Latest / Abide Meditation App / Magical Bedtime Story _ Legends of the Owls Head Light _ Mystery Story for Sleep

Transcript

Magical Bedtime Story _ Legends of the Owls Head Light _ Mystery Story for Sleep · Abide Meditation App

0:01
Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and
0:08
Speaker 1: we get sleepy. My name's Thomas, and I'm your host.
0:15
Speaker 1: Thanks so much for tuning in. Tonight, we'll rejoin Emma,
0:22
Speaker 1: who is continuing her research about the lighthouses along the
0:27
Speaker 1: coast of Maine. If you haven't heard about Emma's past
0:31
Speaker 1: lighthouse visits, don't worry. You'll be able to enjoy this
0:36
Speaker 1: special Halloween segment all by itself. And you can always
0:41
Speaker 1: listen to the others another time. For those of you
0:46
Speaker 1: who may be familiar with her past adventures, you'll find
0:50
Speaker 1: that there is a special dose of October delight to
0:54
Speaker 1: be found at this particular historical beacon. In fact, it's
1:00
Speaker 1: home to some oft-told legends that are perfect for a
1:04
Speaker 1: stormy night. But don't worry, there's nothing scary or surprising.
1:10
Speaker 1: The only spirits we'll meet are kind and helpful. And,
1:16
Speaker 1: as with all the other stories in this series, it
1:19
Speaker 1: will be read by the wonderful voice of Abby. Let's
1:28
Speaker 1: make sure we're nicely settled in for tonight's story. Make
1:35
Speaker 1: yourself as comfortable as can be. And when you're ready,
1:42
Speaker 1: take a deep breath in. Holding at the top. Then
1:52
Speaker 1: gently releasing back out. In your own time, find a
2:02
Speaker 1: pace of breathing that feels natural and soothing for you.
2:11
Speaker 1: And just enjoy that calming rhythm for the next few moments.
2:23
Speaker 1: Often at night, various thoughts can play on our minds.
2:29
Speaker 1: Most of us know what it's like to lay awake overthinking.
2:34
Speaker 1: And it can be difficult to know how to deal
2:37
Speaker 1: with and how to respond to those thoughts. But from
2:43
Speaker 1: my experience, the key is to keep it simple. So
2:49
Speaker 1: each time a thought pops up in your mind vying
2:53
Speaker 1: for your attention, just try saying, Not now. By responding
3:03
Speaker 1: in this way, telling your thoughts, not now, you're sending
3:08
Speaker 1: a signal to your brain that you've acknowledged the thought
3:12
Speaker 1: is there, but that this is not the opportune time
3:16
Speaker 1: to deal with it, so it can gently float away,
3:22
Speaker 1: like autumn leaves falling to the ground. And when you're
3:30
Speaker 1: better prepared to deal with that thought, it will come
3:34
Speaker 1: back to you during the day. Now, as your worries
3:43
Speaker 1: fade away, allow your mind to wander to a new place.
3:51
Speaker 1: Where rocky cliffs meet the ocean. Where there's nothing to
3:57
Speaker 1: bother you. nothing to worry about. Along this coastline, there's
4:07
Speaker 1: a quiet coffee shop in a picturesque town. And this
4:14
Speaker 1: is where our story begins.
4:43
Speaker 2: Emma sat at a small table in the corner of
4:45
Speaker 2: the bakery, right by the window. The late afternoon weather
4:50
Speaker 2: was in a tempestuous mood. The days were markedly shorter
4:54
Speaker 2: on the coast of Maine at this time of autumn.
4:59
Speaker 2: Particularly on this stormy afternoon, the brevity of the daylight
5:03
Speaker 2: was compounded by dark clouds scudding across the sky. Confused
5:09
Speaker 2: by the early twilight, some of the streetlights she could
5:13
Speaker 2: see lining the thoroughfare outside the window had begun to
5:16
Speaker 2: illuminate already. The scene where Emma sat inside couldn't have
5:22
Speaker 2: been more different from the gloomy outdoor chill. Even with
5:27
Speaker 2: closing time drawing nigh, the bakery was suffused with the
5:31
Speaker 2: comforting smell of coffee and fresh bread. The shop was
5:37
Speaker 2: almost empty, except for a few patrons picking up last-minute
5:42
Speaker 2: items for dinner. One woman walked out the door with
5:47
Speaker 2: a box of dainty cookies, perhaps for a cosy dinner party.
