BooksBarbecue
Back The Lighthouse Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. PART ONE
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. PART TWO
  13. 12
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 18
  18. 19
  19. 21
  20. 22
  21. 23
  22. 24
  23. 25
  24. 26
  25. 27
  26. 28
  27. 30
  28. 31
  29. 32
  30. 33
  31. 34
  32. 35
  33. 36
  34. 37
  35. 38
  36. 39
  37. 40
  38. 41
  39. 42
  40. 43
  41. PART THREE
  42. 44
  43. 45
  44. 46
  45. 47
  46. 49
  47. 50
  48. 51
  49. 52
  50. EPILOGUE

Over in the square, the Lighthouse Festival was officially being opened on the steps of the town hall with the cutting of an enormous ribbon. Fanfare erupted as the rides, which had been dormant earlier, grunted into life. The rainbow-colored carriages of the Ferris wheel began carrying pairs of dangling legs into the sky, while over by the fountain the old-fashioned carousel chimed circus-style music as it began the first of many revolutions for the day. Children swelled into the midway, hurling hoops at bowling pins and shoving Ping-Pong balls into the mouths of clowns, and the food caravans were slowly being inundated with crowds of people drawn toward the sweet, sugary smells wafting across the square.

The town’s entire population seemed to be in attendance, ­leaving the roads notably empty. Amy doubted a cab would be driving by anytime soon. But while she was waiting by the side of the curb, Amy caught the eye of a young girl watching her from the opposite side of the street. For some reason the girl had turned her back on the festivities and appeared to be fixated on Amy. What Amy had done to earn the girl’s inquisitive stare, she didn’t know, but nevertheless she responded with a smile and a polite wave.

“You’re lost!” the girl called out.

“Excuse me?” Amy answered.

The girl looked both ways before skipping across the street, a candy apple clutched in her hand. She took a bite as she approached. “You’re not from around here, are you?” she mumbled, her small jaw working overtime to chew up the toffee.

“What makes you say that?”

“It’s kinda obvious.”

Amy’s eyebrows ticked up. “It is?”

The girl smiled mischievously before twisting a finger inside her mouth, trying to loosen chunks of toffee lodged between her teeth. “Yep.”

“You’re pretty clever, then.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Where are you from?”

“Portland.”

“When did you get here?”

“I arrived last night.”

“How did you get here?”

“We drove, why?”

Laughter tumbled out of the girl’s mouth.

“What’s funny about that?” Amy asked.

“Nothing,” the little girl replied, unable to stifle her own giggling.

Amy laughed as well. “Okay, what about you?”

“Me?”

“Yes, where are you from?”

“I’m not from around here either.”

“You’re not?”

Her blonde pigtails flew in the air as her head whipped from side to side. “Nuh-uh.” A coy look swept across her face. “Kinda like you.” She twisted the stick of the candy apple in her hands, searching for a prime section of toffee to sink her teeth into. “If you’re not lost, what are you doing just standing here looking up and down the street?”