Lighthouse

A Sappy Romance

Ellie was a constant ray of sunshine, and Peter loved her. He’s always loved her. And he’s always been sure. Since the day they met all those years ago as kids, up to the day when she stood in his arms, crying. It was strange for him to see this stubbornly happy girl not being…well, stubbornly happy. 

“Please, don’t go.” Her voice was muffled from his coat. 

“You know I have to. Time will fly by faster than you think. It’s…”

“A year, Peter.”

“I’ll write you everyday, pray for you every night, and basically think about you the rest of the time.” He smiled, and she giggled slightly which gave him hope that he could still cheer her up. 

Until she sniffled and said, “I don’t want you to leave.”

Oh, come on, he thought she was starting to be happy again. Even after growing up with five sisters, a mother, three aunts, eleven girl cousins, two grandmothers, and, of course, Ellie, Peter still thought that girls were the strangest little creatures on the planet. This one was especially strange. He could certainly understand what she was feeling though. Of course, he didn’t want to go either, but he knew he had to, so he’d rather her spend the next year happy instead of sad.

“Ellie Anah Eden. As long as I’m living, even though I’m leaving, I’ll always come back to you. If you will just wait for me?” 

She grinned. “I’ll light up the lighthouse so you know where home is.” 

“Good,” He chuckled and looked down at her. “And Ellie?” 

“Yes?”

“Keep being happy.”

After a few more words of goodbye, Peter kissed her forehead, slung his bag over his shoulder, and headed down the hill to the sea. Ellie stood in the green summer grass outside her house and watched, even long after the massive white sails were just a speck on the horizon. 

***

Peter kept his promises. Ellie got those letters and felt the prayers. Despite missing him profoundly, she stayed happy. She had faith, a blessed busy life, and letters to keep her smiling. But eventually, as the days got shorter, and the months got colder, and summer had officially faded, she stopped getting mail. The leaves were red, but the new letters were not. She thought the post was just running late at first, and then she thought they were getting lost, and then after five months of nothing, she concluded that he was undoubtedly writing them, just for whatever reason wasn’t sending them.

Nevertheless, every evening, she’d ignite the candle in her lantern and walk the sand to the ancient lighthouse on the rocks. Always hopeful, never doubting.

One cold November evening, after a long day of peeling sweet potatoes and mincing garlic in the kitchens, she came home to her father sitting at the kitchen table in the dim firelight with a letter in his hand. She paused in the doorway at the call of her name. 

He cleared his throat, “I…just received this.”

She rushed over to where her father was now standing and grabbed the letter. It was crisp in her hands. Perfect paper. Glossy red seal. It was addressed to her family from Richard Kint, who runs the shiphouse down at the docs. After reading over it three times, she folded it back up and smiled slightly. 

“No.” Such a simple word with so much power. 

“What do you mean no? Like like the man said, Peter-”

“No.” She said, picking up the matches from the mantle piece. “I don’t believe it.” She was in a hurry, quickly untying her apron, and buttoning up her coat. 

“Where are you going?” Her father asked, frowning. 

“The lighthouse.” She said, placing her candle inside the lantern. 

“Ellie, honey, he’s not coming back.” 

“As long as he lives he’ll come for me.” She hugged her father, wrapped her scarf around her neck, and headed to the door. 

“You read the letter! He doesn’t live, honey, you can’t just…”

“I will wait for him.” And with that, she smiled and left. 

***

For three years she did this. Every evening, she’d ignite the candle in her lantern and walk the sand to the ancient lighthouse on the rocks. Always hopeful, never doubting. People thought she was insane. Who would ever wait that long for a dead man? 

Soon enough it was summer. That evening was a seemingly mundane one, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t done a thousand times, 1095 to be exact;  yet she could not comprehend why she felt so happy. She grinned for no reason other than her perfect delight in being alive! She was barefoot. The sea swayed gently. The stars illuminated the moonless night. Life is best living. A gush of warm wind saturated every inch of her entire being and seeped into her very soul. She wanted the wind to sweep her up into the stars, heck, she wanted to be the wind. 

Usually, she’d keep a little distance from the lethargic tide and just stick to the shore, but not this time. This time she leaped and spun and ran through the cold water, letting her white dress get soaked and dirty. She didn’t care. She was alive! And somehow she was already twenty yards from the lighthouse. This made her giggle. 

She gave a wobbly bow and said in a fancy accent, “Well, good evening Mr. Lighthouse. How fair you through the waves? Will you bring him back to me this night? Or should I believe their words of grave?” That last sentence was a reality check. She sighed and walked normally to her crumbling destination. Then a voice. She turned. There. There, standing in the sea, not but thirty feet away, was Peter. 

“Well, good evening Mr. Lighthouse. How fair you through this night? Can you take me to my love? The one who lamps your light.” He smiled at her. 

In an instant, she was in his arms. Joy is an understatement, but whatever was in them that night was abundant and overflowing into streams of tears and uncontrollable smiles. 

“You came back!” Ellie couldn’t stop repeating those three words over and over again. 

“I told you I would! Ellie, I can't even explain how sorry I am that I kept you waiting for so so long.” He held her head close.

“You came back! I don’t care. You came back!”

“Ellie, you were here every night for three years…how…why?” He hugged her tighter.

“I will always wait for you. Always. Besides, you waited for me first! All these years you’ve been sure.” 

She leaned back to actually get a good look at him. The sun had roasted him to a chestnut, every fiber in his clothes was hanging on for dear life, and he was missing a part of his pinky. Then she looked up.

“Woah! You have a beard!?” 

They laughed hard. 

“You didn’t notic-”

“Peter, your head!” She tilted his face down. He had a big sash from the top of his ear to his hairline. 

“Pretty great, huh?” 

She shook her head and smiled. “Does it hurt?”

“Only when I blink, or frown, or…” 

“Let’s get you home. My father has plenty of clean clothes that would fit you, my mother just made a roast that’s probably still warm, and I can sew you back together!” She tugged his arm, gesturing to start walking back. 

“What? No. To hell with that idea. We can do that later. Let’s go get married!” He beamed at her. 

“Now?!” 

“Yes, now! Right now. You’ve always said that you want a June wedding, and I got your father’s permission before I left. I don’t want to make you wait any longer.”

Ellie couldn’t believe her ears, but her brain certainly could.

“Well,” She said with a grin. “I am conveniently wearing a white dress.” 

“That's a yes then?” 

“Yes, Peter! Yes!” She paused then smirked. “Under one condition.”

“Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”

“No more ships for a long, long time.”

Peter was a reliable rock to lean on and Ellie loved him. She’s always loved him…it just took her a while to figure that out. And now, she’s never been so sure. Since the day they met all those years ago as kids, up to the day when she stood in his arms, smiling.