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They walked towards the
edge of the cliff. Maggie could see the lighthouse not too far ahead.
"There it is, Grandpa. I see it. Look how tall it is and how white," she
said. Grandpa held her hand tightly as they walked through the field of
wildflowers. Pink thrift, yellow primrose, bluebells, and periwinkle-colored
Jacob’s ladder brushed against their legs as they passed through them. The
lighthouse stood like a mighty giant, guarding ships against the rocky
cliffs, warning them to stay away.
As they neared the cliff
edge, Maggie said, "What is that noise, Grandpa?"
"Why that’s the sea," he
told her.
"It sounds like big booms,
not the sea," Maggie said.
"The waves are rough here,
lass. When they hit the cliffs they crash into them with a mighty roar.
Would you like to see them before we go to the lighthouse?" Grandpa asked.
"Yes, Grandpa," she
replied.
They walked towards the
edge of the cliff. There was a trail that led half way down the cliff.
"We’ve got to be very careful here, lass. It’s dangerous, but you’ll see
something beautiful there."
"I’ll be careful, Grandpa,"
Maggie assured him. She took his hand and they walked down the trail.
"What are those birds?" she
asked, pointing.
"Those are puffins. They’re
cute wee things. See their orange and blue beaks?"
"Oh, I do. They look like
clowns and like penguins too," Maggie said, smiling.
"They do at that. Come now,
leave the birds and let’s go further down," Grandpa said. They walked down
a bit further.
"This is noisy, Grandpa,"
Maggie said, putting her hands over her ears. The sound of the beating
waves was almost deafening.
Grandpa shouted, "Watch,"
and pointed to an incoming wave.
It rolled in, white-capped
and dark, nearly black. Suddenly it hit the side of the cliff. BOOM! Water
sprayed up into the air, nearly reaching Maggie and Grandpa. One wave
after another pounded against the stone walls of the cliffs. "I don’t like
this, Grandpa. Let’s go," Maggie complained.
They walked back up the
trail to the top. "There now, lass. This is better, aye?" Grandpa asked.
"Yes, Grandpa. I didn’t
like that. It was too noisy. It did look pretty, but I was scared. I liked
the puffins too," Maggie said.
"Let’s go to the lighthouse
now. Mr. McKenzie will be waiting for us."
They reached the lighthouse
door. Mr. McKenzie opened it when they knocked. "Well, hello there. How
are you, Maggie?" he asked bending down and smiling at her.
"I’m doing well, Mr.
McKenzie. Grandpa and I went down the trail. We saw puffins and huge
waves. It was really noisy," Maggie rambled.
Mr. McKenzie smiled at
Maggie and her grandpa. "Aye, it gets noisy. Come inside and have a cup of
tea. Maggie, I’ve just bought some biscuits. Would you like some?
Maggie grinned. "Yes,
please."
They walked into the
lighthouse. It was small inside. There was a small kitchen and a couch to
sit on. Maggie and her grandpa sat down. She looked around her. The walls
were painted white, just like on the outside. There was a staircase
leaving up to the top. It went around and around in a spiral. The windows
inside were narrow and there weren’t too many of them. Yet, it was light
enough. "Here you are then," Mr. McKenzie said, handing Grandpa his tea,
and Maggie her biscuits and tea.
"Thank you," Maggie said.
"Can I go up those winding stairs?" she asked after nibbling on a few
cookies.
"Aye, lass, but be careful
at the top. There’s a railing and it’s a long way to the ground if you
fall," Mr. McKenzie warned. "In fact, I think your grandpa and I will come
with you."
Maggie climbed quickly up
the stairs, followed by a much slower Grandpa. Mr. McKenzie came up last.
She opened the door and went outside. She looked over the edge. "We are
high up," she said to her grandpa as he came through the door.
She gazed at the large
glass windows. Inside was a light. It was huge. "Why is there a big
light?" she asked Mr. McKenzie.
"See those solar panels?"
he said pointing to them. "They light up this big light at night. When
ships come by they see the light. It warns them the cliffs are here. It’s
very bright."
Maggie looked all around.
The wind was blowing and it was very cold. She pulled her pale pink
sweater around her tightly. "Brrrrrrrr. It’s nippy up here," she said. She
stood at the rail and looked down. She could see the ocean. "Look,
Grandpa. There are the big waves again."
"Aye lass, they are big,"
Grandpa said, gazing out to sea.
They stood up there for a
while and then went back inside. Maggie looked at some seashells while her
grandpa and Mr. McKenzie talked. When they finished, Maggie jumped up.
"Thanks for the biscuits and tea, and thanks for letting me see the
lighthouse and telling me about your big light," she said in one breath.
"You’re welcome, lass. I’ll
see you again sometime," he said and waved goodbye to Maggie and her
grandpa. He shut the door behind them.
"Well, now you know how a
lighthouse works," Grandpa said to Maggie.
"I had fun today, Grandpa.
I can’t wait to tell Gran about everything I saw today, especially the
puffins," Maggie said and ran ahead through the wildflowers towards home.
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