The Precipice (19 page)

Chapter 26

T
he Pennington duo huddled close together as the wind howled loudly outside. Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash against the wall of the lighthouse behind them. It made them jump. Sitting on the floor across from the sturdy wooden door, they watched in horror as water started to seep under it. Quickly, grandmother and granddaughter jumped to their feet, gathering the blankets that had been cushioning their seat on the floor, and scrambled for the circular stairway. Elizabeth helped guide her Nana up the first few steps. Amelia ascended slowly, trying to be careful not to lose her footing. The old steps can trip you up very easily. They got narrower the closer you stepped toward the center column and if you weren’t keeping an eye on where you were placing your feet, you could take a misstep that would be very painful.

Water rose quickly on the ground level. Before Elizabeth could reach the first step, she was ankle deep, one sneakered foot and the other one bare. Amelia and Elizabeth climbed a dozen or so steps before they turned around and sat down on the narrow planks of wood, a couple steps apart from each other, on the widest part of their steps. They huddled with the blankets around their shoulders, watching the water rising up the steps. After a while, it seemed to be receding, but the next big wave against the fortress brought more water inside. How far would it rise? Would the lighthouse remain steadfast in the storm
?
Amelia and Elizabeth were praying it would.

____________

After nearly a half an hour of being perched on the narrow steps of the circular stairway watching the water rise and recede, Amelia spoke, “Lizzi, there is something else I need to tell you.” She looked as though she couldn’t wait any longer to get it off her chest. Elizabeth turned her head upward, looking expectantly at her grandmother.
What else could she have to say? This can’t be good.

“Lizzi…there may be a problem trying to hang on to this place.”

“What?!” Elizabeth’s gasp was drowned out by the roar of the storm. She banged the back of her head against the metal railing as she reeled back. The knot she had received earlier in the tunnel started to throb again. She rubbed around it to relieve the pain.

“Elizabeth, I may not really be a Pennington.” Amelia was looking down at her feet as if ashamed.

Elizabeth could scarcely comprehend what her grandmother was trying to tell her.

“You see, when I was little—and that was so many years ago. I was probably around four or five.” She looked into Elizabeth’s eyes, “…about the age you were when you lost your parents.” Elizabeth felt a nasty tug in her abdomen. “Well my parents, evidently, were having trouble getting along. I don’t remember much of it. I just remember a lot of yelling. Finally, they decided that the three of us would be better off if they split up. I don’t even know if they ever got divorced. That just wasn’t very common back then. So, I imagine, they argued about who would have custody of me. In all their wisdom, they decided I would decide who I would live with. A tremendous burden to put onto a small child. To do this, they took me for a ride to the shore, to the Pennington Point Lighthouse. Back then, the public could access the trails to the lighthouse during the summer months when school wasn’t in session. There were more trails back then, including one through the woods that brought you out further down the access road.

So my parents decided to walk down to the bluff with me and leave me there. I was to decide who I was going to leave with. One waited at the top of the trail through the woods and the other waited at the top of the only trail that exists now. I was to decide and walk to the top of the trail where that parent was waiting. I must have agonized over the decision and took too long because neither parent was there when I got there. I don’t remember which one I tried first, but neither was waiting for me. Each must have figured I had chosen the other and given up.”

Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Oh, Nana, how awful.” A small, warm tear rolled down her cheek.

Amelia looked down at her granddaughter, not really acknowledging her reaction, “So I must have wandered the property searching for my parents. It got dark and I ended up spending the night in the woods. By morning, I was in shock, partly traumatized over the whole situation.” Amelia’s eyes started to fill with tears. “I’ve often wondered if they really just abandoned me.”

“Oh, Nana! No!” Elizabeth jumped up and hugged her grandmother with all her might. “That isn’t true!” They embraced while the wind howled and the waves crashed outside.

Finally they pulled apart and Elizabeth sat back down on the narrow step, taking a moment to glance at the water creeping up the steps. It had crept a few steps closer to them. Amelia pulled the blanket tighter around herself and continued. “Evidently the couple who owned the school, the Penningtons, found me and took me in. I don’t know if I could even tell them my name. They pieced together my story from what I could tell them. They probably searched for my parents, but if they had gone their separate ways thinking I was with the other parent, they wouldn’t have realized I was missing.” She paused to gather her thoughts. She let out an inaudible sigh before continuing. “So when I say they took me in, that’s what they did. They took care of me. I used the last name of Pennington because they never knew what my real name was. But they never really officially adopted me.” She let her last comment sink in for a minute.

