Perched on the edge of a jagged cliff, the lighthouse of Blackthorn Point stood as a solitary sentinel against the restless sea. It had been abandoned for decades, its light extinguished, its windows shattered by storms. The villagers whispered that it was cursed, a place haunted by its tragic past.
Eighteen-year-old Clara didn’t believe in curses. Armed with her sketchbook and a stubborn determination, she ventured to the lighthouse one overcast afternoon. It was a place of stark beauty, she thought, and she wanted to capture it before the encroaching tides claimed it forever.
As she approached, the air seemed to grow colder, the sound of the waves muted, as if the sea itself were holding its breath. Clara pushed open the rusted iron gate, her boots crunching on gravel as she made her way to the tower.
Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of salt and decay. Dust danced in the faint beams of light filtering through broken panes. Clara climbed the spiral staircase, each step creaking under her weight. When she reached the top, the lantern room offered a breathtaking view of the stormy horizon.
Setting up her sketchpad, Clara began to draw. Her pencil moved quickly, capturing the jagged cliffs and turbulent sea. But as she worked, a strange feeling prickled at the back of her neck, as though she were being watched.
“Just nerves,” she muttered, shaking it off.
Then she saw it. Reflected in the cracked glass of the lantern was the shadowy outline of a man. Clara spun around, but the room was empty.
“Hello?” she called, her voice trembling. The only response was the echo of her own voice.
Her eyes fell to the lantern’s base, where she noticed something she hadn’t seen before: a small, rusted lockbox. It looked as though it hadn’t been touched in years. With shaking hands, she picked it up.
Clara’s heart raced as she pried it open with a penknife. Inside was a bundle of letters, the ink smudged but still legible. They were signed by a man named Elias, addressed to someone named Maeve.
My dearest Maeve, one letter read, I will return before the autumn winds claim the sea, and we shall start our life anew. Wait for me at Blackthorn Point, beneath the light that guides me home.
Clara’s chest tightened. This was a love story, one that had never reached its ending. She flipped through the letters, each one more desperate, more pleading, as if Elias had been writing from the very edge of hope.
But the final letter was different. Its words were smeared, but Clara could make out the last line: Forgive me. The sea has taken me.
Clara felt a tear slide down her cheek. The shadowy figure she had seen wasn’t her imagination—it was Elias, lingering here, waiting for a reunion that would never come.
Clutching the letters to her chest, Clara whispered, “I’ll make sure your story isn’t forgotten.”
As she left the lighthouse, the sun broke through the clouds, casting a golden light over Blackthorn Point. Behind her, the lantern flickered once, a brief glow before fading into the stormy sky.
Key Words:
lighthouse - 灯塔
sentinel - 哨兵
jagged - 锯齿状的
encroaching - 侵蚀的
muted - 压抑的
panes - 窗格
turbulent - 汹涌的
pried - 撬开
legible - 可读的
lingering - 逗留的
中文全文翻译：
坐落在锯齿状悬崖边缘的黑棘角灯塔，像孤独的哨兵一样守望着不安的海洋。它已经被遗弃了几十年，灯光熄灭，窗户被风暴击碎。村民们低声传说这地方被诅咒了，一个被悲剧过去缠绕的地方。
十八岁的克拉拉不相信诅咒。带着她的素描本和顽强的决心，她在一个阴云密布的下午前往灯塔。她觉得这是一个荒凉却美丽的地方，她想在潮水彻底侵蚀它之前将它画下来。
当她接近灯塔时，空气似乎变得更加寒冷，海浪的声音变得微弱，仿佛大海本身屏住了呼吸。克拉拉推开生锈的铁门，靴子踩在碎石上发出嘎吱声，向灯塔走去。
塔内的空气中弥漫着盐和腐朽的气味。灰尘在破碎窗格透进的微光中飞舞。克拉拉爬上螺旋楼梯，每一步都发出吱呀声。到达顶层后，灯室提供了一览无余的暴风雨地平线的美景。
她开始素描，但突然感到背后一阵刺痛，仿佛有人在注视她。
“只是紧张，”她自言自语地说。
然而，她在灯室破裂的玻璃中看到了一个男人的身影。她转身，却发现房间空无一人。
“有人吗？”她喊道，声音颤抖。回应她的只有自己的回声。
她的目光落到灯座的底部，发现一个生锈的锁盒，似乎已多年无人触碰。她用小刀撬开盒子，里面是一沓信件。每封信都署名“埃利亚斯”，写给一个名叫梅芙的人。
她读了一封：“我最亲爱的梅芙，秋风还未夺走海洋，我会归来，我们将重新开始生活。请在黑棘角灯下等我，那是指引我回家的光。”
克拉拉心头一紧。这是一段未完的爱情故事。她翻看信件，每封信都显得更加绝望，像是从希望的边缘写下的。
最后一封信却截然不同。字迹模糊，但她勉强看清最后一句：“原谅我。大海夺走了我。”
离开灯塔时，克拉拉低声说：“我不会让你的故事被遗忘。”
身后，灯塔的灯光闪了一下，随后消失在暴风雨的天空中。
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原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter One 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter Two 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter Three: A New Challenge 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter Four: A Betrayal 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter Six: The Rescue Mission 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter Seven: A New Strategy 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter 8: A Difficult Decision 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter 9: A New Era 原创小说 |《玉刃》The Jade Blade Chapter 10: Li Mei's Legacy Book 2 原创小说 | Chapter 1: The Mysterious Letter 原创小说 | Chapter 2: The First Clue 原创小说 | Chapter 3: The Ancient Oak Tree 原创小说 | Chapter 4: The Flowery Path 原创小说 | Chapter 5: The Hidden Treasure Book 3 原创小说 | Chapter 1: The Enchanted Garden 原创小说 | Chapter 2: The Hidden Door 原创小说 | Chapter 3: The Guardian of the Garden 原创小说 | Chapter 4: The Trials of the Garden 原创小说 | Chapter 5: The Return Home Book 4 原创小说 | Chapter 5: The True Treasure
Book 5
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: The Return Home
Book 6
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: The Return of the King
Book 7
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: Love in Full Bloom
Book 8
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: A New Chapter
Book 9
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: Finding Her Place
Book 10
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: Back in the Game
Book 11
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: The Secret of Room 207
Book 12
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: More Than Friends
Book 13
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: A New Chapter
Book 14
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: A New Member
Book 15
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: A Timeless Memory
Book 16
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: The Choice
Book 17
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: The Moonlit Path
Book 18
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: A New Horizon
Book 19
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: A Legacy of Love
Book 20
读英文微小说，习得英语词汇 | Chapter 5: Unlocking the Mystery
Book 21
