murky water below was an opaque block, of which only faint ghost-like shadows of sea creatures could be seen. With each wave, the fragile bodies of sea creatures in need of oxygen were thrown carelessly onto the shore as thrown away debris. Those that survived, seemed to have lost all will to live, too exhausted from fighting the fists of wave foam to even desperately flap their limbs or fins.

Carries’ lighthouse stood tall and strong against this assault on the senses. A beacon of hope to those who craved life. A sturdy underground generator barricaded from the constant war with the elements, steadily supplying strength to Carrie in her lighthouse. However on this day, the light bulb flickered and shook with waves crashing onto the rocks below. Cut into the rockface the landing point for a solitary boat remained bare, a reminder that the sea always claimed what it touched.

Headphones on and turned up loud, Carrie ignored the desperate shroud of death looming at her door, waiting for her to step out with endeavours to reach the shore. But Carrie had a different plan, to rest in a silent sky and still waters. 

Her brush painted the sea as a tranquil paradise waiting, 

for her to step into the painting. 

Mixing her colours and tapping water elf magic to the mix, 

Carrie smiled at her impending fix. 

Light glowed from the painting new, 

glancing, she is satisfied with its hue.

“Time for a different adventure now, today,

 to absorb peace and calm in every way.

To skip along sand pale and warm,

To get away from this rabid storm.”

Her touch ignited a gleam of nuclear bright,

To thrust away that Neptunes’ raging night,

To land upon a peaceful day,

Watching frolicking horses nearby, neigh.

“Ah yes peace at last,

I will open my picnic basket and end my fast.

Impossible to eat when death punches at my door,

Thanks to Water Elves I saved before,

They saved me back by giving me a new door.”

No Carrie didn’t always speak this way,

But moved to run she did this day.

“Rest and sleep I will do,

Until, reluctantly, I return to the blue.

The blue of unrest, despair and crushed shells,

Of broken light bulbs and radio messages of more than one hell.”

Sighing Carrie pulled her feet from her black, rubber sandals and wiggled her sore hot feet into the moist smooth sand. A sand she had painted to soothe her soul, as weeks of waves fist punching at her door, had left her exhausted. With night support as radio voice to those in peril at sea near those jagged cruel rocks offering cracked skulls and broken limbs as a sadistic party favour. Carrie needed rest from her reality. An odd reality bequeathed to her from her great uncle Toby who knew she held the spirit of the oceans in her veins. Yes her blood was crimson and warm as any human. But her heart belonged to the Water Elves who had ensnared her long ago when she went diving and the storm had seen its chance to take her. 

Water Elves had finished their races on their giant disc fish and hearing her bubbled cries escaping they swam to her aid. Moving her to their ship to check her injuries, they spoke at length, and she welcomed them to her lighthouse.

They declined her invitation that day, but fled to her when the father of dragons charred their world into inhabitable ash. With little magic left they could still world hop and gave Carrie one such treasure. A wormhole device in the form of a Water Elf enhanced paint brush. 

Splayed on the ground, her golden hair close to the colour of the smooth sand, Carrie slept all day after her picnic feast. Waking with a sigh, to a warm afternoon breeze tugging at her top to come and play in the water. 

I should have set up a basket to catch a crab for supper before heading back to the lighthouse. I know I can only stay here a day or the worm hole will close. But I crave the summer days and wish they were now not three months away. Carrie thought, sighing.

“Hello Carrie, have you come to play with us?” Glimmering skin and pointed ears of her friend, Elvo Aelrindel moved into view.

“Elvo! It is so good to see you after all these years.”

“Ah to me it is only yesterday, as the wormhole folds time for us here. Have you come to race on our fish with us again?”

“Yes please.”

“Okay I will clothe you in a suit to protect your fragile skin.”

Touching her skin with his finger a sapphire light travelled from his finger over her whole body until a thin sapphire coating sealed her in from the salty bite of chaos. 

“Let’s go!,” he called, running to the foaming waves and diving to his waiting huge disc fish. A translucent scaly skin, the disc fish held Water Elf magic as a store so that riding them was a fun recharge, like riding a speeding duracell battery. The recharge meant that each Water Elf was a light source in the plethora of engulfing brine. A torch in the dark for Carrie to delight in.

