At the edge of Ananya's village stood an old lighthouse that no one trusted. It rose high above the black rocks, facing the endless sea. During the day, it looked lonely. But at night, it looked alive. The villagers believed the lighthouse carried secrets. Fishermen said they sometimes saw a faint ligjt at the top, even though the light had stopped working years ago. Children claimed they heard whispers when the wind passed.througj its broken windows. Some even said the sea itself sounded different near the cliff- louder,angtier.
Ananya had grown up hearing these stories. She never truly believed them.
Still...
She never went near it after dark. Until the nigjt storm came. The sky turned gray. The waves crashed violently against the rocks. Thunder shook the windows of her small house.Ananya was trying to read when her younger brother Ravi burst into her room.
"Didi! I saw someone near the lighthouse!" he said, breathing fast.
Ananya frowned. "In this storm? Don't make up stories."
"I'm not lying! He looked hurt!"
Ananya's heart skipped a beat.
The wind howled outside. For a moment, she tried to ignore it. But something inside her felt uneasy.
What if Ravi was telling the truth?
Without telling her parents, she grabbed a torch and stepped out into the storm.
The cold wind hit her face. The path to the lighthouse was slippery. Each step felt heavier than the last.
As she climbed the stone steps toward the tall, dark tower, fear slowly filled her chest.
Suddenly—"Help…"
The voice was weak. Almost lost in the wind.
Ananya froze.
It was not a ghost.
It was real.
She lifted her torch toward the lighthouse door.
A boy was sitting against the wall, his arm bleeding. His clothes were wet, and his face was pale.
"Please…" he whispered.
Ananya rushed toward him. "What happened?"
"My name is Kabir," he said slowly. "Some men… they are after me."
Before she could ask more, loud footsteps echoed from below the cliff.
Voices shouted through the storm.
"They came this way!"
Ananya's heart began to pound.
The lighthouse no longer felt like an old story.
It had become something much more dangerous.
She helped Kabir stand. "Come with me. We can hide upstairs."
Together, they climbed the narrow wooden stairs as the door below crashed open.
And in that moment, Ananya realized something—
The lighthouse had always held secrets.
But tonight…
She was part of one.