If you ask a sailor or a fisherman to tell you a good story, they will search up their mental library of stories that were written through the course of their lives as they crossed the seven seas, tales and legends recited one too many times. Whether you believe these stories or not, it's purely up to you. You ought to be careful of the reciting talent of an old sailor which is impeccable, matching that of the bards of ancient Greece that told the epic tales of Homer. They will speak of mermaids and sirens as if they were real. And if you're not careful enough, you might be deceived to believe that they do, in fact, exist.
Or perhaps you'll be enlightened and come closer to the truth of the world, emerging from the deaths of ignorance like philosophers in Plato's allegory of the cave. Again, whatever the case may be, it's up to your own interpretation.
Fishermen and sailors of Jericho Coast will boast about having the most reliable and authentic mermaid-related tales. It is no coincidence that the expanse that lays under the Seagull Edge headland is called Serene Bay. That name was reportedly given due to the supposedly numerous witnesses of mermaids in the area by travelers. No one can say for sure if these tales are true or not. Only the seagulls that fly across the coast and the old lighthouse that stands proudly on top of the Seagull Edge know the truth, but refuse to spill their secret knowledge. The lighthouse is perhaps a little bit more stoic, but the seagulls are more playful, singing songs of magnitude and the beauty of the mermaids seen by the sailors on a tune that humans are unable to understand. To them, their songs are nothing more than sad croaks.
The lighthouse used to have a name. Only the elderly remember it now. The Owl Point Reef Light used to be representative of the coral reef that laid a few miles south of the headland. But that wasn't what the reef was called nowadays. The locals preferred to call it the Scarlet Reef as a reference to the bright red corals that decorated the bottom of the sea. In its days of glory, it used to be called the Pearl of the South, guiding ships in the night and through storms away from the sharp, destructive rocks to the nearest harbor. But after the construction of the harbor of New Meadow was finished, the lighthouse was slowly abandoned. Its modern counterpart was deemed far more superior and did quite the job, shining its light miles away, guiding the ships straight into safety. The Owl Point Reef Light continued to shed light for a few couple of years, until a malfunction on its gear put an official end to its era, since no one was left to fix it anymore. The local authorities couldn't care less for a structure that had outgrown its use.
But it wasn't just a simple structure. The lighthouse was an eyewitness of all the old folktales of the sea. On its white walls covered with salt were written the story of the fisherman that had been saved from certain drowning by what allegedly was described as "dashing female figures, with long green tails, swimming faster than a playful dolphin" or that of that sailor that had heard the song of a siren calling to him from the rocks. Or perhaps that one time when another sailor claimed he had seen with his very own eyes mermaids laying on a rock, brushing their hair under the sun. The lighthouse drifted between reality and myth with elegance, neither confirming nor denying these tales for those who were willing to listen to them.
The lighthouse remained dark for two decades, becoming a simple local sight for those who wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of New Meadow with a small trip. However, fate had other plans, if you'd like to call it that. Whether it is fate, luck or a divine entity that pulls the strings of the world, it certainly favored the old lighthouse. They insisted that it had more stories to tell and keep safe. And this is where our story begins.
In the wake of the second decade, a disastrous earthquake occured, ruining a significant part of the New Meadow harbor, alongside the new lighthouse that had replaced Owl Point Reef Light. The tsunami that followed swept across the coastline, making the situation even worse than it already was. With no lighthouse to guide them, the waters of Serene Bay became dangerous to sail, save for approaching the harbor of New Meadow. For that reason alone, the local authorities decided against their better judgment to employ the old lighthouse. A technician was required to fix its broken mechanism. However, since the lighthouse was almost as old as some of the elderly of New Meadow, it was necessary that it remained under constant maintenance in order to function properly and not shut down again. The technician that was hired couldn't stay long at New Meadow, for he had other business to attend to. Yet another headache for the mayor who already had too much on his plate as it was.
But then she came like deus ex machina on an old Honda Accord of 1986, the only artifact left from her family's legacy. With hair dyed a bright pink and tattoos all over her body, Vi didn't make quite the first impression on the mayor when they met at the townhall of New Meadow. In fact, the man didn't seem to be easily amused. Being in his late fifties, he had acquired the title years ago. He was hard working and dedicated, which often wasn't the case in politicians of any kind, but perhaps that was what got him re-elected. Now he was faced with an emergency and he needed to act quickly. Vi was the last person on earth he would find himself around, but undeniably she was skillful and had a lot of experience. After all, she was a mechanic that had worked in numerous workshops and even on several ships through the years. Whatever her reasoning was behind accepting this job as the lighthouse keeper, she didn't say. And quite frankly, the mayor didn't care as long as she did her job properly.
