#changing of the guard copenhagen | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

snaillamp · 8 months ago

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The Lord of the Storm

Thank you @i-eat-worlds for the fantastic title! They do wonderful work! ********************************************************************

Mads drove his car along the rocky dirt road, cringing at every bump and jolt. His red Camry was not enjoying traveling over the rocks at all. He sighed in relief as he spotted the lighthouse in the distance, standing tall on the cliff edge. It was quite a tall one actually, considering Tower 9 a few hours down the road was a short, stout tower.

The car finally reached the flat area where the lighthouse was. The red and white striped tower reached up into the sky, and there was a long, wooden shed across the yard from it. There was an open section, some kind of tool shed and working area, and another section with a door, sealed off to the outside world. Mads sighed, he would see it all at some point this week.

As he was about to get out of the car, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Fumbling it out, he looked at the number, it was the motel he was staying at in town, just over an hour away from the lighthouse. It was a military town, pretty much everyone who worked there was a coast guard, and the ones who weren’t were either married to one, or had been farming the area for decades.

“Mr Vestergaard?” The young woman asked. “Speaking.” Mads replied, pursing his lips. This didn’t sound good...

“I’m so sorry, Mr Vestergaard, we’ve double booked your room, and there’s actually no more vacancies at this motel.” Mads sighed in annoyance. “Thank you for letting me know.” He hung up, not willing to listen to what their solution would be. He would just sleep in his car.

Getting out, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone cutting wood, the thud of the axe slicing through the log, and the grunt of the woodcutter as they wielded the axe in question. Perhaps the lighthouse keeper? This one was apparently pretty young, according to the notes on his clipboard, that he grabbed and sat in his lap as the thought.

Mads hadn’t done this job for more than a few years. He was now taking over from Soren, his boss, who had decided to change careers and become a baker of all things.

He’d never had the chance to visit this side of the country, his job had been inspecting other buildings owned by the coast guard, closer to Copenhagen. Now he had been given Soren’s caseload and had to travel all over Denmark, inspecting all these places. It was nice. All the staff were very friendly and generous in these places. Maybe this lighthouse keeper would be generous enough to lend him some blankets.

Speaking of the keeper, where were they?

Following the grunting and chopping sounds, they found a guy behind the shed, a small pile of wood beside him. His long black hair was stuck to his back, shining with sweat. There was a black cloth beside him, probably a shirt, that he seemed to have shed as he worked. He wore baggy pants, they looked like combat pants of some kind, with tall, black boots. Maybe this guy was ex military? Would make sense.

Going around the man, carefully avoiding the axe, Mads waved. The guy was a little shorter than he was, but made of muscle, he looked like he could snap Mads in half if he wanted to. The guy’s grey eyes flicked to him as Mads froze, staring at the scars going down his face and covering his forearms…

The man let the axe dangle by his side as he straightened a little, turning to face Mads. He had broad shoulders, that rose and fell as he panted, wiping the sweat off his brow and reaching for his shirt on the ground. He shrugged it on, keeping his distance, eyes carefully watching him as he swept his wet hair up into a ponytail.

“Can I help you?” He panted, chest expanding as he caught his breath. It made him look even bigger. Mads didn’t know what to say. This man was not what he’d expected, and the scars… He couldn’t stop staring at the one trailing down the man’s face.

The man seemed to notice, clenching his jaw and quirking his lip, making the scar move slightly. Mads gasped, averting his eyes and looking down, embarrassed. “Umm, I’m with the Danish Coast Guard… I’m here to inspect the lighthouse for a week.” He glanced up at the man, who looked him up and down, before exhaling slightly out of his nose, seemingly frustrated.

That’s when Mads glanced down at his notes and noticed the message at the top… Call ahead!!!! Super important!!!!! He does not appreciate people turning up unannounced. He will be so much harder to work with.

“Fuck…” He breathed. Soren had left him notes on how to win the trust of each lighthouse keeper. He was examining their way of life for a week after all, it wouldn’t be… pleasant. He’d already fucked it up.

The man, Enjar, turned and placed the axe against the shed, shrugging the shirt on, lifting the hem and wiping his sweaty face, sighing. “Where’s Soren?” His voice was soft and quiet, not something Mads had expected. “He’s no longer working for us. I’m Mads Vestergaard, I’ve taken over his caseload.” Enjar grunted in reply, turning and walking away.

“Great.” Mads muttered. “Just great. Good start Mads.” ~~

Enjar had been chopping wood when a man had appeared in his peripheral vision. He was a tall, lanky guy, well groomed beard and thinning brown hair. He looked about 40 something, was wearing a nice suit and leather shoes, unsuitable for this area, and was carrying a clipboard.

He looked like he’d walked straight out of a fancy office in Copenhagen, and right now he was staring at Enjar, mouth slightly ajar, fixated on his scars. Enjar rolled his eyes, grimacing as the man realised he was staring. He mumbled something about being from the coast guard…

‘Oh shit was that this week? Fuck…’ Enjar groaned internally. Every three years, an inspector from the coast guard came to inspect all the buildings they owned in the area, and they were apparently up to his tower.

The coast guard had bought it decades ago as something for veterans to do when they retired, but no one had wanted to do it, and they were desperate for a keeper, not wanting to build a new unmanned tower, so Enjar had been selected out of all the applicants… Because he was the only applicant.

Ever since, he’d been harassed by Soren, the inspector for this area, who he’d actually come to not mind. He was nice to Enjar and didn’t stare at his scars like this guy did. “Where’s Soren?” The man, apparently Mads, informed Enjar that Soren wasn’t with them anymore.

Enjar grunted in slight annoyance, walking away. Soren always gave him a heads up, he knew how uncomfortable Enjar was with people turning up at his door unannounced, especially after the whole thing with the escaped prisoners. Soren had actually checked in on him after he’d heard, which was nice.

Walking around the shed, he found a red Camry, covered in dust. This guy had no idea what he was doing.

Grabbing the wheelbarrow from inside the shed, wheeling it around to grab the wood. He wheeled it around, stacking the wood and wheeling it away, Mads following pathetically behind him. “Listen, I’m sorry that I didn’t call ahead. I should’ve, I just… I forgot… My room at the motel in town got double booked and I just got so distracted.”

Enjar had began stacking the wood beside his cabin, ignoring the man. He couldn’t care less about what excuse this guy had. Finishing stacking the wood, Enjar got up, tossing his head to get his hair out of the way, and turning to look at Mads. He nodded once, walking away again to grab the axe and put it away.

Mads watched him as he walked into his cabin, opening the door and holding it open. “Well?” He asked, looking at him. Mads realised what he was doing, and quickly followed him inside. Enjar sat on a kitchen chair, undoing his shoes, then getting up and placing them by the door, then going to his room. He grabbed some new clothes, changing into some lose shorts and a singlet.

It had been colder this morning, but now, since he’d been chopping wood and working outside all day, he’d warmed up. Pulling two mugs out of the cupboard, he got to work making tea, something he’d started to buy and actually, quite enjoy. He supposed he was finally becoming a boring adult.

Once it finished steeping, Enjar set a cup down in front of Mads, before going and standing at the kitchen window, looking out to the ocean in the distance for a while, before going back to the table, sitting in silence and sipping the tea. He looked past Mads, at the window on the other side of the stone cabin, right beneath his brand new sofa. It was nice, boxy and cushy, and a comfortable, dark grey colour. It blended in well with the rest of the cabin. Anna had helped him pick it.

“Thank you for the tea. It’s quite nice.” Mads said quietly. He stared into the tea, before glancing up at Enjar, who continued ignoring him. “I suppose I should go over what I’m going to d-”

“I know what you’re going to do.” Enjar interrupted, tossing back the rest of his team and then leaving the mug in the sink. He walked back into his room, finding a loose jacket and his running shoes, going to the kitchen and filling a water bottle and grabbing the radio. “I’m going for a run.” He spoke low and quiet, annoyed at Mads’ presence. He needed to decompress a bit before interacting with this guy.

Leaving the cabin, he set off into the warm afternoon, running down the trail towards Misty Lake. The lake was a 40 minute hike from the lighthouse, which was good for a day walk, but he didn’t feel like running all the way there that afternoon. Instead, he went to the halfway mark, turning around and running back home.

As he breathed, he thought.

He couldn’t just be a dick to this inspector, but he was always scared of them. They could decide that he wasn’t safe in the lighthouse, and kick him out, and he couldn’t lose this place. It was his sanctuary. A place he had healed, he’d have nowhere to go and no place to work… He didn’t know what he would do with himself if he couldn’t work in the lighthouse.

