Grace’s arms were wrapped tightly around knees pulled up to her chest.
Sarah hugged Rex.
The lighthouse stairs began filling with weary storm survivors.
Mama placed her hand on Louise’s round belly. “All right, honey. You just squeeze Melvin’s hands as hard as you can. It’s almost time to push. Just hang in there a little bit longer, sweetheart.”
“You’re doing a great job, Louise.” Melvin squeaked the words out.
Sarah moved from Rex’s side and knelt by Mama at the business end of the birth. She handed Mama whatever she asked for, vowing never to get pregnant as long as she lived. She’d heard how beautiful and natural the birth process was supposed to be, but after this day she would question that notion. It was one thing to watch a cow give birth. Seeing it happen to one’s flesh and blood sister was another thing all together.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!” Louise hollered with each panting breath.
“That’s right, honey, blow it out. That pain means the baby’s almost here. Don’t push yet, all right?” Mama’s voice cracked and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Wind hit the lighthouse with unrelenting gusts. Sarah was knocked over from her kneeling position.
Louise released a bloodcurdling scream followed by heart wrenching sobs.
Rex whimpered from where he sat across the room with Grace.
“Shh, shh, everything’ll be all right.” Melvin stroked his wife’s hair away from her face.
“Mama?” Sarah whispered, half panicked. “Is she going to be all right?”
“She’s ready. Tear a strip of cloth from that rag. Make sure the knife is close where I can find it, and put those baby blankets right here.” She patted the floor beside her.
“I’ve got to push!”
Mama put her hands on Louise’s knees. “Don’t push yet, honey, just one more minute. Sarah, get over there with Melvin. I want one of you on each side of Louise. Get your shoulder in behind her so she can push against you.”
For the first time since Daddy died, the strong, brave woman her mama used to be returned. God was there with them.
Mama rubbed Louise’s knee. “Well, Melvin, are you ready to be a daddy?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“All right now, honey, whenever you’re ready you can start pushing.”
Louise didn’t waste any time. She planted her feet and pushed. Her body went limp. She panted; exhaustion was setting in.
“Come on, honey! Push! I can see the head!” Mama spoke firmly to her daughter. “I need you to give me one more big push so we can get this baby’s head out.”
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Louise cried in anguish, shaking her head. “I can’t!”
“Well, you don’t have any choice.” Mama looked at Sarah and Melvin. “When the next pain comes, I’ll count to three, and you two help her push. Ya hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sarah answered.
Melvin nodded and sniffed; his eyes brimmed with tears.
“It’s coming!” Louise yelled.
“One, two…three, push!”
“Good, good! Keep going a little more!” Mama called to Louise. “The head is out.”
Sarah craned her neck for a glimpse of the baby’s head. A reddish orb covered with dark wet wisps of hair came into view. Perhaps the baby looked like his side of the family.
“You’re doing a wonderful job, my love. I’m so very proud of you,” Melvin said.
Lightning filled the room with white light. The clap of thunder followed. It no longer drew their attention as it had before. There was a more important matter at hand.
“All right, now, honey, it’s time to get this baby out. Give me one more big push!” Mama instructed.
Louise released a deep, throaty holler, her face scrunching up.
“Good girl, Louise…push!” Mama yelled.
And seconds later, the baby was born.
Louise collapsed against Sarah and Melvin.
“Is everything all right?” Melvin’s voice was anxious.
The baby’s cry was a soft little noise that was barely heard above the raging storm.
Mama looked up with tears streaming down her face. “It’s a boy.”
“Give him to me.” Louise held up weak, shaky arms.
Mama quickly put him on the blankets. She used the topmost blanket to wipe him off. His cries grew louder as she rubbed his tiny body.
Gazing at his face brought tears to Sarah’s eyes. She was an aunt.
Swaddled tightly in the remaining blankets, Mama picked him up, kissed his forehead and handed him to Louise.
Louise lay back against Melvin, and they examined every facet of their baby’s little red face.
Grace looked at her new nephew. “Oh, Louise, he’s so beautiful!”
Melvin gently kissed Louise’s red cheeks. She reached her hand up and put her palm on the side of his face.
Sarah was moved by the love that flowed between them.
Someone knocked on the floor hatch on the floor and raised it slightly. Rex barked at the intruder. Grace motioned for Guy to come in.
Sarah went to one of the porthole-shaped windows to look out. Lightning lit up the sky, allowing a glimpse of the surroundings below. Nothing but rushing water covered the entire peninsula. Her heart grieved. She brushed tears off her cheeks and looked at her family. Louise had Melvin. Grace had Guy. Even Mama had her new grandson. Sarah was alone. Father, please protect Frederick. Thunder rolled, rattling the glass. She put her hand on the cold surface. It’s hopeless. No one could survive out in this storm. Sarah bowed her head against her arm. Oh, Lord, if it be Your will, please light the way that I might see him one more time.
34
“There, up ahead! I see the light!” Frederick yelled to Dr. Freeman over the roaring din of the storm. He quickened his pace. It seemed to have the same effect on the doctor. Both men pushed the table raft holding the mother and child as if they were on the last leg of a most peculiar relay race.