After the first meeting at the town hall and after signing several papers, the mayor hopped into his grey Volkswagen Bora, similar to his hair, and led Vi to the lighthouse, driving a distance of about four kilometers. Half the distance there, the asphalt stopped and the rest of the road was just dirt. Vi didn't mind one bit when the old lighthouse came into view. Tall and imposing, its shadow covered a great distance on the ground. It was painted white and another structure was built at the base, probably serving as a house of sorts. This would be Vi's home for a while. It wasn't half bad in her opinion.
The mayor pulled over outside the lighthouse and Vi parked her car right behind his. She stepped outside, cigarette hanging off her lips and the sea breeze hitting her right in the face. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation before she heard another door shutting with force. The mayor walked up to her and handed her a pair of keys, briefly explaining what each was for. He then excused himself. He probably never intended to stick around too long. Vi didn't mind. She wanted to take her sweet time exploring the place.
There was a singular oak door at the base of the lighthouse. Vi headed towards there first. She had a little trouble unlocking the door, and using her shoulder for one last push, she finally got inside. As clean as the lighthouse looked from the outside, spiders had conquered much of the inside, sprawling their cobwebs everywhere. Vi wrenched her nose as the smell of death and rodent drops hit her nostrils. It was clear that no one had been in there in years, except for the technician that had come over to fix it. A metallic spiral staircase led to the top of the lighthouse. A smaller ladder led to the machine room. Out of curiosity, Vi went downstairs to see for herself the mechanism that allowed the lighthouse to shine. It was indeed very old and enormous. She probably had never witnessed anything like it throughout her career as a mechanic. Now that she had a closer look, she wasn't entirely sure if she would be able to fix it should anything happen to it, but she needed to have faith in her skills. With those thoughts in mind, she headed upstairs.
The trip upstairs was dreadful, but Vi was certain she would get used to it in due time. At the top, she found the spinning headlight sitting still at the center. The sun managed to slip inside through the dirty glass panels that surrounded the place. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and there were a few dead rats here and there laying on the floor. The view however was very much rewarding. The endless blue of the sea unraveled in front of her eyes, an occasional ship passing by and the seagulls flying in circles around the tall structure. It was really beautiful there.
The house below was small, but comfortable. Nothing too extravagant, just a simple functional place to live in; one bedroom, a small kitchen in the same space as the living room and a tiny bathroom. There must have been another lighthouse keeper years ago - she found some forgotten items in the cupboards and several discolored pictures of a man with a long beard and a kind smile. Even an old black and white television was left behind to honor his legacy. A place frozen in time was the only hope for New Meadow.
Vi discovered a broom and a mop and started cleaning the house as best as she could master. With a little love, she was certain that this place could find its old glory. It was almost night time when she found herself satisfied with her cleaning. It was the lighthouse she was dreading to clean up. This place was just enormous. But of course, she didn't have anything else to fill her days with anyway. Placing the mop against the wall, Vi headed out and went back to the lighthouse, down at the machine room. This thing wasn't automatic, therefore she had to make sure to light it up every night and switch it off every morning. At first, she was overwhelmed by the amount of buttons and switches presented to her, but after messing around a little bit with them, she managed to turn the projector on. Vi only hoped that it wouldn't crush in the middle of the night, because that would be catastrophic.
Later that night, Vi found herself laying down on the bed on a rather hard mattress, looking outside the window and the beams of light that came and went with each turn of the projector that could be seen from miles away. Everything was so quiet that she was able to hear the sea crush against the sharp rocks at the bottom of the headland. She laid there awake for hours, listening to the waves and watching the light from her window, until she slowly drifted to sleep. And just before she let herself fall into Morpheus' arms, she made a mental note to do some shopping tomorrow at New Meadow.
The next day, Vi woke up at dawn. She was pleased to see that the lighthouse didn't break down during the night. The first thing she did was to switch it off before moving on with her day. After a poor breakfast consisting of crackers and some coffee, Vi grabbed her keys and drove all the way to New Meadow. It wasn't that great of a distance; only 4 kilometers away from the lighthouse. But it was a pleasant drive, passing by the sea, with her window rolled down completely and her arm lazily hanging around, the breeze messing her hair almost affectionately.