Elizabeth was getting it. If Amelia wasn’t really a Pennington, then neither was she. Perhaps neither of them possessed legal claim to the property. She felt as if the ground was collapsing beneath her feet.

Amelia went on. “The Penningtons were such nice people. They had two children of their own. A boy and a girl, both were a few years older than me. After we were all grown, I grew very close to the Pennington boy.”

Elizabeth thought she knew where this was going.

“Things ran their course and, eventually, we fell in love. He asked me to marry him. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Of course, there were people who thought we were brother and sister when, in fact, we were no relation at all. We just happened to live under the same roof for many years. His sister was one of those people who opposed the marriage—always has.”

“Aunt Cecelia…”

“Yes, Cecelia.” Amelia looked like she was thinking carefully before she continued.

Suddenly a thought crossed Elizabeth’s mind. “But, Nana, if you were married to the Penningtons’ son, then doesn’t that make you a Pennington, at least by marriage?”

“In theory, yes. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a copy of our marriage license and the files at town hall don’t go back far enough. No one seems to be able to put their hands on a copy. This
was
an awful lot of years ago.”

“So, why do you have to worry about that? You know you were married to him. Isn’t that enough?”

“Not when this real estate attorney says he has proof that I don’t rightfully own it.”

“What!” The howling winds and the crashing waves were taking a back seat to their conversation.

“He claims that he has definitive proof and that I would be better off selling the property to him at a reasonable price than to lose it outright.”

“Nana, this guy sounds like an extortionist. He can’t have anything on you. This is absolutely ridiculous!”

“Well, I have no proof that I do own it.” Her head hung low. She looked exhausted and defeated.

“Nana, don’t you worry another minute about this. I will figure out a way to get this guy off your back. You certainly
do
own this inn.”

Amelia perked up a bit. She sat up straighter and a slight smile crossed her face. “Well, let’s see if we even have one after this storm passes through.” She managed a little chuckle. So much was out of her control. Everything was slipping through her aging, frail fingers. She was trying very hard to fight back the tears. She didn’t want her granddaughter seeing her falling to pieces. She wrapped her arms around herself, closed her eyes, and took deep breaths. Her little Lizzi sensed she was trying to be strong, so she scooted up as close as she could to her on the step above and put her arms around her wonderful grandmother. She had been carrying a lot on her shoulders all her life and even more so lately.

The two Penningtons stayed cuddled in this position for what seemed like an eternity, as if the clocks of the world had stopped, but the wind and the waves were going to go on forever. Amelia had switched roles with Elizabeth. Once the strong matriarch of the Pennington family, now she was feeling her strength waning and her granddaughter was stepping into her shoes. She had every confidence that Lizzi would take care of everything. Liz had always been a strong, young lady, who went after what she wanted, and had grown into a young woman who usually got what she wanted.

Elizabeth held tightly to her grandmother. Her head slid onto Lizzi’s shoulder. She just smiled. She was going to take care of her. She would make it all better. Amelia’s eyes opened. “Lizzi, I love you. You have grown into a wonderful, beautiful person. Your parents would be so proud of you.
I’m
so proud of you.” Liz struggled to hear her soft voice. “Thank you for everything you have done…everything you will do.”

Elizabeth looked down on her like a parent looks upon her young child. Amelia’s eyes were getting too heavy. She was struggling to keep them open. This whole ordeal had been too much for her. Slowly her eyes closed. Elizabeth figured she could use the rest. Amelia’s body suddenly got very heavy for her to support. It was hard for her to hold her onto the step.

“No...Oh, Nana, no!” Elizabeth couldn’t believe this was happening. A large tear ran down her cheek. She didn’t think she could feel any sadder. At that moment, she felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. Someone knew she needed some shoring up. It was going to take everything she had to hold onto her grandmother through the rest of the storm.