This place kept him sane and sober, his mind was busy with plenty of things to do, from checking the weather every day and turning the light on and off, he could occasionally hunt deer and foxes when they got a bit out of control, hike, abseil and explore caves, surf and fish…

This place was paradise…

He couldn’t lose it. Squeezing his eyes shut too force the tears back in, he figured he’d vent to Matt about it, and be as polite and civil as he could to Mads, though he’d probably already put his foot it that relationship. He could at least try and repair it, but knowing what some of these guys were like, they could take offense easily, and he’d heard stories of inspectors fucking over lighthouse keepers or staff at stations when they felt like they had been offended.

He’d left his phone in the cabin, it had decent signal, but the surrounding area didn’t, so he’d text Matt later. For now, he ran along the trail, and back up towards the lighthouse, spotting it in the distance.

Mads sat in the empty cabin for a while. Enjar seemed hospitable at least, the tea was actually quite nice. It tasted fruity, like mint and… peach? Either way, it was quite tasty. However he feared that Enjar didn’t like him. He wasn’t really rude, but standoffish, maybe masking awkwardness behind a scowl?

Maybe, because he lived in the middle of nowhere, and apparently went to town once every week or two according to the notes, he probably just didn’t have any social skills. A lot of the lighthouse keepers didn’t. The guy was trying, at least... He’d invited Mads inside and made him tea, but he seemed to prefer to be alone.

Getting up, Mads decided to get his bearings, and look around. He glanced into the bedroom, the unmade bed and previously worn clothes strewn on the ground, and the small desk in the corner, with an older looking laptop in the corner. The desk had a few little knik-knacks on it too. There was a bathroom attached to the bedroom, with a shower, toilet and sink. It was quite bare, with an old bathroom mat crumpled next to the shower.

Going back down the short hallway to the main cabin, there was a door to his right, which, upon opening, lead to the stairs up to the light's gallery. Walking into the main room, he stopped in front of the front door, facing the lighthouse door and looking at the cabin. The was a cupboard across the room, its back against the back wall to the left the lighthouse door.

Following the wall to the left of the front door, was the sofa along the wall, next to it, a small table with an old radio on it and then the wall with the front door. To the right of the front door was a fireplace, then the and the kitchen, which had a bench along the right wall, then turned into cupboards that curled around, forming the hallway to the bedroom. There was a small bench, mostly just for cupboard space

It was small, but cute. It felt quite homely, with the nice wooden kitchen table in the centre of the kitchen, and light flooding in from the large windows. Enjar had little trinkets around, pretty sea glass and rocks, even a bird skull. The door opened behind him, Mads leaping out of the way as Enjar himself walked in. His was breathing hard, sweat pouring off his skin. The lighthouse keeper walked straight to the bathroom, and Mads heard the sound of the shower begin. The man was in there for a few minutes, before he wandered out, rubbing his hair with a towel, before walking out to the shed.

Soon he came back, collapsing onto the sofa and sighing. He let his head tilt back for a moment, inhaling deeply, then looking at Mads.

“You can take the bed, I’ll sleep here.” Mads froze from where he was standing by the dining table.

“Excuse me?” Enjar grimaced as he stood from the sofa, going to his bedroom and coming back with soft blankets and quilts.

“You said you didn’t have anywhere to stay, but I don’t mind you staying here. Take my bed I’m fine on here.” Enjar dropped the pile of bedding down.

A small puff of dust curled over the fabrics as Enjar turned to the man, who went red. “Oh, no, no. I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that! I’ll take the couch. You stay in your bed, Mr…” Mads glanced at the notes he’d left on the table next to the empty mug, embarrassed he'd already forgotten the guy's last name...

“Nielsen…”

Enjar stared at him blankly, tired. “Enjar is fine.” He replied flatly, walking out of the room and returning with a pillow and taking the blankets outside. Mads heard a strange sound, glancing outside and seeing Enjar cleaning the blankets of dust...

Enjar was willing to sleep in dusty blankets and quilts, but he was not letting a guest sleep in them, Mads felt touched.

Enjar flitted around the cabin, cleaning, making his bed and collecting his dirty laundry off his bedroom floor. He didn’t leave much there, but he had a tendency to shed the day’s clothes onto the floor and pick them up the next day.

Soon the cabin was in better shape, slightly cleaner at least. It relaxed Enjar a bit, to at least seem a bit organised. He wasn’t used to people except Anna, Matt and Charlotte visiting, and none of them cared if he left sweaty shirts on the ground next to an unmade bed.

He set to work making dinner, throwing together what he had for a good meal. He ate enough, but he didn’t feast, but now the inspector was here, he pulled together a hearty meal for two.

Setting the steaming fresh fish he’d caught yesterday, along with creamy mashed potatoes and various, steaming veggies, straight from a frozen bag, but Mads didn’t need to know that. Mad had been walking around, peaking in cupboards and checking things off his list, before sitting at the dining table and scribbling some notes in a notepad. He looked up when Enjar set the plate down in front of him at one end of the table, Enjar taking the head at the other end, waiting for him to begin eating.

Mads looked up from his notes as the lighthouse keeper set the plate down in front of him, before going to the other end of the table and sitting down and seemingly ignoring him. Each hand came to rest on the edge of each side of the table, making the already imposing man even more imposing. Mads glanced at his arms, looking at the muscle, he wasn’t a body builder by any means, but he had decent enough definition to prove to Mads this guy meant business, and could probably swish his head like a grape. But, ignoring his figure, Mads instead studied his face as he began to eat.

His movements were slow and gentle, tired, blue-grey eyes filled with thoughts, and a strand of black hair dangled into his face. It had escaped from the loose ponytail he promptly pulled out, letting his hair free and over his shoulders. With a gentle movement, he tucked it behind his ears and shoulders, fingers brushing the scar on his face as he did.

Mads looked at it again, studying each bend and curve as it sliced across his face. It seemed to have nicked a little of his eyebrow off, and the scar tissue even separated the corner of his lip from the rest.

Along with the forearms, Mads wondered where the scars had come from, until he noticed Enjar had stopped eating. He was staring at him from across the table, fork hovering just above the plate. His jaw moved as he chewed slightly on the food in his mouth, waiting for Mads to realise he’d noticed the staring…

Again…

Mads blushed, quickly averting his eyes again. He stared at his plate, cutting the fish and listening as the wind began to roar around the cabin. He didn’t even notice Enjar had left, until he looked up at the sound of a door closing, and saw him reemerge into the room from the door that lead to the lighthouse stairs, wearing a thin blue-grey jumper. He must’ve turned on the light.

Mads watching him walk quietly over to his food, resuming his meal. He tucked another strand of hair behind his ear absentmindedly, finishing his meal and shaping his fork along it to get some of the dregs. Mads went back to his food, only for Enjar’s quiet voice to speak up.

“You know, if you want to look at them, you can just ask.”

Mads stopped, reflexively asking “What?” as Enjar looked up at him. The man’s eyes seemed to bore into his own, but they weren’t angry, just tired…

Enjar sighed and pulled down a sleeve, revealing his impressive slashes striping his forearms like a tigerprint. He pulled his other sleeve down, resting his arms on the table and tossing his head slightly so that his facial scar was in better view. Mads noticed how it even tookout a small section out of his hairline…

His arms, amid patches of normal skin and hair were his scars, slightly lighter than his own skin tone. It looked like someone had taken a knife to his arms whilst he’d shielded his face, which had obviously turned out well for him.

The scars looked deep, and were probably quite painful, at least when he’d got them. Mads couldn’t help but imagine the man in front of him holed up in a hospital bed, bandages wrapping his arms and face. He leaned in a little to look for a moment more, before Enjar yanked his sleeves down, getting up and taking their now empty plates to the sink and beginning to clean them.

The inspector sat in awkward silence, as the lighthouse keeper cleaned his plate, drying it and setting it back with the others. Mads noticed Enjar owned four plates, four bowls, about 8 mugs that he could count, and a couple of drinking glasses. He seemed to have only a few pairs of cutlery too, but then again, it made sense, he lived on his own.

He needed to read Soren’s notes on this guy, he was all sorts of mysterious.

Enjar observed the inspector as he was lost in thought from his corner in the kitchen. He watched as the guy seemingly glanced at him, and then went back to gazing off absentmindedly.

Enjar sighed quietly, going to his room and grabbing a towel, setting it on top of the blankets that the inspector had insisted on using. Not that Enjar minded. When Anna brought Jonas to visit occasionally, Enjar would always relocate to the sofa so his sister and nephew could be comfortable and together.

