The Lighthouse on the Island
Here is a story in English about two friends who find an abandonded lighthouse on an island. They decide to explore the lighthouse. What they find is very unexpected, and they need to make a decision that will forever change their lives. You can also listen to the story to help you improve your understanding of spoken English.
Reading English short stories is a great way to help you learn the language. Not only will it help you learn more vocabulary, but it will also help you get more familiar with English grammar. Don't try to memorize every word in the story. The more you read the story, the more familiar the words will become, and the easier it will be to understand the story without looking at the English translation.
الإعلانات
The Lighthouse on the Island
Listen to the story.
| The Lighthouse on the Island | |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | |
| Adam and Matt were kayaking along the coast. They had explored the islands that dotted this area countless times, but the area was so beautiful and relaxing that they kept coming back. | |
| "Look over there," Adam shouted, pointing to one of the larger islands. "Do you remember seeing that lighthouse before?" | |
| After a few seconds, Matt replied, "That's strange. I've never seen it before, and I'm sure we've been to that island before." | "Let's go check it out." |
| They paddled to the island, got out of their kayaks, and stood at the edge of the shore, where the waves lapped gently against the slippery rocks. In front of them loomed the old lighthouse, a tall and silent figure against the gray April sky. It looked as if it had been abandoned for many years, and it radiated a forlorn, melancholy energy. | |
| Matt started walking towards it, "Let's see if we can find a way to get inside." | |
| Adam followed, and as they walked up the steps to the lighthouse, they noticed that the door was slightly ajar and hanging crookedly in its frame. | |
| “Do you think we should really go inside?” Adam asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. | |
| Matt shrugged, but the playful smile on his lips was full of curiosity. “It’s just an old building. What could possibly happen?” | |
| They cautiously made their way up the narrow path leading to the lighthouse. The door was rusty and groaned loudly as they pushed it open. The inside was dark and filled with dust; the small flashlight Matt had brought cast long shadows over the walls. The staircase spiraling up to the top of the lighthouse looked precarious, but their curiosity drove them onward. | |
| At the top, they were met with a breathtaking view of the sea. It felt almost as if time had stood still. But something caught their attention – an old desk stood at the far end of the room, and on it lay a book with a mysterious emblem. | |
| Matt carefully opened the book, and his expression changed. “This is... a journal,” he said, his voice filled with both wonder and unease. The pages described the life of the lighthouse keeper who had once lived there. But the last entries truly sent chills down their spines – stories of strange noises and shadows that flitted by in the night. | |
| Suddenly, a faint sound came from the stairs behind them. Adam and Matt quickly turned around and saw... nothing. Yet they couldn’t shake the feeling that they were no longer alone. | |
| Chapter 2 | |
| Adam and Matt froze as the faint sound from the staircase sent shivers down their spines. The soft creaking of the old wood was impossible to ignore, as though someone—or something—was approaching. | |
| Matt closed the diary and whispered: "We should go." | |
| But before they could take a step, the sound was heard again. It was as if someone – or something – was slowly moving up the stairs. Adam lit the flashlight and directed it towards the stairs. The cone of light only caught dust dancing in the air. | |
| "It must be the wind," Adam murmured and tried to sound convinced, even though his voice trembled a little. | |
| But Matt shook his head. "There's no wind today" he replied quietly. | |
| Then there was another sound, a faint whisper that seemed to come from the walls. It sounded like someone was saying their name: "Adam... Matt..." The voice was barely audible, but it gave them both the creeps. | |
| Suddenly, the creaking stopped, and silence filled the lighthouse. It was an unnatural, heavy silence, as if the building itself was holding its breath. Then came a whisper, faint but clear: “You shouldn’t have come…” | |
| "Let's get out of here!" Adam said in a panic. | |
| As they got to the edge of the stairs, they noticed that an old lantern hung from the wall, shining with a warm glow. | |
| "Where did that come from?" Adam exclaimed. | |
| "I don't know, but look down," Matt said, fear in his voice. | |
| The stairs were gone. There was just an empty space, the floor at the bottom of the lighthouse dimly lit by the lantern. | |