5:53
Speaker 2: The coffee machine hissed periodically, as if doing its part
5:58
Speaker 2: to keep the bakery warm. Emma peered through the glass
6:03
Speaker 2: at the Main Street storefronts that shone through the deepening gloom.
6:09
Speaker 2: There seemed to be a decorative scarecrow competition going on
6:12
Speaker 2: in town. Whimsically attired straw people stood sheltered in some
6:19
Speaker 2: of the doorways, like cheerful sentinels of Halloween. They seemed
6:26
Speaker 2: right at home among the small, leafy cyclones that randomly
6:30
Speaker 2: appeared in the nooks and crannies around them. October's last
6:37
Speaker 2: foliage was giving up the ghosts and flying away. This
6:43
Speaker 2: was not Emma's first time in the area, She had
6:47
Speaker 2: first passed through in the summer, while learning more about
6:50
Speaker 2: the Rockland breakwater light. As a lifelong lighthouse enthusiast, Emma
6:58
Speaker 2: had been travelling the coast of Maine intermittently for a
7:01
Speaker 2: few months, visiting different historical beacons. On that last trip,
7:08
Speaker 2: her time had been limited. Other obligations had prevented her
7:13
Speaker 2: from seeing everything on her list. When she had realised
7:18
Speaker 2: she'd be passing nearby again, she thought it was a
7:21
Speaker 2: great chance to make a long-awaited visit to the main
7:25
Speaker 2: lighthouse museum. Before she headed out again, she was also
7:30
Speaker 2: interested in getting a look at the nearby Owl's Headlight,
7:34
Speaker 2: which had one of the last operating frunar lenses in Maine,
7:38
Speaker 2: and reportedly a stunning view. According to their website, the
7:45
Speaker 2: main lighthouse museum was the nation's largest of its kind.
7:50
Speaker 2: It housed a vast collection, including lenses, foghorns, and other
7:56
Speaker 2: historical equipment. After her work of the past few months,
8:02
Speaker 2: it was wonderful to see some of the artifacts up
8:05
Speaker 2: close and read the detailed information about them. There had
8:12
Speaker 2: also been some models of famous lighthouses she'd studied or
8:16
Speaker 2: visited in person. Lastly, the stories about important lighthouse keepers
8:24
Speaker 2: and their families were always her favourite part of any visit.
8:31
Speaker 2: She had spent a surprisingly long amount of time in
8:34
Speaker 2: the museum, wandering through the exhibits in blissful solitude. Tourist
8:42
Speaker 2: season was over. In retrospect, she had come at just
8:48
Speaker 2: the right time. Upon finishing her tour, the wind-whipped streets
8:56
Speaker 2: had made a stark contrast to the warm solitude of
8:59
Speaker 2: the museum. That's how she had ended up taking refuge
9:04
Speaker 2: here in the bakery. She was spending the night in
9:09
Speaker 2: an inn outside of town, and she didn't want to
9:12
Speaker 2: arrive before check-in time. Getting a cup of sweet, milky
9:18
Speaker 2: tea was the perfect excuse to hole up in a
9:22
Speaker 2: welcoming corner of this charming local spot before she headed
9:27
Speaker 2: down the peninsula for the night. The bell on the
9:32
Speaker 2: front door of the bakery rang cheerfully as another of
9:35
Speaker 2: the late customers waved goodbye to the staff and slipped
9:40
Speaker 2: out into the cold October air. Emma pulled herself out
9:45
Speaker 2: of her reverie and knew she would need to finish
9:48
Speaker 2: up her drink shortly and go. Sipping again on her tea,
9:55
Speaker 2: she retrieved a small notebook from her bag. She wanted
9:59
Speaker 2: to review the basic facts about Al's headlight before seeing
10:04
Speaker 2: it tomorrow. She nodded to herself as she ran down
10:10
Speaker 2: the list of details. The lighthouse had been built in
10:16
Speaker 2: 1825 and upon approval by President John Quincy Adams. It
10:22
Speaker 2: was positioned on a peninsula that jutted out into the
10:26
Speaker 2: Penobscot Bay, just east of Rockland. Similar to the other
10:33
Speaker 2: historic lighthouses in Maine, Owl's Head was originally built of
10:37
Speaker 2: rubble stone, no doubt for the cost savings. However, it
10:44
Speaker 2: deteriorated quickly, and was eventually rebuilt in sturdier brick in 1852.