The new sofa was actually just as comfortable, and way less gross smelling than the other one that had collapsed under him a few months ago. It was nice to rest on such a plush, fresh couch, the cushions fluffy and the smell of ‘new sofa’ if that was even a smell, way better than the decades old thing he’d had before.

He smiled softly at the inspector. “Bathroom is down the hall and directly to the left. Don’t worry about my room.” He yawned slightly, retiring to his bedroom, the man following him with the towel.

Enjar ignored him, shrugging off his jumper and pulling off his shirt as Mads rushed through, not looking at the lighthouse keeper for more than a second before closing the bathroom door. Enjar waited until he heard the shower begin to change into some long pyjama pants, quickly hiding his dirty clothes in a basket in his closet, before quickly going to his desk and logging into his laptop. He didn't even bother sitting down.

With the slow wifi, he finally managed to get the page up to check the weather, to see when he’d need to turn off the light, when Mads stepped out of his bathroom. His hair was still a little wet as he nodded once at Enjar, breaking his gaze quickly, rushing through the cabin and going out to the car.

He returned with a suitcase, which he opened, laying out some comfy looking pyjamas. Enjar nodded at him from across the cabin, shutting his bedroom door and sliding into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Apart from a few quiet moans and twitches, he managed to sleep through the night quite well, which was good, considering his habit of waking up screaming...

Mads heard Enjar’s door click shut, the light from his room disappearing from under his door almost instantly. Mads made sure he was safe to change, before he climbed onto the sofa and got comfortable, remembering only then he had to turn out the light.

He spied an electrical power point in the kitchen, quickly going over and plugging in his phone, which was desperately clinging onto battery life, and then turning out the cabin light. He plunged the building into complete darkness, the familiar streetlights and apartment complexes, unable to share a warm, orange haze into the windows for Mads assisting him to be able to see.

Stumbling through the cabin, he found the sofa and snuggled down finally, sighing. He could occasionally catch a faint snore from his companion, which made him smile. Enjar was at least sleeping well. He’d been nice, sharing his food with Mads at dinner. Mads was afraid he’d offended the man by staring at him though…

Enjar seemed familiar with the situation. It made sense, of course people would stare at him and that massive scar carving up his face...

As he fell asleep, he grimaced. He hoped Enjar liked him. He was starting to become fond of the odd lighthouse keeper’s gentle movements and soft, quiet, deep voice.

~~ Enjar sighed as his least favourite part of the day began.

Waking up.

But next was his favourite part of the day, rolling over with a quiet groan and going back to sleep.

Within minutes, his right arm fell limply from the edge of the bed, soft, breathy snores filling the room as he continued to sleep. He always woke up at least an hour before his alarm went off, and this day was no exception, but he’d always take any extra shut eye he could get.

Suddenly a loud, grating alarm awoke him. Not his alarm though, that damn inspector’s. Lifting his face from against the pillow it had been smooshed in, Enjar wiped a tiny bot of drool from his face, turning to glare at the door, before flopping heavily back down and shutting his eyes. He’d managed to fall half asleep, body half dangling out of bed when he heard the door open quietly. His body was asleep enough to not move, but Enjar did become vaguely aware of a quiet knock, then the sound of Mads creeping to his bathroom, careful not to wake him…

Little did he know.

When he opened his eyes later, he looked at his alarm clock. He had two minutes until it went off. He stared at it until it did, before begrudgingly dragging himself out of his warm, soft, comfortable bed, with soft linen sheets and quilts. He sighed as the comforting weight lifted off his body. The day had officially begun.

Mads awoke to his loud alarm clock, a blaring beep on his phone. He jerked awake, quickly turning it off, scared to wake his host. He sat in silence for a few minutes, listening as his stomach tied itself in knots. Enjar didn’t seem to be stir.

Sighing in relief, Mads stood, his joints popping as he stretched, quickly getting dressed and looking at his watch. 5:30, he had plenty of time to get his day planned, and he might even be able to squeeze in a cigarette or two as well. He’d been hankering for some all day yesterday, but with the drive and then the whole motel debacle, he’d not had the time to fish them out of his luggage.

Digging through his bags, he found the brand new box he’d bought especially for this trip, putting it in his shirt pocket, before grimacing. He really needed to wee, but he didn’t want to wake Enjar. Though, if the loud alarm ripping through the lighthouse hadn’t woken him, creeping quickly through his room surely wouldn’t.

Going to the man’s door, Mads hesitated for a second, listening… Nothing yet. He had another thought.

'What if Enjar is getting dressed?'

It would be bad enough to wake the man up, but to walk in on him naked? Mads might as well throw himself off the tower then and there. He shook his head. He was being silly, he could just knock, make sure there was no answer, and then go.

So he knocked quietly and quickly. There was no sound…

Opening the door a crack, Mads saw Enjar face down, back rising and falling slowly… and still fast asleep. The blankets were piled onto his legs, strewn over his waist and leaving his bare shoulders exposed to the cold morning air. Strands of black hair rested on top of the skin, and Mads could see his scarred arms in full view. His left arm was resting on the pillow, the crook of his elbow aligned with the top of his head, his forearm resting against it, hand gently holding the corner of his pillow. His right arm was dangling over the side of the bed, knuckles a few inches from the floor, fingers gently curled slightly as his shoulders rose and fell. His right foot also peeked out from under the sheets.

Mads looked at his arms once more, his face was mostly covered in his thick, long hair, but he could see a little of the scar, intersecting with his lip, that was quirked ever so slightly. He must be having a nice dream…

Mads tore his eyes away, going to the bathroom and creeping out of the room. He snuck out of the cabin to open his fresh box of cigarettes, lighting one excitedly and breathing in the harsh smoke. Enjar eventually emerged from the cabin, back in his running gear and took off into the early morning mist, without even looking at Mads as he went by.

Mads watched his silhouette disappear into the distance, sighing and going back inside, putting his butts of in the sink and throwing them in the bin.

When Enjar returned from his run, he made breakfast, offering Mads some eggs, but he turned them down. Enjar shrugged, making his usual breakfast, before heading out to the shed to workout in his home gym. He’d built it carefully over the years, it was way better than driving all the way to town, just to be gawked at the entire time. He set to work, lifting his weights, moving his body and training his muscles until his body ached and he felt dizzy. Walking back to the cabin, feeling a little high, he went up the tower and turned off the light. It was too bright for it now…

Seeing Mads going through some paperwork at the cabin when he came down, Enjar sighed. “Did you need anything?” Mads looked up, “Not right now, thank you.”

Nodding, Enjar left him to his papers, the lighthouse keeper instead digging out his tool kit to go and crawl under his car. He’d been hearing a strange sound and was worried there was a fluid leak somewhere… He fiddled around, and eventually found a hose, which as he yanked free, spewed thick, black oil onto his shirt. Sighing in annoyance, Enjar continued fiddling, fixing what he could and finally emerging from underneath the hot car after about 40 minutes.

He noticed Mads had come outside and was sitting on one of his dining chairs, scribbling notes. Enjar ignored him, going into the shed to pit his tools away, before going inside to change. The silence between them was thick as his boots crunched along the gravel paths, Enjar eyeing Mads suspiciously as he went inside to wash the grease off his chest and face… and hands… and elbows… and some how his left ankle?

Once he was squeaky clean, he made lunch, throwing together two sandwiches with his slightly stale bread, and then carrying one out to Mads. On the way, he made a quick detour, grabbing the book he’d been reading recently and bringing it with him. It was starting to get good, and there was nothing better than reading in the shade of the tower on a hot day…

He looked up as Mads stood, going into the shed and poking around. He seemed to be ticking off things. Enjar watched as he examined everything. The lighthouse keeper always maintained the shed, keeping to the protocol. The first aid kit and fire extinguisher were accessible and he kept all his guns locked away inside the gym, the ammunition kept in an old safe on the other side of the shed… All per protocol.

Mads came over after a while and asked him to open the safes, Enjar grunting softly as he eased off the ground and walking away, coming back with the keys he kept in his desk drawers.

Opening all the safes, Mads looked at them, ticking off more and then letting him lock them all up again. Enjar returned the keys and went back to his book as Mads packed away his things, disappearing into the cabin and emerging in touristy hiking gear.

“I might go for a walk now that I’ve finished today. Where do you recommend?”

“Misty Lake, go that way, ’s about a… two… two and a half hour round trip. Three if you’re slow.” Mads chuckled at Enajr’s joke, whilst Enjar didn’t even look up from the pages as he flicked to the next one.

Mads nodded slowly, “Well, expect me back in 3 hours then!” He tried to joke back, but Enjar just lifted a hand in a silent wave, eyes never leaving the words on the pages in front of him.

