Genre: Mystery • Suspense • Psychological Drama
Reading time: ~10–12 minutes
The wind screamed across the cliffs as though warning anyone foolish enough to come closer.
The village of Black Hollow sat on the edge of the sea, wrapped in mist for most of the year. It was famous for only one thing—the abandoned lighthouse.
The villagers had a strange saying:
“If the lantern shines again… someone will never return.”
No one laughed at it.
No one questioned it.
Chapter One: The Stranger
On a rainy evening, a young investigative journalist named Adrian Cole stepped off the last bus carrying only a backpack and a camera.
The innkeeper frowned the moment Adrian mentioned the lighthouse.
“You’re not planning to go there, are you?”
Adrian smiled.
“I’m a journalist. Ghost stories don’t scare me.”
The old woman quietly placed a steaming cup of tea before him.
“They should.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“So… what really happened?”
She hesitated.
“Thirty years ago, the lighthouse keeper disappeared.”
“And?”
“They found the lantern burning.”
“But no keeper?”
She nodded slowly.
“Never.”
That night Adrian couldn’t sleep.
At exactly midnight…
A beam of light swept across the ocean.
His eyes widened.
“The lighthouse…”
He rushed outside.
It was glowing.
Chapter Two: The Climb
Rain lashed against the rocks as Adrian climbed the ancient stairs.
Every step echoed.
Clank…
Clank…
Clank…
His flashlight flickered.
Halfway up…
He heard footsteps above him.
Slow.
Heavy.
Someone else was inside.
“Who’s there?” Adrian shouted.
Silence.
Then…
One more step.
Clank…
He ran upward.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
At the lantern room he froze.
The massive lantern was shining.
Impossible.
There was no electricity.
No fuel.
Nothing.
Yet the flame burned bright.
On the dusty table lay an old diary.
Its final page read:
“When the lantern burns… someone has chosen fear instead of truth.”
Adrian frowned.
“What does that even mean?”
Suddenly—
BANG!
The door slammed shut.
The lantern went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Cont……
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