10:50
Speaker 2: The beacon was quite a petite little tower, standing only
10:58
Speaker 2: 30 feet tall. However, due to its lofty position, about
11:04
Speaker 2: 100 feet above the water, it projected quite far into
11:08
Speaker 2: the bay. The modest fourth-order frunal lens that was installed
11:15
Speaker 2: after the tower renovation in 1852 was all that was
11:19
Speaker 2: needed in order to send the light out over the
11:22
Speaker 2: water about 18 miles. As Emma had learned from her
11:28
Speaker 2: last lighthouse visits, the frunal lenses came in vastly different sizes.
11:35
Speaker 2: This was not a big one in the scheme of things.
11:39
Speaker 2: Emma drank the last of her tea and set the
11:42
Speaker 2: notes down in front of her. The story of this
11:46
Speaker 2: little lighthouse seemed fairly straightforward. Mostly, she was looking forward
11:52
Speaker 2: to the view. She had read a quote by a
11:57
Speaker 2: man named Samuel Adams Drake that had intrigued her. Apparently,
12:04
Speaker 2: in his book The Pine Tree Coast, he had said,
12:09
Speaker 2: Al's head ushers at once upon a scene almost too
12:14
Speaker 2: beautiful to profane with speech when we are looking at it.
12:19
Speaker 2: Impossible to find language to do it justice. She wasn't
12:26
Speaker 2: sure if that would still be true in the brown
12:29
Speaker 2: austerity of late autumn, but wanted to go and take
12:32
Speaker 2: a look for herself in the morning. Emma folded up
12:38
Speaker 2: her notebook and stuffed it in her bag. Rising almost
12:42
Speaker 2: reluctantly from her snug haven in the window, she cleared
12:47
Speaker 2: her table and pulled on her warm coat. Then, wrapping
12:54
Speaker 2: her soft scarf around her neck, she pushed the door
12:58
Speaker 2: open and slipped out into the brisk autumn weather. Almost
13:06
Speaker 2: all the streetlights were now in agreement about the lateness
13:10
Speaker 2: of the hour, glowing softly along the length of the sidewalk.
13:17
Speaker 2: Emma made her way past the neon marquee of the
13:20
Speaker 2: vintage theatre and found the spot where she had parked
13:25
Speaker 2: her car earlier. She slid gratefully into the comparative warmth
13:31
Speaker 2: of the driver's seat, resting her bag next to her. Then,
13:38
Speaker 2: with the car faithfully humming and the heat whispering through
13:43
Speaker 2: the vents, she started up the navigation, pointing the car
13:48
Speaker 2: toward the place where she would spend this blustery night.
13:54
Speaker 2: The bed and breakfast was not far. In fact, as
13:58
Speaker 2: she drove south and the town slipped away behind her,
14:02
Speaker 2: she passed a turnoff that she knew would have taken
14:05
Speaker 2: her to the lighthouse. For tonight, however, she was just
14:11
Speaker 2: looking forward to cosying up indoors. At first, she could
14:18
Speaker 2: see glimpses of the harbour on the left, and then
14:22
Speaker 2: the road turned a bit more inland, giving way to
14:26
Speaker 2: thickets of trees. She passed a weathered sign that was
14:32
Speaker 2: barely legible in the fading light. It proclaimed, that she
14:38
Speaker 2: was entering the town that grew from sea and stone.
14:46
Speaker 2: Before she had driven even ten minutes, she arrived among
14:51
Speaker 2: a small cluster of houses and businesses that surrounded a
14:56
Speaker 2: small cove. She was grateful for her navigation, because the
15:02
Speaker 2: addresses were not very easy to read in the near darkness. Nonetheless,
15:08
Speaker 2: she found the driveway she was looking for on the
15:11
Speaker 2: first try. She pulled into one of the empty parking places,
15:18
Speaker 2: thinking to herself that she might actually be the only guest.
15:25
Speaker 2: Emma opened her car door into the rising wind and
15:29
Speaker 2: retrieved her bag from the trunk of the car. Then,
15:34
Speaker 2: bending her head against the gusting air, she hurried onto
15:39
Speaker 2: the covered porch and opened the front door of the house,
15:43
Speaker 2: dragging her luggage inside. All at once, she was able
15:49
Speaker 2: to pull it closed behind her, instantly shutting out the
15:54
Speaker 2: autumn chill. She stood in the entryway, catching her breath
16:00
Speaker 2: for a moment. She pondered how old this home might
16:05
Speaker 2: be and thought to herself, that it might have once
16:09
Speaker 2: been a farmhouse. It was not a grand home, but
16:15
Speaker 2: it was a cosy one. She looked down at the rustic,
16:21
Speaker 2: wide wood planks beneath her feet, and then peeked through
16:26
Speaker 2: a nearby doorway into a living room where a fire
16:30
Speaker 2: was crackling in the hearth. A small desk stood before her,
16:37
Speaker 2: and she saw there was a bell on it. However,
16:41
Speaker 2: before she had a chance to ring it, she heard
16:45
Speaker 2: footsteps quickly approaching from the back of the house. A
16:51
Speaker 2: woman appeared, casually dressed in jeans and wearing an apron.
