The Light That Never Slept

Long before ships had radios, sailors depended on lighthouses. Each lighthouse flashed its light in its own special pattern, like a name written in light. A captain far from shore could count the flashes, check a chart, and know exactly which coast was near. Lighthouse keepers lived beside the tower all year. Every evening they climbed the winding stairs to light the great lamp, and every morning they climbed again to put it out. It was lonely work, but keepers were proud: their light kept strangers they would never meet safe from the rocks.