The Last Watchman

The Arrival
The island of Dryvale had always been a place of whispers and half-forgotten legends, tucked away on the outskirts of the world, beyond the reach of most modern maps. The residents of nearby towns spoke of it only in hushed tones, often with an air of unease. But for Marcus Flynn, the quiet, solitary man who had recently retired from city life, Dryvale represented his last chance at peace.
Marcus had been a watchman—one of the quiet, watchful figures who kept an eye on everything but was never seen. But after decades of trudging through cold, fog-covered nights in a world full of noise, he longed for silence. The offer to take over the watchman’s post on Dryvale had come unexpectedly, but he took it without hesitation.
He arrived at dusk, greeted only by the steady rhythm of the ocean crashing against the rocks below. The lighthouse stood tall, a silhouette against the dying light, its beam dormant for now. The island’s single road wound up to the old stone structure, flanked by scrubby trees and unkempt gardens. There were no other buildings—only the lighthouse and the few, scattered homes of the dwindling islanders.
"Don’t stay out too long," an old fisherman had warned him as he boarded the boat. "The night brings strange things here."
Marcus had smiled politely, assuming it was just another superstition, but deep down, a flicker of unease had settled in his stomach. The journey had been long and tiring, and the promise of solitude seemed to call to him, overshadowing the oddities of the place.
The Watchman's Routine
The first few days were uneventful, as Marcus settled into his new life. The island’s inhabitants were reclusive but not unfriendly, often leaving him to his own devices. There was an elderly woman, Ms. Bray, who lived just a few hundred yards from the lighthouse, and she brought him fresh food and supplies every few days. She spoke little but seemed to know more about the island than anyone else.
“Don’t go out at night, Marcus,” she would always say before leaving. “The sea changes then. It’s not the same world.”
But Marcus dismissed her warnings. After all, he had seen his share of eerie places, and he wasn’t easily scared. His job was simple: keep the light on, watch the waves, and wait for the storm that would inevitably come. It was a quiet, predictable life, and that’s what he had come here for.
However, on the seventh night, things took an unexpected turn.
The Sound
It began with the wind.
At first, it was just a whisper, the kind of noise that comes when the world shifts ever so slightly. Then the whispers turned into voices—a low murmur that seemed to come from the farthest reaches of the island. The sound was distant, and Marcus tried to ignore it, attributing it to his tired mind playing tricks on him.
But as the wind howled through the cracks in the lighthouse, the voices grew louder. They were no longer whispers but distinct words, like someone standing just behind him, murmuring his name.
“Marcus… Marcus…”
His heart pounded in his chest. He turned swiftly, but the room was empty, as it had been since he arrived.
The beam of the lighthouse cut through the darkness, and the vast expanse of ocean shimmered in its glow. The voices stopped, but only for a moment. Then, as if from nowhere, they began again—closer this time, more insistent.
The wind howled louder, and the sea seemed to churn beneath the lighthouse, as if alive with some dark force. Marcus stood at the window, staring out into the blackness, where the ocean met the sky in a terrifying union of emptiness.
“Who’s there?” he called into the dark.
But the voices were not of the living. They were ancient and hollow, like the souls of the lost. Marcus felt the weight of their presence pressing against him, almost as if they were clawing at the edges of his mind.
The Lighthouse’s Secret
Unable to bear it any longer, Marcus decided to confront the source of the noise. He grabbed his coat, stepped outside, and made his way down the rocky path that led to the shore.
The island was unnervingly still. The only sound was the rhythmic crash of the waves, which seemed louder now, more ominous. As he walked, Marcus could feel the cold bite of the wind cutting through his jacket, but his mind was focused entirely on the voices that had drawn him out.
The beach was dark, the moonlight barely enough to reveal the jagged rocks that jutted from the water like dark sentinels. And then, at the far end of the shore, he saw something—a figure standing motionless, staring out at the sea.
It was a woman, her back to him, wearing a tattered white dress that fluttered in the wind. Her hair was long, tangled, and black as night.
“Who are you?” Marcus called out, his voice shaking in the air.
The woman didn’t respond. She simply turned her head slowly to the side, her eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
And then, to his horror, she spoke, her voice not of the living, but of something ancient and lost.
“You’re the last, Marcus,” she said, her voice like a breath from a forgotten world. “The last watchman.”
The ground beneath Marcus’s feet seemed to tremble. He felt a sharp, sinking sensation in his chest, as if the island itself was alive, and it had recognized him for what he was: a man who had come to watch but not to stay.
The woman’s form began to dissolve into the mist, her face becoming more distorted with each passing moment. Her laughter echoed over the waves, chilling Marcus to his core.
He turned and ran, stumbling back to the lighthouse, the voices following him, calling his name as if they were the ocean itself, pulling him under.
The Truth Behind the Watchman
The next morning, the island was silent once more. Marcus, exhausted and shaken, tried to make sense of what had happened. He had seen things, things that couldn’t be explained. The voices, the woman—he had to know the truth.
It was Ms. Bray who finally spoke the words he had feared to hear.
“Dryvale’s watchman has always been alone,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness. “No one stays for long. You’re the last, Marcus, and soon, you’ll be part of it. The island claims those who try to leave. It’s in the blood of those who live here.”
Marcus’s heart sank. He had thought the job would offer him peace, but now, he realized, there was no escape from Dryvale. The island had a will of its own, and it was watching him—always watching.
Moral of the Story
The tale of Marcus Flynn teaches us that solitude is not always the peaceful refuge we expect it to be. Sometimes, places that seem quiet and inviting hide secrets darker than we can imagine. The choices we make in search of peace or escape may bring us closer to our own undoing, reminding us that some places are best left undisturbed, and some truths are better left uncovered.