16:57
Speaker 2: It looked as if she'd been in the kitchen. Smiling broadly,
17:03
Speaker 2: she introduced herself as Susan and welcomed Emma, apologising politely
17:10
Speaker 2: for her dishevelled state. Emma assured her that she had
17:15
Speaker 2: not expected anyone to dress up for her, and they
17:19
Speaker 2: both laughed. Emma continued to have the distinct feeling that
17:26
Speaker 2: this was not a particularly busy time for the inn.
17:30
Speaker 2: The mood was pleasingly informal in any case. Susan ushered
17:38
Speaker 2: Emma up the stairs and showed her to her accommodation, saying,
17:43
Speaker 2: You're our only guest tonight, so I gave you the
17:47
Speaker 2: big room with the pretty view. Emma thanked her, thinking
17:53
Speaker 2: how nice it would be to see what was outside
17:56
Speaker 2: when the sun came up. Then her host invited her
18:02
Speaker 2: to come downstairs for a light dinner when she had
18:05
Speaker 2: gotten settled. She added, With nobody else coming tonight, I
18:12
Speaker 2: thought you might enjoy having a bite to eat by
18:15
Speaker 2: the fireside. Does that sound good? Emma thought it sounded
18:22
Speaker 2: absolutely marvellous, and she said so. With that, Susan left,
18:30
Speaker 2: quietly closing the door behind her. Emma looked around her
18:38
Speaker 2: room It did indeed have what appeared to be excellent windows,
18:46
Speaker 2: although the darkness outside prevented her from seeing any hint
18:51
Speaker 2: of the promised view. Pulling the curtains closed against the night,
18:58
Speaker 2: she surveyed the room, noting how welcoming it was. A
19:05
Speaker 2: queen-sized bed stood at the centre, covered with a patchwork
19:10
Speaker 2: quilt and bright white sheets. The floors were hardwood just
19:17
Speaker 2: like downstairs, lending some cosiness. An oval braided rug lay
19:24
Speaker 2: on top of the bare planks. There was also an
19:29
Speaker 2: antique chest of drawers standing nearby, with a charming old
19:35
Speaker 2: lamp casting a golden pool of light around it. The
19:42
Speaker 2: walls were covered in wallpaper that was decorated with a
19:46
Speaker 2: dainty floral pattern. The entire room felt very spacious, yet snug.
19:59
Speaker 2: She was looking forward to reading in bed for a
20:02
Speaker 2: little while after dinner. This would be the perfect place
20:08
Speaker 2: to hole up for the night. Tidying her windblown hair
20:15
Speaker 2: in the mirror, she laid out a few of her
20:17
Speaker 2: things and then decided to head downstairs. She wasn't terribly hungry,
20:26
Speaker 2: but sitting by the fire sounded enticing. She took her
20:32
Speaker 2: book with her and left her bedroom hideaway behind, descending
20:37
Speaker 2: the slightly creaky stairs to return to the living room.
20:44
Speaker 2: There were a few huge soft armchairs and a small
20:49
Speaker 2: sofa gathered around the fireplace. Emma chose one and sank
20:56
Speaker 2: gratefully into it, drawn to the gently dancing flames. The
21:05
Speaker 2: room was tastefully furnished with a few bookcases and nice
21:09
Speaker 2: clusters of furniture that suggested conversation areas a bay window
21:18
Speaker 2: appeared to look out on the street, although she could
21:21
Speaker 2: not see beyond the darkness at the moment. There were
21:27
Speaker 2: not a lot of bright streetlights in this small hamlet
21:30
Speaker 2: on the river. After Emma had been sitting there for
21:36
Speaker 2: a few moments, Susan popped her head around the corner
21:41
Speaker 2: and offered her a few dinner choices. Emma gratefully accepted
21:47
Speaker 2: the offer of a bowl of seafood chowder and a
21:51
Speaker 2: green salad. Susan said she'd be back shortly with a tray,
21:58
Speaker 2: and then vanished once more. Emma leaned back in the
22:05
Speaker 2: embrace of the armchair and closed her eyes. The only
22:10
Speaker 2: sound in the room was the ticking of a nearby
22:13
Speaker 2: grandfather clock. and the crackling from the fireplace. Distantly, she
22:20
Speaker 2: could hear Susan opening and closing cupboards and drawers in
22:25
Speaker 2: the kitchen, which appeared to be at the back of
22:28
Speaker 2: the house. It was lucky that Susan reappeared shortly with dinner,
22:36
Speaker 2: because Emma was so relaxed, she might have fallen asleep.
