The Lighthouse Keeper's Apprentice
Young Toby climbed the spiral staircase of Cape Sorrow Lighthouse with a heavy lantern in his arms. His grandfather had tended the beacon for fifty years, teaching Toby that the light did not merely guide ships, it gave wandering souls a harbor in the dark. On his first solo night, a dense, unnatural fog rolled in, choking the coastline and extinguishing the beacon's flame. Desperate and terrified, Toby struck match after match, but the damp air drowned every spark. Remembering his grandfather's parting words about inner resolve, Toby closed his eyes, pressed his palms against the cold brass burner, and imagined the brightest sunrise he had ever seen. The wick caught instantly, roaring with a golden fire that pierced the thickest fog.
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