Mads came back a sweaty mess 3 hours later, huffing and puffing, with a big smile on his face. “You were… right… That place… is spectacular… I’ll have to do… that one… again…” Enjar snapped the book shut, nodding and smiling softly, looking at the sky. “Time for the light soon.”

Mads nodded, looking at the sky as it began to dim a little, golden hour waking up and sending beautiful amber light across Enjar’s face, lighting up his eyes as if they were magic, and kissing his skin with a beautiful golden glow. Even his hair shone as he stood up, the scars shining a little in the light. Mads was struck by how beautiful he looked for a moment, only for Enjar to step back into the shadow, the bags returning under his tired eyes, hair and skin becoming dull.

His energy was somber, tired, but kind… Mads hoped the man was warming up to him a little. He was beginning to like the mysterious lighthouse keeper…

Enjar watched Mads enter the cabin. “You can shower if you want. Use anything in the shower, it’s fine with me.”

Mads nodded, grabbing his towel and finding some clean clothes, watching the lighthouse keeper begin to climb the stairs to the lighthouse gallery.

Going into the bathroom, Mads looked around.

It was small rectangular room, with painted walls, white tiles climbing up to halfway up the wall, the plaster pained creamy white, now yellowed with age, and probably cigarette smoke. Small, off white tiles covered the floor, some a little cracked.

A toilet was tucked into the corner, to its’ left, a small cabinet with doors, probably with some more towels stacked inside, and some various bathroom things on top. Hair ties, a hair brush, deodorant… the things you’d expect to find in a bathroom. Opening the cupboard, purely out of curiosity, Mads found the bottom shelf stacked with towels, as expected, and the top cluttered with things.

Two bottles of expensive looking cologne were shoved at the back, barely used. Opening one, Mads sniffed it. It smelled quite nice, musky with a slightly floral undertone… The other smelled strongly of… something woody, like a pine forest or something. Next to the cologne, there was an old bottle of black nail polish and an eyeliner, probably left by an ex… Enjar didn’t seem gay enough to be a nail painter or eyeliner wearer… But he did live alone in a lighthouse… and the long hair… Maybe Mads was stereotyping too much. Straight guys could paint they nails and wear eyeliner if they wanted to.

Beside those things, more hair ties, a bag of bobby pins, and a nice comb, the handle coming a sharp point for carving through hair to section it. Mads frowned, he usually found copious amounts of condoms in lighthouse bathrooms, but Enjar seemed to be pretty neat and straight laced…

Maybe he was gay? But every gay guy he knew used…

Shaking his head, Mads kept snooping. A small box of bandaids, nail clippers and a glass nail file… more hair ties… a box of unopened hand soap, it looked nice. Enjar seemed to like simple but nice things. Mads smirked at the thought. He always liked going through the lighthouse keeper’s bathrooms. You could learn so much about a person.

It was weird, sure, but never about being creepy, just curiosity about how they lived… Finding a few bent bobby pins, another hair tie, expensive aftershave, some expensive razors, a couple boxes of unopened toothpaste a packet of toothbrushes, Mads shut the cabinet, looking to the left and seeing the sink. It was unremarkable, a toothbrush and toothpaste perched on the right edge, a small, dirty mirror attached to the wall above the sink and a razor on the right edge of the sink.

Behind Mads was the shower, taking up the rest of the space. Inside it was a small shelf, various bottles stacked on it, the shower curtain also white. Spots of mould had started to appear on it. Looking up at the slightly rusty looking shower head, Mads shut the bathroom door, locking it and stacking his stuff on the closed toilet lid.

Then he got into the shower, turning it on, causing the piping to shudder behind the wall, and began examining the bottles. There was another razor and shaving cream, a bottle of shampoo and another of conditioner, both mint, jojoba and something Mads couldn’t say scented.

Squirting a drop of the shampoo into his hand he smelled it, it smelt quite pleasant, a minty, fresh and almost fruity scent filling his sinuses. The conditioner was much the same. Next to them, a bottle of a clear body wash, coloured slightly pink. Applying some to his hand, Mads sniffed it, eyebrows raising in surprise at the rosewater scent.

Enjar didn’t strike him as a rosewater kind of guy, or a flowery guy in general… But Mads supposed that he shouldn’t make assumptions about people. Lighthouse keepers were always similar, big buff, gruff men, usually older and very… masculine. Enjar fitted some of that, for sure, he definitely worked out he was quite the muscular guy, but he wasn’t particularly big or tall or gruff, instead very introverted and gentle, really.

And he was young and scarred…

Thinking about the scars again, Mads cleaned himself in the water. What happened to such a young man to get so scarred?

The water pressure was pitiful, he remembered in his notes about the maintenance submissions Enjar had put in that it was one he kept asking to have fixed, but no one ever did…

Maybe Mads could get that sorted, it was actually quite annoying to try and shower in.

Finishing up, Mads stepped out of the shower, drying off and getting dressed. When he carried his things back to the couch in the cabin, Enjar was sitting at the dining room table, texting. He looked up when he saw Mads enter, and smiled softly, the right unscarred side of his face moving slightly more than his left, scarred side. It made his smile slightly wonky.

Smiling back, Mads pulled the box of cigarettes out of his pocket. “I’m just gonna have a few of these.” He said as he showed Enjar, who nodded, returning to his texting wordlessly.

Enjar climbed the stairs of the tower slowly, feeling pretty flat. He was running out of energy for the day. Climbing to the top of the tower, he turned on the light, and began the long journey back down. When he reached the bottom, he pulled out his phone, texting Matt.

E: Inspectors here. Seems like a new guy. He’s alright but I don’t know about him. Nervous he’s gonna kick me out

A few minutes later, Matt replied.

M: Damnn. It’ll be okay big guy, you always pass with flying colours.

E: I know but still… He’s nice… been in the shower a while tho… hope he doesn’t use all the hot water :/

M: I’ll swing by tomr and say hi then we can go hang at the beach for the afternoon.

E: Sounds good. He just came back. He’s going to smoke.

M: Hmm sounds like a fun guy

E: Yeah. Gonna make dinner cya

M: Bye. Good luck dude

Sighing heavily, Enjar groaned slightly as he eased up. He’d had a long day, and wanted nothing more than to chuck on some headphones and fall asleep for a couple hours whilst metal music soothed his aching mind. The loud guitars and heavy drums had always enchanted him, but after… everything… He found that the music became a therapy for him…

The noise taking over his mind, quieting down the voices and memories.

He looked up absentmindedly as Mads walked back into the cabin, smelling like cigarettes and cheap body spray. He nodded at Enjar, sitting down at the table and peering over at the book that Enjar had been reading earlier, the one he’d also absentmindedly tossed on the table. It was a decent book, the poetry and prose inside not bad, but then again, some of it was genuinely horrendous.

“Sailor’s Laments… Poetry from the sea to sand…” Mads read aloud, Enjar returning back to the dinner he’d forgotten he’d started making in his hazy thoughts.

’I need to dig up those headphones…’ He thought to himself, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“You uhhh, didn’t strike me as the poetry type.” Enjar looked out the kitchen window as he continued absentmindedly cutting vegetables. “How so?” He sounded bored, his flat, dry answer maybe coming across a bit to harsh. “I don’t know… You’re a rough and tough kinda guy, not uhhh, soft enough for poetry…? Sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to be rude… I guess I’m just trying to figure you out, ya know?” Enjar went back to chopping the vegetables. He hadn’t notice the knife he was using had stopped halfway through the potato he’d been slicing after Mads’ comment.

“Maybe there’s nothing to figure out…” He replied dryly. “Maybe I just like poetry.”

Mads sat in awkward silence for a moment. “It’s just…. How do I say this? Lighthouse keepers are all pretty… similar. Older men, divorced or widowed, with bad habits, drugs, drinking, gambling, sex, what have you.” Enjar smirked a little, Mads had just described Johaan, the previous lighthouse keeper to a T.

“You’re just… different. They all have walls up, but they come down so fast, when they realise they can talk to me… That I can be a friend… An… An ear for all their thoughts and words that only they usually hear. Your walls, they’re taller, thicker, rougher… They haven’t come down.”

He looked at Enjar, who dropped the chopped potatoes into the pot he was using. The lighthouse keeper could feel his eyes trying to drill through his ‘walls’, which only made Enjar more stubborn and determined to keep them up.

“Maybe they don’t come down for a reason.” He answered tersely, leaving the kitchen and beginning to dig around his room. He needed those headphones.

As found them, smiling thankfully when they connected with half a battery remaining, turning on the first song he saw and sighing in relief as heavy drums and screaming voices ripped through his ears. This was a good one.

