There once was a boy, who lived by the sea. The waves were his playground, the seashore his home. The sun, was his father. His light would call him to play and, in his shadows, he would lay down to rest.
The boy laughed with the fish and danced with the wind and sometimes at night, he would sneak into the Lighthouse to listen to her many stories of exciting adventures. During stormy nights, the Lighthouse would shield him from the harshness of the outdoors and together, they would bathe in the calmness of many silent starry nights. With time, their bond grew strong and as the Sun had once done, the Lighthouse’s lamp would call him to play and, in her shadows, he would lay down to rest.
The boy grew up to be a merchant and the waves that once were his sanctuary were now taking him away. As he rose for his first adventure, a sad sense of beauty stretched above the sun-kissed skies of Beirut. Only a few strong rays still crept through the billowy folds of the low-hanging cotton candy clouds. His hand rested on his tall strong companion, he sighed.
“Where are they taking me, the waves?” Asked the merchant.
“Anywhere.” Said the lighthouse smiling. “Everywhere.”
“I’m scared.” He replied.
“Fear destroys more dreams than failure ever will. And believe me, on the other side of all fear is freedom.” she explained.
“I want to stay here!” Exclaimed the merchant. “I have so much more to learn from you! So many of your stories I have yet to hear!”
“I will not move, my dear, I am waiting for your return. You will travel far, and if you ever lose your way, my light will guide you through the tricky paths and towards a safer route. You will feast with the Irish and dine with the Dutch. You will see snow so cold it could freeze the sky. You will read books so big they will fill your mind. You will revel in sceneries so beautiful they will make you cry. You will meet people that will change your life. You will have adventures of your own. And when you come back home, you will tell me of them and I will tell you more of mine.”
A small weight lifted off the merchant’s chest.
“And when your boat is ready,” the lighthouse continued, “and your heart is full, you will leave again, to go onto your next adventure. You will come and go until you tire, until your knees buckle and they ground you into the earth, until your mind shines so bright it lights the night sky. Then, you will stand, as I stand, and stay, where I stay, you will be, as I am, a lighthouse for the rest of your days.”
The merchant choked back a sob, for in that moment, he was a boy again clinging to his home.
“But I will be alone, and you will too!” he cried.
“Never!” She reassured. “You are my light as I am yours. I have no purpose if not to guide you, and you cannot navigate without me here. Neither of us can be without the other.”
“And only with your love, can I touch the sky…” The merchant whispered.
As the last signs of the day hid behind the horizon, the merchant reached the edge of the sea, a ray of light escaped the lighthouse’s eyes and fell across his path, as a tear would fall across a mother’s cheek…
