The Flannan Isles Lighthouse is infamous for the mysterious disappearances of its keepers. Every seventh night, they vanish without a trace, never to return. Some say they fled, abandoning their posts in secret. Others believe they fell into the icy waters and drowned. But a few whisper of something far worse—a creature of the night that comes to feast on their insides.
Whatever the truth may be, the lighthouse must be maintained. Another keeper is always needed. And now, that keeper is me.
As the boat rocks beneath me, carrying me toward the desolate isle, I wonder if I will share the fate of those before me. Perhaps that is why I accepted this post—to disappear, to leave behind my sorrows and be swallowed by the night. But until that moment comes, I must keep the light burning, guiding others safely home.
The waves crash against the boat, cold and relentless, as the lighthouse looms in the distance—a solitary beacon against the encroaching dark. A hollow wind howls through the air, whispering secrets I cannot yet understand.
I wonder where I will find myself when the night finally takes me—never to be seen again, just another name in this endless tragedy.
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139,047 Literary Works • 672,399 Reviews
Fantastically atmospheric, the language is evocative and the tension is visceral. The mystery of the Flannan Isles lighthouse is one I'm familiar with and this short story does it justice. Really good work
Okay! This story is super atmospheric and is obviously only meant to be a glimpse into this world to maintain the mystery and somberly tone of the piece, yet I can't help myself from asking why? Why does the narrator seem so intent on disappearing, or at least resigned to it. Additionally, the sudden switch in voice but not tone after the first paragraph could be better, from a disconnected storyteller to someone actually being metaphorically "sent to hang" Otherwise, it's a wonderful piece and great standalone short work.
I was honestly expecting you to end this how any other person would with the character finally doing what has never been done by previous people. I like that you gave the character hope only for it to be a failure. It really draws the reader's attention. There are good details, and you were very descriptive. I could easily picture the scene. Overall, this is solid gold. Though this story does kind of sound familiar. But good job.
Hello, I'm here to leave a review.
First of all, a semi-silly thought I had is that all lighthouse keepers should just take six-day shifts so no one ever stays around for that seventh night. Or would disappearances still happen every seven days?
Anyway, nice short story! It's pretty engaging even though it's not very long. The opening sounds a little more like an informational report, but then the tone shifts to more of a mysterious, folk tale feel. That felt a little disconnected to me, but I wouldn't say it's bad. Just something to think about.
I like how this story explores the narrator's aims and internal conflicts in such a short period of time. You've shown here that the narrative doesn't have to go on and on to be exciting, and a reader can be drawn into a story pretty quickly.
I have mixed feelings about the ending. On one hand, I realize that it is most likely meant to be ambiguous. It's supposed to leave a sense of mystery and the unknown. And yet it also leaves us wanting to find out what actually happens, to solve the long-standing mystery of why lighthouse keepers disappear! But for what this piece is meant to be, I think it works well.
Good work, and keep writing!
they cant take 6 days shift cause the light house keepers live in the light house and the Flannan Isles Lighthouse is a lighthouse which has this same mystery u can look it up