Returning to the kitchen, Mads seemed to get the message when he saw the headphones and the glare Enjar was wearing. He knew he was pushing too far.

“Sorry.” He apologised, Enjar ignoring him, focusing on his soup. His head nodded slightly to the beat, until he couldn’t anymore. He could feel Mads watching him… He needed some space.

Ripping off the headphones, he walked outside into the dusk, trying to control his breath. The cold night air brushed his skin, sending a ripple of chills over it. He needed to sit down, he felt a little light headed. Taking a deep breath, he began walking to the shed, where he could lock himself in the gym and calm down alone…

He fumbled his way through to the bench press, taking a seat, before lying down and closing his eyes. He knew Mads wasn’t trying to get on his nerves. He just wanted to be friends… Enjar just intimidated him a little… But the guy didn’t stop pushing his buttons…

After a few moments of thinking things through, the anxiety dissipating, he sat up, making his way out of the gym and back to the cabin. He was in the mood for some calming, warm potato soup.

Re-entering the cabin, he sighed, looking to Mads, who seemed worried. “Sorry… I just, I needed a minute.” He smiled softly, trying to calm the nervous man. “No, I should apologise, I shouldn’t have intruded.” Enjar shook his head as he served up the soup.

“It’s fine, you were just trying to be friendly… I’m not the uh, most social person… I like my peace and quiet.”

Mads nodded. “I’ve never been good at people. I’m too much too fast, I try not to be, but I’m too curious.” Enjar handed him a bowl. “I can’t exactly say I’ve been particularly welcoming…”

Mads shook his head. “No! No! You’ve been great. Not everyone is as generous as you, trust me.” Enjar smirked. “That so?” He asked into his soup. It was good, but needed some salt. Getting up to get it, he began hunting through the cupboards, not remembering which one he’d put it in.

“Yeah, some keepers are jerks. One guy dumped a bucket of fish guts all over me once.” Enjar shot Mads a glance. “What did you do?” Mads sighed. “I have no idea. I think he didn’t like me snooping around. Apparently he was doing some pretty hard drugs and gambling a bit too much, so he may have just been trying to scare me off.

I was actually scared I’d pissed you off, turning up unannounced yesterday… You look like you could pop my head like a grape.”

Enjar made an amused face, somewhere between a smirk and an eye roll. “Yeah, my head popping days are over…” He looked distantly past Mads, before returning to his food. “So you’re ex-military?” Enjar shrugged, “Something like that. I was in a team that bridged the gap between the cops and military. We were brought in when the SWAT teams needed a little extra power or when the army needed a little more of a… legal touch.

We arrested terrorist and murderers basically, until… the team was disbanded after a mission went sour. It was only supposed to be a trial taskforce, and the trial ended pretty…”

Enjar held up his arms. “I was lucky to walk away with my life. The rest of my team didn’t. Then I ended up here… This place… It keeps me sane.” Mads looked a little shocked at Enjar suddenly revealing all this information.

’Better now than constant staring later…’ He reasoned. “How ‘bout you? How’d you end up doing… this?” Enjar gestured at Mads with his spoon, with a mouth slightly too full of soup as he spoke.

“Oh, uhh, just looking for a change. The military wasn’t my thing, my dad forced me into it, so I took the first desk job I could. It’s nice though, I live in Copenhagen with my partner most of the time and travel when I need. Life’s… good.” Enjar nodded.

“Do you have someone? A boyfriend maybe?” Mads asked, Enjar looked up confused. “No?” His eyebrows drew closer together as the lighthouse keeper squinted slightly, confused.

Mads went red, shovelling his mouth with soup, chewing and swallowing quickly as it burned him slightly. “I just thought, you know, most lighthouse keepers have a thing on the side… Trust me… I’ve seen more than my fair share of what they get up to… And more than a few are hiding their true selves…”

Enjar snorted. “No, despite popular belief, I’m not into guys… Or girls… Or… anyone… I’m happy by myself.” Mads nodded. He knew what this was. “Asexual then?”

Enjar nearly choked on his soup. He wasn’t used to people asking if he was ace. It usually involved several minutes of explaining, only to result in the person thinking he just hadn’t met the right person. “Yeah… actually.” Mads beamed, holding up his right hand. “Same!”

On the middle finger of his right hand sat a small, black ring, gleaming dully in the light. “I’ve never actually met another ace person!” Mads seemed more excited now, smiling, genuinely happy. It made Enjar feel even more tired. “Well, now you have.” Enjar smiled back politely, before returning to his food.

They talked a little for the rest of the meal, Mads talking about his partner and their job in as a teacher, his friends and funny lighthouse stories. Enjar nodded along until they were finished clearing up again as Mads went to brush his teeth, before going to bed. Mads was actually growing on him. He was a funny guy… Enjar however, was exhausted, he could tell it wasn’t going to be a good night… He could only hope that he didn’t wake up screaming from a nightmare.

That would be so fun.

Mads sighed as he lay on the sofa, getting comfy under the warm quilt covers. The cabin was quite cold, even for summer. Enjar’s door clicked shut, and minutes later, the light under the door went out, the cabin descending into dark, heavy silence.

It was like the world itself had gone to sleep…

No light pollution or traffic for miles in any direction, just nature and silence, the hushing waves on the cliffs below the only thing whispering in his mind… He couldn’t sleep though. He began to think. Enjar seemed to be warming up a little bit, which was good. He just liked to keep people at a distance. Mads was fine with that, he wasn’t looking to make best friends with him, but at least felt okay now, sure that he hadn’t pissed him off too much.

A couple of hours ticked by as Mads thought about his partner, Al, all on their lonesome. He wondered if they’d seen that play they were excited for… He should call them tomorrow, if there was phone signal… It wasn’t great out here…

“Shit.” He whispered. He felt a little inkling in his abdomen… He needed to piss. He looked at the hallway, the hallway that lead to the toilet… And a sleeping Enjar. Not wanting to wake him, Mads tried to ignore the growing pressure until he couldn’t… He had to go to the toilet desperately.

Getting up he crept as silently to the door of Enjar’s bedroom as he could, grabbing onto the door handle and hesitating. He could hear a very quiet grunt and the sound of movement, and then a grunt… a sigh… silence…

Cracking open the door, he glanced at Enjar, looking at the slight silhouette of his shoulder rising and falling slowly as he breathed long, sleepy breaths. He moaned slightly in his sleep, his left arm dangling off the edge of the bed twitching a little.

He was slumped on his right side, left arm slung over his body and off the edge of the bed, his right arm curled close to his chest, holding the blanket tightly. Mads crept silently past him as he moaned again, twitching again, this time his whole body. He flopped onto his back, his breaths growing faster as he whined in his sleep. Mads continued to the bathroom, shutting the door and switching on the light.

The buzz of the exposed lightbulb hurt his eyes, now that they’d been accustomed to the dark, but he continued to the toilet, sighing in relief as he managed to get there just in time…

He could hear a louder, deeper groan from Enjar behind the door.

’Poor guy… Mustn’t be having a good dream’ Mads thought as he washed his hands, debating on whether he should wake the keeper up.

Then again, he didn’t wake to make him cranky by waking him… As he opened the door, flicking the light off, he saw Enjar roll onto his front, groaning softly before seeming to settle. Problem solved then, no need to wake him up.

Mads stumbled through the room, his night vision less good now he’d been in the light. He slipped from the room. It was probably best to leave him on his own, he probably wouldn’t appreciate being watched as he slept. Shutting the door, Mads padded back to the sofa, tucking himself in, and finally drifting of to sleep.

He was awoken by a low, deep groan that quickly turned into a loud cry, like Enjar was in pain. A second scream ripped through the peaceful cabin, and a third, only of that one to awkwardly cut off with a gasp. Mads shut his eyes again, as he heard Enjar get up from the creaky bed and shuffle to the kitchen. He cracked open an eye as he noticed Enjar hovering in the hallway, seemingly making sure he was still asleep.

Mads kept still, watching him carefully, noticing the keeper’s skin shining with sweat in the moonlight, his chest heaving a little as he panted. His hands shook as he fumbled around in the dark kitchen, as quietly as possible, before finding a cup.

His quivering hands filled it with water, and he sat at the kitchen bench for a while, sipping it, taking deep breaths and occasionally glancing at Mads. Mads remained still, not wanting to embarrass the man.