Entering the town, the brown Honda Accord was met by a scene of distraction. Houses had collapsed, the road had cracked open in certain spots and people lived in tents away from their homes, most of them gathered in the town's park. It was a heart-wrenching scene. Vi drove slowly around the place, looking for a market to shop. After wandering around like a lost dog for a while, she pulled over outside of a small shop just behind the town square. The street was relatively quiet, but that was to be expected since it was still rather early. Vi was the only person to enter the mini marker.
A small bell hanging near the door announced her presence. It was slightly messy, but the owner had made a visible effort to put everything back in place. An old man stood behind a counter and his face lit up upon seeing Vi in his shop. Vi took her sweet time gathering everything she needed, from cleaning supplies to food. In the meantime, the bell rang again. Vi didn't pay attention to what was happening at the entrance of the shop, but she assumed another customer had just arrived. When she made sure she had gotten everything she needed, she headed back to the counter to pay for everything. However, the new customer didn't seem to have any intentions of purchasing anything as he leaned against the counter and talked with the old man. He was a young man in his early twenties, no older than Vi herself, with bright blond hair and an old brown leather jacket that probably wasn't his. Vi had to clear her throat in order to pay. The man gave her a quick glance and then immediately smiled.
"Oh, sorry," he said, moving away to give Vi space.
"Don't stress it," Vi shrugged as she reached for her wallet.
The man gave her another glance. Vi was used to people staring due to the punk vibes she evoked, but she didn't always tolerate people commenting on her appearance. She embraced herself for whatever this boy had to say. "I've never seen you before. Are you new in town?" He asked instead.
"I actually am," Vi replied.
"Wait. You must be the new lighthouse keeper!" The man realized.
Vi arched her brow. "I didn't know it was that big of a deal," she said as she handed her money over to the cashier.
"New Meadow isn't a big town. Gossip is exchanged quickly, as you'll find out for yourself," the man chuckled. "I'm Ezreal, by the way."
"Vi," she said, offering her hand.
Ezreal accepted the handshake. "Do you need any help with those?" He asked, pointing at all the items she had just purchased.
"I think I got it handled," Vi responded as she threw everything into a plastic bag. "So, people have been talking about me, huh?"
"Well, if you set it that way, it almost sounds bad," Ezreal said. "It's just that there hasn't been anyone to take care of the Owl Point Reef Light for decades. People are just curious."
"You would think that they have other things to worry about than a newcomer," Vi commented as she lifted the bag with relative ease and walked outside. Ezreal followed her.
"You do have a point," Ezreal agreed. "But it keeps them distracted, you know? It's been hard," he confessed, his tone suddenly saddened. "Anyway, it's nice to have new faces around. Say, is the view of Serene Bay as good as old man Dotson claims, or is it just a hoax?"
Vi opened the trunk of her car. "Is this what it's called?"
"Yep." Ezreal nodded. "Lots of folks tell stories about mermaids and such swimming in these waters. Of course, it is just that; tales. No actual proof whatsoever."
Vi barked a laugh. "Of course. And to answer your question, yes the view is godlike. That is not a hoax."
It was Ezreal's turn to laugh. "You're funny. I like you."
Before Vi had the chance to respond, a white SUV drove down the street, abruptly stopping behind Vi's car. At first, Vi wondered why it had stopped there, but then she realized that it had no space to move. The driver honked and rolled down his window to shout at the pair. He was also young, barely older than Vi. He looked unquestionably displeased and annoyed.
"How do you park like that? You don't own the street. At least have some sensibility to move your car!" He shouted.
Vi rolled her eyes. She immediately hated his attitude. "Relax pretty boy, or else you're gonna get yourself some wrinkles."
"Just get your damn car out of the way, woman!"
"Damn Jayce, relax! What has gotten into you?" Ezreal shot back.
The man named Jayce shot Ezreal a glare. "Unlike you, Ezreal, I have got places to be."
Vi got in her car and moved so Jayce's SUV could go through. Once the space was open, he accelerated and disappeared.
"What a jerk," Vi commented.
Ezreal walked up to her car, standing out of the driver's window. "He's not always that bad," he argued. "It's just that he's been stressed lately."
"About defending his title as asshole of the year?" Vi asked and Ezreal snickered.
"He has his moments. Anyway, unlike what Jayce thinks, I actually got some business to attend to. It was very nice to meet you, Vi. If you're ever in town or need anything, just hit me up."
"I'll be seeing you around," Vi said before bidding him farewell and driving off. Life at New Meadow was bound to be anything but boring.
A/N: New chapters (hopefully) every Monday.
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