Darkness surrounded them on every side. Objects floating in the water bumped into Frederick, unnerving him. His leg muscles burned with every swimming step. The wind pushed against the raft. Frederick had to get them to a safe place before it was too late.
And, at last, they reached the lighthouse.
Frederick stood at the door of the great tower and pounded against it, his hand burned with each blow. He tried opening it, but it wouldn’t budge. Once again, he beat on the door.
Someone was opening the latch. They were saved.
A male figure stood inside the door as water poured in around his knees.
Frederick leaned in close, keeping his grip on the table. He pushed Mr. McKinney’s hat up on his head so the man could see his eyes. “Sir, we are two men with a severely injured woman and her child. I beseech you to give us shelter.”
The man held a lantern, illuminating his weathered, kind face. He immediately opened the door as best he could in the deep waters. “We don’t have much room left, but come on in.”
He helped hold the table steady while the two men untied Miss Emily and Alyssa.
Frederick held his arms out to the little girl, and she leapt into them.
The doctor lifted the young woman off the raft and carried her inside the structure.
Frederick followed with Alyssa, set her down on the stairs, and then turned to help the lighthouse keeper close the door against the flood. Other hands reached to push the door closed.
Frederick glanced out the crack in the door in time to see their raft whisked away by the rushing Gulf water.
Dr. Freeman placed Miss Emily on the stairs and sat down beside her.
She slumped against the doctor’s shoulder like a ragdoll.
The man lifted his lantern and looked closely at the young woman. “Is she all right?”
Dr. Freeman nodded. “Yes, I believe she will be all right now that we’re out of the storm. She’s suffered a severe ankle fracture.
The elements haven’t been kind to us. She needs to rest.”
“I can understand that. By the way, I’m Harry Claiborne, the lightkeeper.”
“Frederick Chessher and this is Dr. Theodore Freeman.” Frederick waved at Theodore. “Thank you so much for allowing us in.” Frederick shook the man’s hand while standing in the waist high water as though it were normal.
The lantern light cast eerie shadows against the brick tower wall. Every step going up the enormous tower was filled with survivors, two and three abreast. Women and children wailed in terror as the lighthouse swayed against the relentless wind. Seawater dripped down on the newcomers from the soaking wet clothes of those sitting above them.
“Good lord, how many have you taken in?”
Mr. Claiborne stared up at the crowd above him. “More than a hundred.”
A sliver of hope entered Frederick’s heart. “Tell me, have you seen a young woman with long, golden hair? She would have been with her mother…and sisters.”
“Mister, I have no idea who all’s on these stairs. Anyone who came to us we let them in.” He wiped water from his face. “I’ve got to get back up topside. Can’t let the light go dark. It’s my duty.”
“Yes, of course.” Frederick grasped Claiborne’s arm. “Again, I thank you for allowing us shelter.”
Mr. Claiborne dipped his chin. He put his foot on the step beside Alyssa and carefully made his way over, around, and through the horde of people taking refuge on the stairs.
Frederick sat down beside Alyssa. She snuggled close to him, and he pulled the child into his lap. Large round eyes stared up at him.
“Are we safe now, Mr. Fred?” Raindrops mixed with tears sparkled on her lashes in the slowly fading lantern light.
Water lapped at the soles of his shoes. He squeezed the little girl tight. “I certainly hope so, my dear.”
The lamplight evaporated, plunging them into total darkness. Alyssa laid her head against his chest. “I’m scared,” she whined.
“Don’t be afraid, darling. I’m right here, and I won’t let go.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Mr. Fred, Mommy says that when I’m afraid I should ask God to protect me. Will you say a prayer for me?”
Frederick refused to acknowledge God, Who brought such hellish destruction down on His people. No, he wouldn’t do it.
“Why don’t you say your own prayer, Alyssa? How does that sound?”
The child huffed out a stream of sobs. “But, but, I don’t know how!”
Dr. Freeman reached down and rested his hand on Alyssa’s head. “I’ll pray for you, child. Now bow your head.”
Frederick was happy for the darkness surrounding them. It hid his quivering lips. He didn’t have to conceal the burning teardrops brimming over his eyelids. No one could see his heartache. Oh, Sarah, please be safe, wherever you are. He couldn’t quell the sobbing that shook his body. If I die this night, my love…I, I hope you will find my lifeless body and know that I came back for you as I said I would. I love you, my darling. Please know that I love you.
35
Sarah rubbed the chill bumps forming on her damp arms. The cyclone forced rainwater through even the tiniest crevices in the gallery walls and windows. The door to the catwalk rattled furiously. She prayed the hinges would stay in place. Should they give way, she and her family would be sucked out into the raging tempest. The skies had been dark as nightfall most of the day. If Frederick were here he could look at the shiny gold watch he kept in his vest pocket and tell her the time. Sarah closed her eyes against such thoughts. It only made the pain in her heart sting all the more. She leaned over and put her arms around Rex’s neck, thankful to have him by her side.
The storm came ashore with a fury never seen before. Surges of wind pressed against the lighthouse. The enormous tower swayed like a palm tree in the unrelenting wind.
Most of those in attendance had their heads bowed. They all prayed, many out loud, that God would spare their lives.