Eventually, he heard Enjar whisper to himself, “Okay… Come on, you’re okay… Time to go back to bed. He can’t get you here… This is safe.” He gulped, his moonlit figure looking haunted and pale… Mads watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed nervously, shaking out his hands with a sigh and going back to his room. Mads lay awake for a while, but heard nothing more from Enjar, eventually drifting off again…

Enjar shot up in bed, heart pounding in his ears, chest heaving as he gasped, cutting off a scream. He’d been asleep on his front, and jerked awake, pushing himself up onto his forearms, shaking like a leaf. His hair was stuck to his back, sweat all over his exposed skin…

He blinked, gasping again…

Rolling over, he sat up, putting his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes… but every time he closed them he saw the blade coming down onto his arms, slicing them… the mask being pressed roughly on his face… The cold, empty feeling of bleeding out… Of dying... He relived that day again and again…

Getting up shakily, he shuffled into the cabin, hoping he hadn’t woken Mads. Pausing for a moment, he stood, hovering in the hallway and watching as his guest seemed to continue slumbering peacefully, none the wiser to his screaming.

Walking over to the sink, he got a glass of water, drinking it to give his hands something to do as he talked himself through it all… He was okay. Glancing at Mads again, Enjar got up and put the glass in the sink, shuffling back to bed and pulling the blankets over him. He stared out the dark window, listening to the ocean below, but couldn’t fall back to sleep.

He must have drifted off, but every time he did, his body felt like it was suddenly hurtling backwards down a rollercoaster, and he’d wake up with a jerk.

His eyes felt heavy, his mind numb as the dusky morning light soon filled the cabin, and he eased out of bed. He’d shower, make a coffee and go for a short run.

Clear his head.

Turning on the shower, listening to the pipes rattle angrily behind the wall, he stood under the shower head, looking at it and waiting for it to come out. A rumble vibrated deep within the wall, and suddenly a hot spray of water came spewing out, hitting Enjar directly in the face.

“Ugh!” He exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the onslaught of water, stepping back for a moment.

’So… It’s going to be one of those days huh?’ He thought to himself as he stepped into the steaming water. He stood there for a moment, bracing his forearms against the wall of the shower, just under the shower head, and let the water flow down his back.

His back was tight, all his muscles wound tightly from the nightmares, as he hung his head, trying to relax. His hair fell heavily over his shoulders and back, sticking to him in a matted, weeping mess. He’d have to wait for it to dry before he could brush it.

Sighing, Enjar straightened, picking up his body wash and lathering it over his shoulders and chest, then down his arms, legs, stomach and neck. He massaged the nice smelling soap into every inch of skin he could reach, before taking his time to wash it all off, massaging his sore muscles as he did.

He started at his neck, rubbing it gently, head tilted back as a small smile ghosted over his lips. He needed this. Massaging his chest and shoulders next, he stretched, cleaning his arms and then his stomach and back, before bending over and rubbing down his poor legs. He’d been working out relentlessly recently, it was time to give his poor body a break anyway…

Today could be a chill day, to avoid anything shitty happening.

A stream of ice cold water splashed over Enjar’s naked back, causing him to jump back and squeak in shock, goosebumps already rippling over his skin. His body shivered as he braced himself, stepping into the abrasively cold water so he could reach the taps to turn it off.

The water ceased, leaving him dripping and cold, standing in the shower with silence blanketing the steamy air around him as he stared at his feet, feeling quite exposed, despite being behind a shower curtain.

Pulling the curtain back, he reached for the nearest towel, shivering. He rubbed himself dry, before drying off his sopping wet hair. The only thing on his mind right now was a nice hot coffee, perfect to warm up with…

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he shuffled to the cabin, forgetting Mads was sleeping there and went about making the coffee. He was braced against the bench, staring at nothing qne fighting the tiredness seeping into his heavy eyelids, when he heard a shuffling sound.

He turned his head, slightly dazed, only to catch sight of Mads, sitting up on the couch looking very embarrassed. He was averting his gaze, Enjar forgetting for a moment that he was nearly naked in front of this almost complete stranger in his sleep deprived haze…

It suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. “Oh! Sorry, I uh… Want coffee?” He asked awkwardly, as he quickly poured his own mug, trying to ignore the sensation of his cheeks burning in embarrassment.

Mads declined, opting for a smoke instead, as Enjar quickly scurried back to his room to put on some pants. He was sitting at the dining table in some comfortable shorts and a hoodie, the zip open, exposing his naked chest. He hadn’t had the energy to put on a shirt, so this had to make do. Mads reentered the cabin, nodding awkwardly at Enjar, before sitting on the sofa and beginning to scroll through his phone.

Enjar didn’t have the energy for his run now. He just sat there, drinking his coffee, barely able to keep his eyes open as he finished the dregs. He offered Mads one again, “Want coffee?” the keeper mumbled, forgetting he’d already asked.

Luckily Mads had changed his mind. “Sure.” He looked up from his phone, smiling. Enjar made the coffee, pouring the hot water into the mug, watching the instant granules at the bottom unleash small brown tendrils that curled gently in the water for a second, before the rest of the barrage of water snuffed them out, like they were never there…

Enjar swallowed as he remembered his comrades, snuffed out, buried on wooden boxes draped in flags, like they never existed...

“Milk and sugar?” He asked quietly, voice gravelly and wavering ever so slightly. He shoved his hands in the hoodie pockets as Mads looked up again. “Milk, make it a light coffee, oh, and 3 sugars.”

Enjar fixed the coffee, before leaving it on the table beside the radio and looking up at the stairs. He groaned quietly, beginning the long ascent to the top of the tower to turn the light off…

Mads had awoken to clinking and cupboards closing in the kitchen, then the sound of a kettle boiling. He opened his eyes, seeing Enjar slumped over the kitchen bench, head hanging heavily as his wet hair rested over his shoulders, all the muscles in his back tense as he stared at nothing.

There were dark shadows under his eyes, and his haunted expression told Mads that he hadn’t slept much last night. However, the inspector soon tried to distract himself, not wanting to appear as if he was drinking in the lighthouse keeper’s body, as he was wearing nothing, except a towel wrapped low around his waist.

Enjar seemed to snap out of his daze as Mads moved, quickly going red and offering Mads coffee, which he declined. He figured he’d go get a hit of nicotine, leaving Enjar some privacy to get himself together for a minute.

Finishing his cigarette, he snuffed it out and returned to find Enjar slouched at the dining room table, nursing his coffee, both hands wrapped around the mug. Mads went back to the sofa, and smiled as he saw he had two bars of signal.

He sent Al a text, wishing them well and hoping they’d been having a good week, and that he loved them. Enjar asked if he wanted a coffee again, already making it. Mads agreed, coffee sounded nice.

He waited as Enjar boiled the water, the instant coffee obliterated in the water, before milk and three sugars followed. Enjar walked almost silently across the room, before gazing at the door and sighing, then beginning his daily journey to the top of the tower.

When he came back down he went straight back to bed, Mads walking by the doorway briefly to check the keeper was okay. He was slumped on his side in bed, staring out the window, arms laid beside him. He his eyes shone, like they were brimming with tears, but those tears never fell.

Mads left him alone, going about his day, doing his checklists and inspections. He only had the interview to do now. He had a feeling, given the previous interviews he’d seen with Enjar, it was going to be annoying. The lighthouse keeper had a tendency to say nothing at all, maybe a one word answer if he was feeling generous, the rest of the answers sassy remarks. Something told Mads Enjar wasn't in a sassy mood today.

Enjar stayed in bed all morning…

At midday, Mads was assessing the paint on the lighthouse when he saw Enjar emerge and begin cleaning the windows of the gallery. He polished each one to perfection, before disappearing inside. Mads was interested to see how good of a good job he’d done, the keepers having a habit of half-assing the gallery windows at the best of times, however when he’d finally climbed the stairs, he found each window basically spotless.

Enjar was sprawled on the ground under the light, fiddling with the mechanism, wearing a stained white singlet and some oily cargo pants. His light maintenance clothes, by the state of them. His scarred arm suddenly reached out from the mechanism, streaked in a black gunky grease, a gloved hand feeling around for a can of lubricant.

Mads picked it up and handed it to him, kneeling down and just managing to see the outline of a greasy man in the the chamber of the light mechanism, a small headlamp strapped to his forehead.

“Are you qualified to do the mechanics of your light? I don’t remember seeing that in your notes.” Mads probed suspiscously. It was dangerous for lighthouse keepers to mess around with the gears and mechanics of their lights, especially if they had no idea what they were doing. Not that that stopped them...

The light moved, shining on Enjar’s stomach as he looked out of the darkness. “Oh, you’re here. Uh… yeah, I did my mech training, oh, three months ago. Finally decided to fix this shit box myself, I’ve put reports in to maintenance for years and they never went anywhere. Besides, not like I have anything else to do.” Mads nodded.