22:42
Speaker 2: As it was, A standing tray of hot soup, some
22:47
Speaker 2: oyster crackers and a delicate green salad sat before Emma,
22:52
Speaker 2: before she could doze off. While she waited for the
22:58
Speaker 2: soup to cool a bit, Emma asked if Susan would
23:02
Speaker 2: be having some dinner too. Susan said she'd already eaten,
23:08
Speaker 2: but she sat down in a chair across from Emma.
23:11
Speaker 2: and asked her about her plans for the morning. After all,
23:18
Speaker 2: Susan pointed out, breakfast was included in her stay. In
23:25
Speaker 2: the course of discussing breakfast details, Emma mentioned that she
23:30
Speaker 2: was here to see the lighthouse, and that she was
23:34
Speaker 2: hoping for fair weather. Susan nodded approvingly, indicating that this
23:42
Speaker 2: was a worthwhile trip indeed. Of course, at this time
23:49
Speaker 2: of year, you'll only be able to see the outside
23:52
Speaker 2: of the lighthouse, she said. There are no tours you
23:56
Speaker 2: can take tomorrow. She paused and then added, but the
24:04
Speaker 2: legends are really the best part. Emma paused with her
24:11
Speaker 2: spoon in the air and raised an eyebrow. Legends? she asked.
24:19
Speaker 2: Like what? Susan leaned forward in her chair, her eyes twinkling.
24:29
Speaker 2: Do you mean to say you've come here without even
24:33
Speaker 2: knowing about the ghosts? In her research of the various
24:40
Speaker 2: lighthouses along the coast, Emma had learned about their histories,
24:45
Speaker 2: their keepers, and even their equipment. But this was the
24:50
Speaker 2: first she had heard about a haunting. Intrigued, she broke
24:58
Speaker 2: open her little packet of oyster crackers and asked Susan
25:03
Speaker 2: to tell her more. Settling back in the armchair, Susan
25:11
Speaker 2: nodded as if she had just been waiting for this invitation.
25:18
Speaker 2: With the fire casting light and shadows before them, and
25:23
Speaker 2: the wind howling at the windows, she began. The important
25:31
Speaker 2: thing to know first, she said. is that both of
25:36
Speaker 2: the ghosts who haunt the lighthouse are very helpful. Anyone
25:43
Speaker 2: who understands about the keepers of the lights and their
25:47
Speaker 2: devotion understands that they took their duties very seriously. Nothing
25:55
Speaker 2: stopped them from completing their tasks, despite the obstacles. For some,
26:04
Speaker 2: I guess that meant watching over the lighthouse permanently. There
26:11
Speaker 2: are two helpful spirits who still guard the owl's headlight.
26:17
Speaker 2: The first one is a former keeper himself, although nobody
26:23
Speaker 2: is sure exactly which keeper he is. Emma realized she
26:30
Speaker 2: was poised with a spoonful of chowder halfway to her mouth.
26:36
Speaker 2: While Susan paused her story, she finished taking that bite.
26:44
Speaker 2: She was momentarily distracted by the realisation that her chowder
26:50
Speaker 2: was absolutely delicious. Swallowing the rich, flavourful broth, she got
26:59
Speaker 2: another spoonful and waited, for Susan to continue. With perfect timing,
27:08
Speaker 2: her host went on. Various tales have been told about
27:14
Speaker 2: footprints being found in the snow leading to the lighthouse.
27:19
Speaker 2: They are described as those of a workman's boots. Now,
27:27
Speaker 2: you might say, so what? Any man could have walked
27:32
Speaker 2: to the lighthouse in the snow. But here's the catch.
27:38
Speaker 2: The footprints only ever go in one direction. Susan spread
27:46
Speaker 2: her hands dramatically and then continued. And when the footprints
27:55
Speaker 2: have been followed to the lighthouse tower, the surprised keep
28:00
Speaker 2: have discovered the brass polished and the lens cleaned. Emma
28:09
Speaker 2: thought back on all she had learned about the sacred
28:12
Speaker 2: importance of those daily maintenance tasks. She knew that this
28:22
Speaker 2: would indeed indicate a spirit of the most helpful kind.