Afternoon soon became an orange glow with Elvo stopping to check the protective suit remained intact. “It will be time for you to go back to the lighthouse soon. Do you want a barrier around the lighthouse so you can sleep?”

“Will it stop humans or Water Elves coming or going.”

“I can make those exceptions to the barrier so don’t worry.”

“Thank you Elvo, yes please, will you stay tonight?”

“Oh no, I love this rage the sea throws out and I intend to be in it to ride on the bubbles.” Elvo laughed as they walked towards the painting of the lighthouse leaning against the shade of a tree.

Looking up at the sky to see two suns Carrie smiled knowing she wasn’t on Earth. Where are we?”

“In your painting of course, does it matter where?”

“Not really as we are leaving now.” Carrie said, with Elvos’ arm around her shoulder.

Carrie touched the surface of the painting to activate the wormhole to her lighthouse. The semi-darkness that covered her room momentarily was bathed in sapphire and pale yellow summer light as sounds of soothing waves and creatures in the air from the beach painting filled her previously melancholy solitary room for one. Light filled the space and thrust the darkness back, with squinting Water Elf eyes following Carrie through.

“I will put the barrier around now and head for the surf to ride all night. Though I will bring fish in the morning for breakfast so have rice ready and that delicious spicy sweet sauce you make.” Elvo smiled, holding up his finger to release his magic onto the exterior of the lighthouse. 

Deep rumbles of thunder echoed around outside the barrier, with boulders falling into the sea as silent victims falling to the deep to be ground over millennia to new sand. 

“Time for me to enjoy the night's bubble ride, see you in the morning.” Evo said, waving to Carrie. 

From the thick glass observatory at the generator exit Carrie waved to Elvo, raising his finger to lift a wave to his feet as he joyfully moved backward into the dark enveloping blanket mass of ocean welcoming Elvo in. His disc fish swam nearby and Carrie watched the translucent blue-tinged creature tug at its harness while Elvo settled in for his night race with two other Water Elves. 

“See you for breakfast.” Elvo called to Carrie, but his voice was covered by the possessive storm.

Carrie waved and returned to the quiet of her lighthouse. The world shut out once more. Carrie whispered goodnight to the storm as she looked out of her bedroom window upstairs in the living quarters.

“I best go and check that the top of the lighthouse is surviving in this crazy weather. I expect we will all be busy tonight on the radio. I will make a pot of stew and a warming jug of smooth soup for those brought here to rest in the generator viewing room.” Carrie said to no one in particular. 

The yellow light of the radio remained on all night with Carrie giving calm instructions to stranded trawlers and tourists trapped when the sea craved to claim more lives. Many were injured that night. Shredded flesh and broken limbs but fortunately Neptune did not welcome anyone to his permanent table.

A thud at her door had Carrie look from the lighthouse observatory. It was Elvo with ten dangling large fish punched by the savage winds while his hair whipped his face. His usual glistening skin was pink from excited disc fish night races.

Carrie hit the release button and the heavy metal outer door sprung open to let in Elvo.

“The other two will eat in a warm cove we built some years ago, to leave us alone together to share breakfast. Did you make some rice?”

Carrie nodded.

“Great, let’s eat once you have flamed these fish.”

“My barbecue grill is good and hot in the observatory so we will eat down here. I have had a busy night with Sea Rescue and have just finished, ready for breakfast with you.”

“Yes I was busy as well, as I helped a few get to the surface when they fell in from that overturned trawler last night so I am hungry too.”

“Do you want some hot tea?” Carrie asked.

“Sure, is that fish ready yet?”

“Let’s eat.”

“Another day another race,” Elvo smiled, yawning full of fish, rice and tea.

Carrie nodded, too tired to speak. She stared at his bare muscular chest.

Will he stay so I can watch him sleep, feel his muscles, and dream of us in the wild untamed ocean? Carrie thought.

Elvo looked at her mouth and moved closer to have her stare settle into his watery pools of craving, “Yes I will.” Elvo smiled, continuing to absorb her desire for him. Pulling her close to bond with a human who he wanted as his mate.

Outside the rain-shroud passed by, and the sky unfurrowed its once angry brow, to expose the light of a new day. The sea is satisfied at its carnage like a spoiled child, sate after getting its way. Sweetly rolling its waves of bubbling foam to and fro to and fro to celebrate its party of peril. To those attacked by the eye of the storm salute, maybe Neptunes’ table will welcome you another time.