Chapter 27

E
lizabeth slowly opened her eyes to the stillness that filled the dimly lit lighthouse. Sunlight pierced through the small dirty windows that punctuated the walls. The storm had finally passed. It was a new day. She turned to look to the step below and realized her grandmother wasn’t there. Trying to hold onto her throughout the entire night had proven too difficult for Elizabeth. At some point, she must have let go when she lapsed into inevitable sleep, unaware that she had lost her grip. In the cruel reality of daylight, she turned her gaze toward the bottom of the stairway and looked in horror. There was Amelia in a lifeless heap on the lighthouse floor. Elizabeth leapt to her feet.

“Nana!” She stumbled down the stairs landing awkwardly at the bottom, her legs sore and stiff from perching on the steps for so long. Her knees started to buckle so she gave into them and knelt next to her grandmother. Fortunately the water had receded from the floor of the lighthouse, but it was still wet and slippery. “Oh, Nana. I am so sorry I let you fall! I just couldn’t….I’m sorry.” An image of her grandmother rolling down the stairs started to cross her mind so she shook her head to clear the thought before she actually saw her land at the bottom. She reached out and gently touched Amelia’s arm. She couldn’t believe she was gone. “I’m so sorry….” Elizabeth pressed her eyes closed for a moment.

Elizabeth’s mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do next. She needed to get them both out of there. She needed to get help. But since there was no one at the inn, help was a long way away. Leaning over, she kissed Amelia on the cheek. It was not the soft, warm face that she was used to feeling when they embraced. It made her pause. She took a deep breath and let it out, trying to shore up her emotions. Gingerly she stood up and hobbled toward the door. Elizabeth knew it was going to take everything she had to open it, so she put the left side of her body against the old wooden door and pushed. At first it didn’t give so she moved her feet slightly away from the door to give her more leverage. Another heartier push made the door move outward, letting sunlight flood into the base of the lighthouse. Elizabeth turned for one last look at her grandmother and then slipped through the opening, her eyes squinting against the bright sun. She paused for a moment as they adjusted to the extreme change in light. Then she thought of the uncomfortable bulge in her pants pocket. She wondered if her cell phone could have survived her treacherous trip out to the lighthouse at the beginning of the storm. Sliding her hand into her pocket, she struggled to pull it out of her still soggy pants. It looked like it was unscathed. She willed it to work and then flipped it open. Nothing. No lights. No sounds. It was dead. Elizabeth’s heart sank. Getting help was going to be more difficult than she had thought. Disgusted, she shoved the phone back into her pocket and started her trek back across the rocky breakwater.

It was a remarkably beautiful day with a clear blue sky. A pleasant breeze was blowing in off the water. Elizabeth had no idea what time it was, probably mid-morning, but the air was warm and the sun already strong. It felt good on her face. Knowing she had to be careful, she placed her feet methodically on each boulder as she made her way, one at a time. Each wave that crashed gently near her made her gasp and stop momentarily, as she remembered the powerful waves that Mother Nature had unleashed the day before. Eventually she got used to the movement and was able to make steady progress. Reaching the shed, Elizabeth allowed herself a sigh of relief that she had made it that far. She wondered what was in store for her on her climb up the hill, through the woods. She pressed on.

Immediately she could see the narrow path was quite muddy and littered with branches. She deliberately kept her eyes on her feet and hung onto branches to steady herself while stepping over small branches and climbing over larger ones. The climb up the hill was much more challenging than usual. She was breathing heavy, but didn’t slow her pace. In spite of the impediments she reached the bluff in due time. She stopped to glance out to the lighthouse. It stood there appearing as it had for so many years, belying the fury of the storm from the day before and the sadness that remained within it. Elizabeth closed her eyes. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. She turned away. There was no time to waste so she continued up the hill.

The top half of the path was as cluttered as the bottom, forcing her to climb over more branches littering the path. She slipped in spots that were particularly wet. Elizabeth reached the top, huffing and puffing, but did not linger. She started toward the inn but then stopped in her tracks. Her beloved childhood home had clearly taken the brunt of the storm. She gasped. Her eyes welled with tears and she swallowed hard. The inn still stood majestically on the precipice, but it was damaged with broken windows and shutters hanging by a thread. Her car was nowhere in sight. Slowly she turned and walked toward the access road. There would be no reason to go to the inn. She couldn’t get in anyway, but now it might be dangerous to try. She felt so alone. It was as if she were the only one who had survived the storm.