| “This is impossible,” Adam whispered, looking down. “The stairs were right here!” | |
| Chapter 3 | |
| The two friends were trying to figure out what had happened when they heard a faint hissing sound - like a wind sweeping through the lighthouse, even though there were no openings. That's when they noticed it. On the wall opposite them, an old wall clock had started ticking. It had been stationary before, but now the hands were moving backwards. | |
| "Time... goes backwards?" Adam wondered aloud. | |
| They turned around, and walked away from the edge. The journal lay open on the table and began to glow faintly as the pages started slowly turning. The air around them grew cold, and the walls of the lighthouse seemed to ripple, as though reality itself were shifting. | |
| The pages suddenly stopped turning, and the room was momentarily filled with a blinding light. | |
| When the light faded, Adam and Matt found themselves in the same room—but it was no longer abandoned. The lighthouse was restored to its former glory. The floor was polished, the furniture was intact, and the air smelled faintly of sea salt and oil. Outside the windows, the view of the ocean was eerily calm. | |
| “We're not alone,” Matt said, his eyes fixed on the scene before them. There was food and fresh coffee on the table. A young man in a lighthouse keeper's uniform was now standing at the desk with the diary they had found earlier. He looked straight at them, as if he could see them, although this must be a vision of the past. | |
| "What happened?" asked Adam and looked around. It was as if they had suddenly traveled back in time, to the time when the lighthouse was still in use. | |
| “Intruders,” the man muttered low, his voice menacing. “You should not have come here.” | |
| The lighthouse suddenly became ice-cold. The floor under their feet began to shake violently, and they had to grab hold of the railing to avoid falling. The lighthouse keeper seemed to speak, but his voice was obscured by the thunderous sound that filled the entire lighthouse. The light from the lamps that had just been lit now began to pulse, and a streak of a pale blue glow spread from the walls. | |
| When the light faded, the lighthouse keeper was gone. | |
| A couple of minutes later, the door opened, and a lighthouse keeper entered. This man was much older, with light-grey hair and a short, white beard. This lighthouse keeper didn't look threatening. Instead, he smiled warmly. “I have been waiting for you,” he said. “You are the first to arrive in many years.” | |
| “What do you mean?” Matt asked. | |
| “You have awakened the lighthouse,” replied the lighthouse keeper. "It has been silent for decades, but now... now it can serve its purpose again. But you have a choice to make." | |
| “What choice?” Adam asked, his voice trembling with a mixture of horror and wonder. | |
| “Stay and become its guardian,” said the lighthouse keeper, "or leave and let its light go out forever. But know this: if you go, you will never find your way back." | |
| Chapter 4 | |
| The lighthouse keeper looked at them with a sad expression when Adam and Matt made their decision. "We can't stay" Adam said, his voice cautious but firm. "This place is not for us." | |
| Matt nodded in agreement. The lighthouse keeper sighed deeply. "That's what I thought you'd say," he replied. "But you will never be able to return. The lighthouse does not let that happen." | |
| Suddenly the world around them began to change. The room became dark and lost its clear contours. A cold wind swept through the lighthouse and made them shudder. The lighthouse keeper disappeared, as did the light that had surrounded him. | |
| "What's happening?" asked Matt as he groped in the dark. But before Adam could answer, it felt as if time stopped. The lighthouse pulled away, and they suddenly found themselves on the rocks outside. | |
| The sea roared loudly, and the wind tore in their clothes. When they looked back, the lighthouse was gone. It had completely disappeared, as if it never existed. | |
| "Where's the lighthouse?" exclaimed Adam. | |
| Matt shook his head. “I think... it disappeared. And with it everything it was showing us.” | |
| They walked along the beach, back to their kayaks, where they were met by an eerie silence. It was as if the world had returned to normal, yet an uneasy feeling remained. Neither of them could shake the thought of what they had seen and how close they had come to becoming part of something bigger - something that was now gone forever. | |
| --- | |
| They tried to return to their previous lives, but the memory of the lighthouse continued to haunt them. They both felt something was missing from their lives, that they could never be complete. Sometimes, when they looked out over the sea, they thought they saw a dim light flashing far off in the distance – as if the lighthouse was still calling them, from a place they could never reach again. |