Mr. Claiborne worked to make sure the beacon never went dark.
Sarah’s heart went out to the people lining the spiral stairs. The rungs were so narrow. The desperate cries from the children expressed how terribly afraid they were in the cramped, dark confines of the tower. They hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for hours. There must be something she could do to help. Mr. Claiborne’s water pail!
He’d drawn in the bucket of rainwater and emptied it into another container several times already. Sarah rose from the floor, careful not to lose her balance and headed for the water receptacle. Picking up the two tin cans Mr. Claiborne had previously used, she scooped water into them and went to the hatch in the floor. She opened the doorway.
A woman with wild, windblown hair squinted up at her.
“I have water, two cans full. Tell everyone to take a sip and pass it down. And send them back up so I can refill them.”
The woman accepted the first can and gave a sip to the old, white-haired woman next to her. “Bless you, child.” She then took a small drink herself before passing the cans and the instructions on to the persons sitting below her. “The water is salty.”
“Yes, I know.”
“How can there be seawater in the rain?”
“I don’t know.” She closed the door. Sarah crawled to Mama. “I’m so scared, Mama. I don’t think we’re gonna make it.”
Mama patted Sarah’s arm. “You’ve got to have faith, baby girl. God didn’t bring us this far to abandon us when we need Him the most. He’s gonna see us through.”
Sarah closed her eyes, desperately trying not to panic. She wanted nothing more than to share her mother’s blind faith, but how could she when every one of them was doomed? The inevitable was coming as fast as the impending cyclone. “But there’s never been a storm this bad, Mama! And, and, what about Frederick? He said he was coming back to me, Mama! He’s not gonna make it!”
Mama squeezed her tight and shushed her. “Calm down, Sarah. Everything is gonna…”
Screech!
Mr. Claiborne pulled his head out of the small closet he rustled through and turned his ear to listen.
Screech!
Rex barked wildly at the strange sound.
“What is that?” Grace hollered.
The lightkeeper turned toward her voice, but looked at his nephew. They exchanged a knowing look before he turned his gaze to the closest circular window. “That sounded like the clockworks!” He dashed to the door and peered out the circular window. “It’s the clockworks all right. I don’t see any rotation of the light.” Claiborne put his hands on his hips and stared at the storage closet he’d previously been rummaging through. He turned to Guy. “I’m going up.”
Guy released Grace and jumped to his feet. “Not without a safety rope you’re not.” He went to the closet and pulled out a length of rope and began tying it around his uncle’s waist. He took the other end and tied it to an iron eyebolt.
Mrs. Claiborne hugged him. “Please be careful, dear.”
Mr. Claiborne kissed the top of her head and scrambled from her embrace. He grabbed a couple of tools out of storage and made his way up the ladder built into the gallery wall.
Guy climbed halfway up the ladder and kept watch over him.
“Be careful, Guy!” Grace yelled to her fiancé.
“Come here, Grace!” Mama motioned her over.
Grace scooted across the floor next to Mama.
“Look!” Grace pointed to the window. Once again, the lighthouse beacon was turning round.
“He’s rotating the fixture by hand,” Guy said.
“How long can he keep that up? What if he can’t, and a ship runs ashore? Or even worse, it crashes into the lighthouse!” Grace was terrified.
Mama began softly singing. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’s name.”
Sarah and Mrs. Claibo
rne joined her.
“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.”
Mrs. Claiborne sang the next verse. “When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil!”
Mama raised her hand in praise. “Amen!”
God’s presence shined bright inside the lighthouse.
An unexplainable peace shown on Grace’s face when His Spirit came upon her.
They kept singing.
“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.”
~*~
Water covered Frederick’s legs to his knees. He held Alyssa tight. He feared she might fall into the swirling waters and drown. In the time since they had arrived, the water’s depth had risen by at least three inches. He concentrated on taking deep breaths and releasing them. It was his only defense against the chilling fingers of claustrophobia closing like a vise around his neck. He had nowhere to go, neither up nor down. A hundred or more souls hung on iron rungs above him, and a dark watery grave pooled at his feet.
A deafening boom of thunder was only one of numerous noises triggered by the roaring cyclone. His eyes remained wide open even though he was enveloped by total darkness. Objects hit the tower walls. A loud thud…perhaps it was a cow or maybe even someone’s bed. Ping, ping, ping. Had it begun to hail? Or had some poor child lost his marbles? He feared he was losing his.
The next sound made him pull Alyssa’s head into his chest, covering her ears. The deep guttural sound of a man screaming seemed to go on forever. In a final, swelling crescendo, the body hit the outer wall with a sickening thump. The screams fell silent. Contempt boiled inside Frederick. “Where are You, God?”
A small hand curled around his thumb, and Alyssa pulled his hand to her chest. “Don’t worry, Mr. Fred. God is right here in my heart, and He’s going to protect us.”
Frederick leaned his head into Alyssa’s matted hair and kissed her. She reminded him so much of his two little sisters back home. Would they have been so strong faced with the same situation? Would he ever see them again? God, if You really are here, please spare all of these gathered in this strong tower. And God…save my Sarah.
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