The access road had its share of trees and branches strewn across it. Elizabeth realized that would pose a challenge for emergency vehicles to get back down the road. She kept walking, trying to think of the nearest place to find a working phone. There were a couple of houses near the entrance to the inn’s access road. She would start there. Elizabeth looked down at her feet and laughed. There was no point in having just one shoe on so she took the lone shoe off of her foot. Winding up like she was pitching at an MLB game, she hurled the shoe into the woods and listened for the soft thud when it landed. She smiled slightly and then started down the access road. Pennington Road. She wasn’t sure exactly how long it was but if she were to take a guess, she would say it was about a mile. Maybe a mile and a half. It seemed so much longer on foot. Especially barefoot. The partially graveled dirt road was not easy to traverse with no shoes on. She was beginning to regret discarding her only shoe. Too late now. She wasn’t turning back for a shoe, especially one that was now lost in the woods. She kept walking.

Elizabeth was trying to keep her head clear of thoughts and just stay focused on her task. It seemed eerily quiet as she made her way back to Route 72. Her bare feet made no sound on the road. They were becoming sore. The occasional sharp rock protruding through the packed dirt cut into her feet and made her yell out. She thought of her grandmother and kept walking. Her feet were becoming dirty and gritty. Since she was scanning the woods on both sides of her as she walked, she didn’t notice a particularly sharp object lodged in the road and stepped directly on it with her right foot, which absorbed the weight of her body. It was too much for her to recover from. She winced, yelled out for no one to hear, and fell forward into a heap on the dirt road. The fall knocked the wind out of her so she lay there gasping for air. Panic started to creep into her mind. She kept trying to get air and finally the panic subsided when she realized she was going to be fine. She took one deep breath, picked herself up, and started down the road again, oblivious to the cut in the bottom of her foot. There were small tracks of blood forming a staggered line behind her.

Finally Elizabeth could see the end of the access road where it met Route 72. There was no sound. No cars passing by. This was not a usual day in Pennington Point. She turned left onto the main road and headed toward what she hoped would be civilization and help for her grandmother. The road turned from dirt and gravel to hot pavement. Elizabeth was relieved to have something smoother to walk on. She walked about a hundred yards when she came upon a little cottage on the right side of the road. Just the sight of the driveway made Elizabeth’s heart flutter. It would be a relief to get off of the hot pavement. She turned into the driveway and made her way to the front door. She noticed there were no cars in the driveway but she reasoned that they were in the detached garage. There was a screened-in porch on the front of the dwelling so she opened the door and took a few steps to the front door. It was rather quiet but Elizabeth remained optimistic that there was someone inside. She opened the screen door and banged with her fist on the door. Silence. She listened for footsteps or hushed conversation. Nothing. She breathed in and banged even louder and then listened in silence to see if she had aroused anyone. Nothing. Her heart sank. She decided that the owners either were at a local shelter or had closed up the cottage for the season and headed back to Connecticut, or wherever they were from, and called it a season. She thought about breaking in, but figured even if she did, the phone probably wasn’t working anyway.

She stepped back and let the screen door slam. Making her way back across the porch, she did her best to talk herself into believing that she would find someone home at the next house. She let the porch door slam behind her as well and headed across the lawn. Onto the next house.

Elizabeth continued down Route 72. Her feet were becoming so sore that she began to limp. The sun was now directly above her and very strong for early September. Perspiration beaded up on her forehead. Her body was heating up and she was starting to feel dizzy. She couldn’t remember the last time she had anything to eat or drink. Fighting to stay focused, she pressed on to find the next house on the road. She walked in the eerie silence until she noticed she was having trouble walking in a straight line. The yellow line was at her feet. She paused, shook her head, and then adjusted her direction to return to the right side of the road. The pavement was so hot, though, so she decided to try to walk in the weeds along the side of the road. Not very comfortable on her feet, but certainly much cooler. Off to the right of the pavement, she noticed yellow Dandelion blossoms, delicate Queen Ann’s Lace and light blue Bachelor Buttons that dotted the embankment as it dropped down and away from the road. It was taking everything she had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Her throat became parched. It was difficult to swallow. She paused again as dizziness started to overcome her. Her knees buckled and the last thing she saw before she passed out was the faded white line on the side of the road. Her unconscious body landed in the weeds next to the road, but gravity took over and forced it to roll down the embankment into the gulley. She was on her left side, her arms and legs splayed at awkward angles. She lay there, out of view from passing motorists, in the hot, late summer sun.