The notes were notorious for being outdated, but he was glad Enjar at least knew somewhat what he was doing. “Can you see what’s wrong?” Mads asked curiously. The light disappeared back into the mechanism, and Enjar grunted, shifting slightly.

“I think it’s a build up of grease and rust. The central gear is probably older than me.” He grunted again, his body rocking slightly as he huffed. With a final groan, an awful grinding sound came from within the light mechanism. Enjar shimmied out, wiping his face, a streak of oil on his cheek smearing as he plonked a large, rusted gear on the ground. His hair had presumably been tied back in a messy pony tail, but now strands were hanging down by his face, his fingers tucking them back as he sighed. “I’ll have to see if Johaan ever hoarded a replacement away in the storage cupboard.” He panted, groaning as he got up from the ground and disappearing down the ladder.

He emerged a while later with some cans of stuff, and various other tools, brushes and sandpaper, by the looks of things. “Nope, gonna have to clean it.” He grumbled, picking up the thick, heavy gear and carrying it down to the workshop at the midway point of the tower. He began cleaning off the grime and rust, sanding some of it down, until the gear resembled a gear a bit more, rather than a puddle of black goo.

Mads followed him back up as he slid under the light again, clinking and banging echoing inside the light, until Enjar’s hand reached out from inside. “Spanner?” He asked, his body curling to reach it as Mads handed him a spanner laying nearby.

Enjar let out a half grunt, half sigh as he set back to work, and soon wriggled free from the light, going over to the control box and hitting a big red button. There was a loud, mechanical grinding sound for a second, before the light began to rotate smoothly and almost soundlessly around. “Nice…” Enjar panted, smiling in relief. He looked proud of himself, sweat staining the singlet as he rested his hands on his hips, chest puffed up slightly in pride.

He checked the light still turned on, before packing away his tools. He still looked very proud of himself. “It’s uh, good to see you’re doing a bit better now.” Mads began tentatively, as he watched Enjar freeze. “Sometimes I just need a little time to myself to reminisce.” He answered, voice low and cold as he packed away his tool box and left the room. Mads got the message, that was a no go subject.

Enjar made them a very late lunch, and Mads set out his paperwork, sighing. “When do you want to do the interview?” He asked. Enjar knew the drill. 7 days of inspectors poking around, and at some point they had to interview the lighthouse keeper, assessing their physical and mental health, and also how they felt in general about operations, get some feedback.

Enjar looked at Mads, his blue eyes piercing Mads’ own.

“Whenever.” He spoke quietly, Mads getting a shiver down his spine. Enjar sure could look scary when he was trying to be, or maybe when he wasn’t… Either way, no keeper was ever thrilled about having their brains picked by an office worker from the city.

“I mean, we can get it out of the way now, that way you can relax for the last four days whilst I do my final assessments.”

Enjar leaned back in the chair he was in, eyes flicking slightly as he seemed to eye every inch of Mads. “Okay.” He sounded fine with it, leaning forward attentively as Mads began his questionnaire. “So this is the workplace capability assessment, you are not required to answer any question if you are not comfortable tom but it is recommended that you do. Do you understand?”

He looked at Enjar.

“Yes.”

Mads nodded, clicking his pen on. “Alrighty then, 1. Do you feel physically capable of working in the lighthouse?” Mads’ eyes flicked to Enjar, who nodded once. “Yes.”

“2. Do you feel mentally capable of working in the lighthouse?” “Yes.”

“24. Last one. Is there any changes you would make to the assistance we provide you in maintaining the lighthouse?” Mads looked up at Enjar, who looked bored out of his mind. They were on their 4th assessment, at least this one was short, the one before was 78 questions long.

“Yeah, provide some assistance. My plumbing is shit, my light hardly works and this place is falling apart. I put in requests for maintenance and they disappear into the ether. The only reason it’s functional is cause I fix it all myself, and I don’t even get compensated half the time, even if I put in requests."

Mads scribbled everything down diligently. He cringed, knowing nothing would come of this. The coast guard neglected all the lighthouses more than they should… Enjar’s pleas would too disappear into a random beige filing cabinet, in a random room, in a random building, never looked at again, until they were fished out in 10 years and shredded so more paperwork could take its’ place.

At that moment, a knock interrupted them.

Enjar looked up tiredly, answering the door to a tall, sandy blonde man. “Hey dude!” The guy exclaimed, wrapping Enjar in a one-armed hug and pounding his back once. He was wearing a coast guard uniform, and looking tired after a day at work. “How you feeling, man?” He asked more gently as he caught Enjar’s tired gaze. He suddenly looked more concerned. “Fine.” Enjar mumbled, blinking slowly. The man finally realised the Mads was there, smiling at stepping forward.

“Matthew Kindberg, I’m stationed down at Osprey 1.” Mads nodded, that was his next stop, checking out the Coast Guard base, about 40 minutes down the road from this lonely lighthouse.

“Mads.” Mads introduced himself back, as Enjar seemed to retreat into the corner of the room. “Hey, I brought my new gloves, wanna try ‘em out? Get that blood pumping?” Matthew asked Enjar, who groaned tiredly.

“No…” He moaned, as Matthew walked over to him, watching his shorter friend slouch and toss back his head as Matthew annoyed him.

“Pleaaaase.” Matthew begged. Enjar sighed, nodding. “Let me change.” He muttered, gesturing at his still stained clothes.

He reemerged a few moments later in some workout gear, comfortable looking shorts and a baggy t-shirt. He had some old boxing gloves tucked under his arm.

“Lets go.”

Enjar nodded, following his friend out to the yard, the coast guard was shedding his shirt and going to his car. He waited slightly impatiently as Enjar tied his hair back into a ponytail as they went into the lawn in front of the lighthouse.

Mads watched as Matthew revealed some new boxing gloves from his car, along with a pair of pads, which Enjar took, bracing himself as Matthew began to pummel them. Enjar barely moved, his muscle bound body more of a brick wall as Matthew struck the pads again and again.

Occasionally Enjar would swipe at Matthew, interrupting his pattern, causing him to duck and weave as he hit the pads. Soon he was red in the face, panting and covered in sweat. He’d done pretty well, his punches had power and he was agile, avoiding Enjar’s jabs. The men switched, Enjar also shedding his shirt and tossing it on the grass. He raised his fists, ready, his biceps bulging slightly as he bent his arms, preparing to strike. He unleashed a flurry of punches, powerful and fast, forcing Matthew too brace against them a bit harder than Enjar had had to for his.

Matthew was strong, his muscle well built, he had to be, if he was in the coast guard, but he was taller and less bulky than Enjar, who was short and seemingly made of muscle.

Mads observed him, examining Enjar more closely. Enjar definitely skilled, each muscle moved in unison, working together to move his body like a machine, efficient and strong… Mads wished he could be like that. He went to the gym twice a week, but his smoking and various dietary habits were catching up to him.

He wasn’t as fit as 20 years ago. Enjar was 12 years younger than him, and completely different. Matthew was presumably the same… They looked good compared to Mads, who stared at his stomach. It was looking a little rounder these days. He looked up at Enjar, who grunted as he finally finished pummelling the pads, chest heaving as he shook out the pent up energy.

“How you feeling?” Matthew asked as they picked up their shirts and slid them back on. “Better.” Enjar mumbled.

“Seeeeeee, I knew you just needed to get those stresses out.” Enjar looked tired, but lighter. He nodded, “Want a ginger beer?” Matthew nodded as Enjar went inside, reemerging with three ice cold ginger beers, sharing them with the other two men. Clinking them together, they sat in the dying afternoon light on the grass, watching the ocean as the sun got closer towards the waterline.

They chatted about things, Matthew gushing about the work drama, Enjar listening intently. He was smirking and laughing as the coast guard filled him in on the recent developments of another guard, Gunnar, trying and failing miserably to flirt with the new secretary girl.

“And he tried the dorkiest attempt at a pickup line I’ve ever heard… Oh what was it? Oh, yeah! “Hey, I can’t find my phone can you call it?” And this girl smiles and picks up the office phone and hands it to him!” Enjar began to laugh so hard tears welled up in his eyes.

“And she couldn’t figure out why he wanted her to call it on her phone, so he had to call his own phone in front of her, and cause he was stupid it was in his back pocket! So he has to pull it out and play it off that he forgot. Oh, you should’ve seen his face En, I’ve never seen that kid go so beet red. I was afraid he’d faint!”

Enjar wiped his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. “Gunnar… You idiot.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Tell him I wish him luck, and if he ever needs to look cool, I’ll make sure to reminisce loudly about how he single handedly saved my life from a perforated appendix.”

