THE LIGHTHOUSE AT GREY CLIFF

"Stop imagining things, Mehul." Then they heard it. A soft sound. As if someone had shifted their foot on the wooden floor above.
Sanket Khona
T ara, Mehul, Kabir, Rohan, and Aanya-the five friends-were sitting on the rocks near the shore when Tara suddenly noticed something.
"Wait… guys," she said quietly.
"What?" Rohan asked.
"There…" she pointed. "The lighthouse…"
Aanya squinted. "What about it?"
"I swear, I just saw a light!" Tara exclaimed.
"It was probably the reflection of the sun," said Kabir.
"There's no sun here, Kabir," Tara replied.
They all stared at the lighthouse. Nothing happened.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Mehul said casually, "It's abandoned, right?"
"Yeah," Aanya replied. "My aunt said it's been closed for years."
They didn't tell any adults about what they had seen. Instead, the next evening, they returned to the lighthouse.
Standing in front of it, the old building looked very different from up close. The door seemed larger, taller, and strangely silent.
Kabir gently touched it.
"It's locked," he said.
Mehul walked around to the side and called out, "There's a broken window here!"
Tara hesitated.
"Are we actually going to do this, guys?"
Aanya looked at her.
"If you're scared, we don't have to."
"I'm not scared," Tara said quickly. "It just… feels wrong. I don't know why."
One by one, they climbed through the broken window.
Inside, the air was cold and smelled damp.
Aanya suddenly looked down.
"Guys… look at the floor!"
Everyone looked.
"There are fresh footprints!"
Rohan frowned.
"Let's go up the staircase and see."
They began climbing slowly.
The old wooden staircase creaked beneath their feet. Halfway up, Mehul suddenly stopped.
"Did anyone hear that?"
"What?" Rohan asked.
"It sounded like… something moved."
They all listened.
Nothing.
Tara let out a slow breath.
"Stop imagining things, Mehul."
Then they heard it.
A soft sound.
As if someone had shifted their foot on the wooden floor above.
Rohan lowered his voice.
"I think someone's living here."
"Without electricity?" Aanya whispered.
Just then, a faint yellow glow appeared at the top of the stairs. It was dim, but clearly visible.
Tara's voice trembled.
"This isn't normal, guys."
They reached the door to the room at the top.
It was slightly open.
Kabir pushed it gently.
The room was empty.
In the centre stood a round table.
On it lay a map.
Tara stepped closer.
"These are boat routes!"
Kabir walked to the window.
"Guys… look!"
A small boat was moving towards the rocks.
Suddenly, the lighthouse lamp burst into life, bright enough to hurt their eyes.
Tara stepped back.
"It's signalling!"
Before anyone could respond, they heard footsteps climbing the stairs.
Rohan whispered urgently,
"Someone's coming! Lock the door-quick!"
Mehul pushed the door shut.
A moment later, someone tried to force it open.
"Who's inside?" a man's voice shouted.
The five friends looked at one another.
There was no ghost.
Aanya whispered,
"Someone's using this place secretly."
Kabir looked around the room.
"There's a horn here. If it still works, it'll be really loud."
"Just do it!" Tara said.
Kabir pulled the rope.
The horn blasted across the sea and echoed through the nearby village.
The footsteps outside stopped.
Then they hurried back down the stairs.
A little later, the friends came downstairs and saw the police arresting two men at the bottom of the lighthouse.
The men had been secretly using the abandoned lighthouse to guide boats safely through the rocks at night.
As the five friends walked home, Mehul broke the silence.
"We could've gotten into serious trouble."
Aanya nodded.
"Yeah… we really could have."
Behind them, the lighthouse stood silent once again.
No light.
No movement.
Only the endless sound of the waves crashing against the shore.