28:30
Speaker 2: Susan was not finished telling about her ghostly keeper yet, however.
28:38
Speaker 2: In the 1980s, she continued, there was a couple living
28:43
Speaker 2: at the Owl's Headlight who had a two-year-old daughter named Claire. Apparently,
28:53
Speaker 2: her father once found her out of bed in the
28:56
Speaker 2: middle of the night. at which point she earnestly told him,
29:02
Speaker 2: Fog's rolling in. Time to put the foghorn on. Now,
29:10
Speaker 2: anyone who has spent time with a two-year-old knows they
29:14
Speaker 2: can pick up some funny sayings. But the keeper and
29:18
Speaker 2: his wife swore they'd never said any such thing around
29:24
Speaker 2: little Claire. She had come up with it out of
29:27
Speaker 2: nowhere Susan held up her finger and went on. For
29:37
Speaker 2: years at the keeper's house, Claire... casually noted the presence
29:42
Speaker 2: of a man with a beard who was wearing a
29:45
Speaker 2: blue coat and a seaman's cap. Emma realized she had
29:52
Speaker 2: finished her chowder without even noticing and sheepishly laid her
29:59
Speaker 2: spoon down. next to the empty packet from the Oyster Crackers.
30:07
Speaker 2: The story about the ghostly keeper was impressive enough, but
30:12
Speaker 2: she was wondering about the second spirit now. Susan did
30:19
Speaker 2: not keep her waiting. Of course, anyone who understands about
30:26
Speaker 2: lighthouse keepers knows that running a light station often takes
30:32
Speaker 2: help from their wives and even their children. Emma nodded.
30:39
Speaker 2: She had definitely learned this in her research. Susan went
30:44
Speaker 2: on with her story. There is a benevolent spirit, many
30:51
Speaker 2: call the Little Lady, who seems to be set on
30:56
Speaker 2: keeping house at Owl's Head. Apparently, she likes to rattle
31:03
Speaker 2: the silverware around in the kitchen at the keeper's house.
31:08
Speaker 2: She has also been associated with the random opening and
31:13
Speaker 2: closing of doors. Susan shrugged as if to indicate an
31:21
Speaker 2: impartial view of this information. Then she added, a keeper
31:28
Speaker 2: in the late 1980s said that his wife saw a
31:33
Speaker 2: woman in a white dress gazing out the windows. And
31:39
Speaker 2: their son insisted there was a lady who liked to
31:44
Speaker 2: sit in a chair in his room. People say she
31:51
Speaker 2: conveys a peaceful feeling, and that they don't mind her
31:55
Speaker 2: being there. Emma thought about the two stories for a moment.
32:06
Speaker 2: And of course, after the 1980s, the light was automated.
32:12
Speaker 2: So there's nobody to say if the ghosts are there
32:15
Speaker 2: anymore or not, she asked. Susan again nodded approvingly, saying,
32:25
Speaker 2: for all we know, The spirits are the only ones
32:29
Speaker 2: keeping a 24-hour watch to this day. Having now polished
32:38
Speaker 2: off her lovely green salad, Emma leaned back in the
32:43
Speaker 2: soft armchair and folded her napkin on the tray. Susan
32:51
Speaker 2: paused and asked if she might like some hot cider.
32:58
Speaker 2: Emma agreed that cider would be delightful, and her host
33:04
Speaker 2: took the tray into the kitchen to fetch their drinks.
33:11
Speaker 2: Sinking a little lower in her seat, Emma watched the
33:16
Speaker 2: mesmerizing flickering in the hearth and felt a warm drowsiness
33:22
Speaker 2: begin to weigh her limbs down. Susan returned with two
33:31
Speaker 2: steaming mugs. A delicious scent of apples wafted through the room.
33:41
Speaker 2: She set one cup on each end of a side
33:44
Speaker 2: table between herself and Emma and sat back down in
33:50
Speaker 2: her chair. Then she began again. Of course, my favourite
34:01
Speaker 2: story about the owl's headlight is not about a ghost
34:06
Speaker 2: at all. It has to do with a very heroic
34:11
Speaker 2: dog named Spot. At this, Emma's eyes widened. She picked
34:21
Speaker 2: up her hot cider and blew on it lightly in
34:26
Speaker 2: an effort to cool it down. While she was waiting,
34:32
Speaker 2: she paused to inhale the comforting, spicy scent and closed
34:39
Speaker 2: her eyes appreciatively. Then she asked Susan to tell her
34:46
Speaker 2: about Spot. Her host continued agreeably. In the 1930s and 40s,
34:55
Speaker 2: there was a keeper who was living at the lighthouse
35:01
Speaker 2: with his family. He had two daughters named Millie and Pauline.
