AT THE TOP OF THE LIGHTHOUSE
by
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The boys pushed their bikes to the front of the ferry. The Gulf breeze carried the gentle scent of saltwater, but it was permeated by the diesel fuel of the engines. Eager seagulls circled the whole boat hoping that passengers would throw them food. Some, mostly tourists, were happy to oblige. A few of the birds approached Jeff and Scott. They seemed to float in the air as they kept inching closer toward the boys. "We don't have any food!" Scott yelled. "I really wish people wouldn't try to feed these stupid birds! They will only crap all over you and beg for more food," added Jeff. Eventually, the seagulls realized that the boys weren't going to feed them and flew away to either pester other passengers or join the large flock of birds at the back of the boat where passengers were freely throwing food in the air. "You know, I've heard that if you feed them antacid tablets, they explode!" Scott said with a mischievous grin. "Does your dad carry any in his store?" Jeff asked. "Maybe we can get some and test that hypothesis the next time we head over to the mainland." The ferry continued its slow trek across the bay. The water was calm and appeared as smooth as glass as far as the eye could see. The only waves were that of the ferry wake. Often in calm waters, the wake would churn up sea life such as jellyfish. Sometimes when waters were exceptionally calm, dolphins could be seen swimming alongside the ferry. Just then, a little girl who was standing with her father near the front spotted the dorsal fins of two Atlantic bottlenose dolphins swimming nearby. "Sharks!" she screamed. "No, sweetie," the dad said calmly. "Those are dolphins." "Are they nice?" "Yes, they are very nice." "I like them if they are nice. Will we see more on our trip?" "We're staying at the beach. Dolphins usually don't come that close to the beach." "I love the beach, Daddy. Will you build a sandcastle with me?" "Of course, I will!" The little girl and her father continued talking about things they were planning to do on the island over the weekend as they walked back towards the passenger observation deck. "Tourists!" Scott said as he scoffed and shook his head. "No doubt," Jeff replied. "Tourists make my life miserable. All those beach houses people rent between Karankawa Point and Liefenne are already booked until Labor Day, I'm sure. Guess where they stop first when they get off the ferry?" Scott rolled his eyes and huffed. "Starting tomorrow until we go back to school, I'll have to sit in my dad's shop working for nothing, I have no doubt!" "Well, at least you get to meet and talk to people. Meanwhile, I'm stuck watching Mikey and making sure tourists don't try to trespass at the lighthouse. So many people think it's a tourist attraction even though it has a private property sign posted right out by our driveway. I blame my dad. He's the one who applied for the Texas State Historical Landmark sign. That didn't help. At least we have three months to just be islanders and not island idiots." "I guess." Their conversation was interrupted by the usual announcement the captain made from the public address system as they approached the ferry docks. "Attention, passengers. We are approaching the ferry landing. Please return to your vehicles at this time. Please do not start your vehicles until we have docked. All drivers, pedestrians, and bike riders must await directions from deckhands before disembarking the ferry." The ferry docked, and Jeff started riding toward the ramp, Scott following close behind. Both boys sped past the deckhands and off the ferry as soon as the ramp was secure, completely ignoring the deckhands. "Either your dad isn't working today or he's on one of the other ferries," Scott said to Jeff as he caught up to him. "You never would have tried that risky move if he had been on our ferry today!" "Yeah, he's on the William B. Travis today. But I'm sure Rusty will let him know. I nearly ran over him trying to get over the ramp!" The boys continued on their bikes about a mile down the highway until they came to Taylor's Bait and Tackle. They stopped in the store's parking lot. To the right, next to Scott's dad's store, was the road that led to the beach and jetties. To the left was the road that went into the small town and towards the private road that went to the lighthouse. "Well, I guess I'll see you later," Jeff said to Scott. "Yep." "Do you want to spend the night at my house, or do you want me to sleep over at yours?" "Memorial Day Weekend? People will be at the store early. I'd better stay at yours." Scott really wanted to avoid being roped into working on his first day of summer. "Meet me at the top of the lighthouse tonight?" "I'll be there."
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About the Book
Scott Taylor and Jeff Fahlman live on a small barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast and have been best friends since early childhood. Scott's family owns the local bait and tackle shop and lives in the house right next door. Just a mile across the way, Jeff if in the fourth generation of the Fahlman family to live in the old keepers' quarters on the property of the Karankawa Point Lighthouse. The top of the old lighthouse is a special place for the boys. As kids, they would meet and play, and as teens, they would hang out and escape the pressures of school, family, and life. The lighthouse stands on the west end of the island in the small community of Karankawa Point, which is just across the bay, and a twenty-minute ferry ride from the mainland. While the physical distance between the island and the mainland is only three miles, the bay is a chasm between the lifestyles of the islanders and the mainlanders. When tragedy forces Scott's family to move to the mainland right before his first year of high school, the friends' lives are forever changed. As Scott tries to adapt to his new life on the mainland and Jeff remains on the island, they struggle to keep their friendship together. Throughout the triumphs and tragedies of their lives, the battle to keep their friendship alive always seems to find them back together at the top of the lighthouse.
About the Author
James C. Kingsmill is a life-long resident of Baytown, Texas, a suburban coastal community on Galveston Bay. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Houston Baptist University. He received a creative writing endorsement and was awarded the Danny Lee Lawrence Award for creative writing in fiction. He is a member of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. As a coastal resident, he always had an interest in lighthouses, especially the preservation of those along the Texas Gulf Coast.