Tag: lighthouse

The young man decided to leave the cottage for a while as the caretaker slept. He walked along the the rocky shore and enjoyed the sun while he could.  The weather was unseasonably warm.  Knowing that a warm front always proceeds a large storm front he decided that he would holed up in cottage for the next few days.  The golden sky was of particular concern for him. “Orange or yellow will hurt a fellow” he said underneath his breath.  He searched the horizon for any signs of a sail for a moment.  He could have sworn that he saw the glimmering of glass off in the distance but when no sail was spotted he presumed it was just wishful thinking.  With the tide out he actually had a beach to stroll on. As he did so he continued to look out to sea.  Just then he scuffed his foot across something half buried in the sand and fell face first on beach.  He rolled over and looked back to what it was that he had tripped over.  It was a wooden box approximately one foot wide by eighteen inches long and 8 inches deep.  He dug out the other end of the box.  It was a bit heavier than he expected for its size.  The young man lifted the box to one shoulder carried it back to the cottage. The box could not have been lost for too long.  There was no corrosion of the metal hinges or latch.  Once inside he placed his newfound prize on the table and contemplated on how to defeat the lock. He walked into the supply room and found some tools. There was a hammer and chisel, a file and after some digging around he found a box of miscellaneous keys. He would start with the keys.  He carefully began to remove the sand and debris from the lock.  Gently tapping on the lock with the handle of the chisel would get the bulk of the sand out. He inserted the first key and it wouldn’t seat fully into lock. However,  raking the key back and forth removed more sand. He patiently worked in this way for a few hours before he noticed a presence in the room. How long had the caretaker been sitting there watching him? The caretaker was just shaking his head when the younger man realized he was there.  The caretaker was holding the hammer and chisel.  With one pop of the hammer and chisel the lock opened.  Inside was a fine navigational kit consisting of a sextant, a compass, ships glass, and a chart. In the very bottom of the box well wrapped up in oil cloth was a watch. The set was exquisite. The fine craftsmanship of instruments was second to none.  The box was well fitted enough to prevent the sand from fouling up the instruments. There was a navigator somewhere that if still alive was mourning the loss of this kit. The placed the box on the hearth where the instruments could dry out and prepared the lamp for the oncoming evening.  For the first time since he was stranded the young man had a way  of plotting his position.  This was also the first night with a clear sky. Although the watch had stopped he could still latitude and general Compass points. To the best of his reckoning he was somewhere between Greenland and North America.  The compass had a sun dial on the lid which would make it possible to determine local time.