35:10
Speaker 2: As the story goes, they had taught their Springer Spaniel
35:15
Speaker 2: Spot to ring the fog bell by pulling on its
35:19
Speaker 2: rope whenever a boat went by. It became a habit
35:25
Speaker 2: that the passing vessels would ring a bell or toot
35:29
Speaker 2: a horn in return. Spot especially loved the mail boat
35:36
Speaker 2: from Martinicus Island. The mailman, whose name was Stuart Ames,
35:43
Speaker 2: was known to bring Spot treats. As you can imagine,
35:50
Speaker 2: the dog always rallied at the unique sound of his engine. Well,
35:58
Speaker 2: one night there was a fierce storm and the fog
36:02
Speaker 2: bell got buried in snowbanks. Meanwhile, the mailman needed that
36:10
Speaker 2: bell more than ever if he was to avoid the
36:13
Speaker 2: rocks at the foot of the cliff. As the story goes,
36:21
Speaker 2: At the sound of the mail boat, Spot scratched and
36:25
Speaker 2: scratched to be let out of the house. He then
36:31
Speaker 2: raced to the shore and began madly barking. The mail
36:38
Speaker 2: man was able to whistle back in response and steer
36:43
Speaker 2: around the treacherous rock. That's how Spot became a hero.
36:52
Speaker 2: He's not a ghost, but you can't find him immortalized
36:55
Speaker 2: at the lighthouse. There's a plaque placed there in his memory.
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Speaker 2: What a very good boy he was. Susan smiled at
37:08
Speaker 2: the thought of the plucky spaniel and sipped her cider.
37:16
Speaker 2: Emma was smiling too, She savoured the last of her
37:21
Speaker 2: steaming drink and set the cup down at her side,
37:26
Speaker 2: leaning her head back against the chair. She regarded the
37:33
Speaker 2: fireplace reflectively. I'm so glad I heard all these stories
37:41
Speaker 2: before visiting the lighthouse, she said to Susan. And to think,
37:50
Speaker 2: all I was expecting was a view. Susan chuckled in agreement.
37:59
Speaker 2: You'll probably have the place to yourself at this time
38:02
Speaker 2: of the year, she said. You'll be able to visit
38:06
Speaker 2: Spot's memorial in peace. And the weather is looking fine
38:13
Speaker 2: for tomorrow. Both women peered at the rattling window panes
38:20
Speaker 2: nearby and sat in silence for a moment, hearing the
38:27
Speaker 2: old house creak comfortably around them. Perhaps sensing the perfect
38:36
Speaker 2: moment to withdraw, Susan got to her feet and cleared
38:40
Speaker 2: their cups away. She told Emma she'd have some warm
38:47
Speaker 2: muffins and fruit out for her in the kitchen in
38:50
Speaker 2: the morning and to come down any time after seven o'clock.
38:58
Speaker 2: With that, she nodded kindly, wished her guest a good
39:03
Speaker 2: night and disappeared into the back of the house once again.
39:12
Speaker 2: The fire was so warm and the chair so soft
39:18
Speaker 2: that Emma was reluctant to climb the stairs to her bedroom.
39:24
Speaker 2: She was looking forward to her comfortable bed, though. Eventually
39:32
Speaker 2: she rose from her spot in the sitting room and
39:36
Speaker 2: quietly made her way to the top of the stairs.
39:43
Speaker 2: The hour was not terribly late but it could have
39:47
Speaker 2: been the middle of the night outside The pitch darkness
39:53
Speaker 2: and the wild weather made bedtime extra appealing. After changing
40:03
Speaker 2: into her pyjamas and brushing her teeth, Emma gratefully pulled
40:08
Speaker 2: back the cheerful quilt and nestled down into the crisp
40:13
Speaker 2: white sheets. The bed was enormously comfortable, Emma tucked the
40:22
Speaker 2: covers under her arms and stretched herself almost to the
40:27
Speaker 2: bottom of the mattress, exhaling happily. She tried briefly to
40:36
Speaker 2: read her book, but the words were soon blurring before
40:41
Speaker 2: her eyes. Within minutes, she had given up her efforts
40:49
Speaker 2: to stay awake. She turned out the light and drifted
40:56
Speaker 2: off on a sea of dreams, lulled to sleep by
41:02
Speaker 2: the gentle tapping of tree branches on the window outside.
