Chapter 6 - The Night the Lights Went Out
Z
The storm arrived three days later.
Rain battered the estate windows, and the harbor disappeared beneath black clouds. At eight thirty, the lights flickered.
Noah dropped his wooden boat.
The second flicker sent him under the bed.
Marin found him curled against the wall, both hands clamped over his ears.
“Hey,” she whispered. “It's only a storm.”
His breathing grew faster.
She sat on the floor rather than pulling him out.
“Would you like me to stay here?”
After a moment, a small hand appeared from beneath the bed.
Marin took it.
They waited together until the lights went out completely.
Somewhere in the house, an alarm sounded.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway. Freddy shouted orders. Gideon's voice cut through the confusion.
Then a distant crash echoed from the lower floor.
Noah began shaking.
Marin reached for her phone and turned on its flashlight. She placed it against a glass jar, making a small lantern.
“Look,” she said. “A lighthouse.”
She moved the light slowly across the wall.
Noah watched.
“Lighthouses don't stop storms. They just help people find their way through them.”
His breathing eased.
Marin began telling him a story about a little boat that lost its map but followed a light home.
When she finished, Noah whispered something.
It was so faint she almost missed it.
“Boat.”
Marin froze.
“What did you say?”
Noah's eyes widened. He pressed his lips together.
“That's okay,” she said quickly. “You don't have to say it again.”
He looked at her, then at the boat lying beside the bed.
“Boat,” he repeated.
Marin's eyes filled with tears.
“That's right.”
The bedroom door opened.
Gideon stood in the darkness, his phone lighting his face. He had heard the word.
For several seconds, he couldn't move.
Noah reached toward him.
“Dad.”
Gideon dropped to his knees.
He gathered his son into his arms, burying his face in the boy's hair.
Marin turned away to give them privacy, but Gideon reached for her free hand.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
She squeezed his fingers.
“He did the hard part.”
May you like
Outside, the storm continued.
Inside, a child had found his voice again.