41:11
Speaker 2: That night, Emma dreamed of her visit to the little
41:17
Speaker 2: white owl's headlight house. While she slept, she envisioned waking
41:27
Speaker 2: to a sunny autumn morning. In her imagination, the view
41:36
Speaker 2: from her window revealed a glittering river that met the
41:42
Speaker 2: Gulf of Maine beyond the village. The sunlight danced merrily
41:49
Speaker 2: on the bluest water she'd ever seen. In this vivid dream,
41:58
Speaker 2: she went down to the sun-drenched farmhouse kitchen to find
42:03
Speaker 2: a basket of crumbly warm muffins waiting, along with a
42:08
Speaker 2: steaming cup of coffee. She savoured bite after bite, tasting
42:18
Speaker 2: the delicious melding of the blueberries with the pearl sugar
42:23
Speaker 2: that coated the tops of the baked trees The steam
42:30
Speaker 2: from the coffee floated through the sunbeams at the kitchen table,
42:36
Speaker 2: fortifying her for the crisp autumn temperatures she would find outside. Then,
42:46
Speaker 2: as often happens in dreams, she was magically in her
42:51
Speaker 2: car already, with her luggage neatly packed in the back.
43:00
Speaker 2: She was driving along a road that took her north
43:04
Speaker 2: toward Owl's Head State Park. Thick stands of trees slipped
43:12
Speaker 2: by on both sides of the road as the miles passed.
43:20
Speaker 2: Some were evergreens, but many others had only the last
43:25
Speaker 2: rusty orange leaves of autumn. clinging to their sparsely dressed branches.
43:36
Speaker 2: The sun reached eagerly between them, finding new spaces among
43:44
Speaker 2: the bare branches to occupy for the winter. As she
43:51
Speaker 2: neared her destination, she could see the waters of the
43:56
Speaker 2: harbour sparkling on her lips, Small boats chugged away from town,
44:06
Speaker 2: off to take care of their business for the day.
44:13
Speaker 2: And then she had arrived. She was parking her car
44:20
Speaker 2: in the lot, which she found completely empty of visitors.
44:29
Speaker 2: Stepping out, into the October air, Emma followed a wide
44:36
Speaker 2: gravel path. On one side, she could see that she
44:44
Speaker 2: was quite high on a promontory. To her right, the
44:51
Speaker 2: waters of the bay peaked between the trees, hinting of
44:56
Speaker 2: the sweeping views to come. The lighthouse appeared before her.
45:06
Speaker 2: The tidy keeper's cottage stood on her left, and the
45:11
Speaker 2: bright white brick tower of the owl's headlight stood at
45:18
Speaker 2: the top of a steep rise. Stairs jogged up to
45:26
Speaker 2: meet it abruptly at the top. inviting the visitor to
45:32
Speaker 2: ascend as if to the heavens. She walked slowly to
45:41
Speaker 2: the top and turned, uttering a happy sigh. The scene
45:50
Speaker 2: before her was as magnificent as she'd hoped. The grass-covered
46:00
Speaker 2: hillside had faded to its autumn colours of gold and rust.
46:09
Speaker 2: These gave way to the craggy promontory, which jutted out
46:14
Speaker 2: into the water. Beyond that, she saw that she was
46:21
Speaker 2: surrounded by seething depths of aqua and blue. from left
46:28
Speaker 2: to right. In the distance, through the dissipating morning mist,
46:37
Speaker 2: she could see land. Were these misty shadows peninsulas?
46:45
Speaker 3: Islands?
46:47
Speaker 2: She did not know. Emma was only certain that in
46:54
Speaker 2: this breathtaking, shining moment. In this bracing, salty breeze, she
47:04
Speaker 2: was becoming part of the history of Owl's Head. Drifting
47:12
Speaker 2: effortlessly through her dream, she could not say if she
47:18
Speaker 2: stood there for a minute or an hour. However, she
47:25
Speaker 2: eventually found herself in front of a simple stone marker
47:33
Speaker 2: that read, Spot the Lighthouse Dog. Reading this plain inscription,
47:44
Speaker 2: etched forever on this isolated hillside above the sea, Emma
47:52
Speaker 2: smiled to herself. Even before waking, she felt a comforting
48:00
Speaker 2: certainty that this unassuming beacon would always have faithful caretakers
48:13
Speaker 2: to watch over it.
48:17
Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you for watching. you Thanks for watching!
50:24
Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for watching. Thank you.