Matthew laughed, shooting Enjar a look. “I seem to remember that story differently.” Enjar shrugged, “I gotta uphold the bro code. Make him look good, ya know?” Matthew shook his head. “You’re a piece of work you bastard.” He looked at his watch. “Anyway, I’d better let you guys go. Char will be waiting for dinner, it’s my turn this week and I have no idea what to do.”

Enjar rolled his eyes. “Enchiladas.” Matthew froze. “You know that’s not a half bad idea…” Enjar smirked as Matthew thanked him, rushing off to his car. “She’d texted me about craving enchiladas this morning.” He explained to Mads.

Mads nodded, smiling at the lighthouse keeper. He really was a piece of work, but seemed to really care about his friends. Mads was starting to understand him better… Enjar’s walls were finally starting to come down, and Mads was glad. He suspected that Enjar was more lonely than he let on, and he definitely saw Matthew as a brother, sad to see him leave so soon.

Enjar had spent the morning in bed, trying to stop himself from bursting into tears over… all of the usual. Eventually he heard Mads leave, presumably doing more checks around the lighthouse. Enjar pulled out his phone, scrolling through the apps. He didn’t use social media and the news was depressing, and he knew Charlotte, Matt’s wife was having a day off to get a scan, so he figured he’d ask how that went.

E: Hey C: Hey En! :D

E: I take it the scan went well

C: Baby is happy and healthy. It’s gonna be a big one! Got Matthews genes I think

E: Lol

C: You ok?

E: Eh the usual

C: Take it easy then, En. Matt said he was coming over in the afternoon?

E: Yeah C: That’s good. Don’t keep him too long will you? Its his turn for dinner

E: What’s he planning? Spaghetti again?

C: I genuinely think its the only thing he knows how to cook. God what I wouldn’t give for a spicy enchilada right now

E: You didnt strike me as a Mexican fan

C: Hey, I appreciate Mexican. Its good E: It is.

C: I gotta go, look after yourself today 🫂

E: You too

Sighing, Enjar dragged himself out of bed, getting dressed and looking around. He made a mental list of what he had to do that day and was already behind… The least he could do was clean the gallery windows, they needed doing, and if Mads was grading stuff…

Changing into his maintenance clothes, a white tank top and some old cargo pants that smelled of gear lubricant and oil, he got ready to go up the tower, grabbing his bucked and soap on the way.

He cleaned the windows well, because he might as well do it right the first time… As he cleaned his mind began wandering, he should finally have a crack at that damn light.

He noticed Mads had joined him, and swallowing an annoyed groan, continued his work. Mads asked him some distracting questions, but he didn’t care. Getting the problem gear out of the mechanism, he carried it downstairs and got to work methodically cleaning it… It was quite… meditative.

Once he was finished with his day, he waited around for Matthew to show up. He was beginning to feel antsy. He needed to vent to someone… He could’ve cried when his best friend finally showed up… Only to suggest they try boxing…

Enjar groaned, he’d never been good at boxing… He knew how to but he wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but despite his protests, Matthew dragged him out into the yard to throw some punches. Matthew had always been good at boxing, Enjar was always impressed at his agility, his power and technique. Enjar was more of a brute force kinda guy. He just hit things hard until they stopped moving.

He was decently okay at dodging any of Matthew’s jabs now, but a few years ago, a seal could’ve dodged more than him. Matthew was fun to train with. He always made it entertaining by saying stupid things, and Enjar did enjoy swiping at him. Soon, however it was his turn.

Slipping on the gloves, Enjar began punching, feeling his blood boil and all the stress of the day spill out into his punches. “Good job, good power!” Matthew grunted, steadying himself against Enjar’s blows.

“Feet a bit more apart, there you go. Good job.” Enjar threw more,

“Good, relax your shoulders, drop them down... Good. There you go!” Enjar did one final punch, hitting the right pad pretty hard, sending Matthew stumbling a little backwards.

He picked up his shirt, feeling quite warm in the afternoon mugginess. There must be a storm on the horizon. He’d check that later. Right now, he was craving an ice cold ginger beer. He grabbed three, offering one to the other two men, before they all sat and watched golden hour bloom.

As Matthew left, Enjar slipped inside, quickly logging onto the weather maps and confirming his suspicions, a storm was due tomorrow night, and it was cold, with the warm summer air, that meant a lot of mist…

Yay...

He went around the cabin making dinner, feeling lighter after punching things for a while. Mads seemed to be tired though, Enjar couldn’t help but wonder if he had maybe kept the poor inspector awake with his screaming last night after all. Best not to bring it up…

“Jeez, its sticky tonight.” Mads complained, slipping into a singlet. Enjar nodded.

“Rain’s coming.”

The man looked at him from across the room. “How do you know?” Enjar smirked, “The air, I can smell it coming, I also feel it, deep in my scars…” Mads looked at him in awe, mouth slightly open.

“Woah.” He breathed.

“I also looked at the weather report.” Enjar finished, grinning wickedly.

Mads burst out into laughter, shaking his head. “So you can’t actually feel it in your scars?” Enjar shrugged. “Some days I can a little, has to be a big storm, maybe its something to do with the pressure in the air? They go purple on really cold days though.” Mads nodded in interest.

Enjar worked quickly to finish dinner, serving up what he had left. “I’ll have to buy food soon, if I can’t find anything to hunt or fish.” Mads looked up from the cooked fish he was eating. “You fished this?” Enjar nodded.

“I try to avoid going into town where I can. Its a long drive and… I don’t really like people.” Enjar signed, tucking a strand of hair out of his face. “Oh?” Mads pushed. “I don’t mind the stares, but its the people walking up to me, brushing past me… I just prefer to be alone. I’m way more social now than I was year ago though…” Mads nodded.

“It must be hard sometimes though, being alone.” Enjar shrugged. “Sometimes. Matt is always around to check on me though. I swear he can read my mind. Some days I just sleep the whole day and I’m good. Some days the coast guards invite me to the bar in town, which is good fun.

I won a best hair competition once. 1st place for the most luscious locks, they said. But some days I don’t go, I’m sober and being in a bar is sorta… The smell just gets me.” Mads’ eyebrows raised.

“I didn’t know you were sober.” Enjar nodded. “I quit when I moved in. My drinking was bad… I put my sister through a lot… She was the one who dealt with me at my worst, found me when I uh…” He swallowed.

“Anyway, I’ve been sober for a while now.”

They sat in silence for a moment, before Enjar changed the subject.

“You slept well last night?” Mads looked up, nodding. “Yeah, like a baby.” Enjar seemed to relax a bit. “Good. I uh, I was up and down a lot, I just hoped I didn’t wake you.” Mads nodded quickly, “No, no. I didn’t hear a thing.” Enjar nodded again.

That was good.

They went to be soon after, both tired. Enjar collapsed into the soft sheets, sighing as he passed out almost instantly. It was so warm, he had stripped the bed of most of its covers, wearing only underwear to bed, which he didn’t mind, but he still felt very exposed and vulnerable… Hopefully it wouldn’t trigger any nightmares…

It was just one of those nights. He slept pretty soundly, waking up in the early hours of the morning with a groan, grabbing a heavy blanket and pulling it over himself, and going back to sleep.

He awoke again to a rumble of thunder and rain gently pelting the window. He was feeling pretty warm and cozy in bed, but knew he’d have to get up to put some clothes on. Wincing as he did, he dressed in some comfortable sweatpants and a massive baggy T-shirt, climbing back into bed to warm his numb hands. His circulation had never been good in his hands and feet, but after he copped a machete to the forearms, it had gotten even worse.

The lighthouse keeper smiled, he loved rainy days… the sound of the rain on the roof and windows… rumble of thunder and thrashing sea… and he got to sleep all day if he wanted. Soon he was snoring quietly, sprawled on front across is bed like a starfish, hair spread across his face and back.

Mads crept into the room at one point to go to the bathroom, showering and coming back out, noticing the lighthouse keeper was still in the exact same position as before. He hummed in his sleep a little, a cute little contented sound, lip quirking into a smile.

Mads wondered what he was dreaming about…

Enjar lay on the grass watching Jonas play, squealing and running around. He watched as his little nephew ran over to him and wrapped his little arms around Enjar’s neck. Enjar kissed his cheek and ran his hands through the boy’s hair, Anna laughing somewhere from behind him… “I gotta go to work now, buddy. See you soon.” Enjar said, waving. Jonas nodded waving goodbye…

As Enjar woke up, he groaned, curling up a little. He didn’t want to get up, but figured it was time to be a good host to Mads…Peeling himself up from the sheets, he got up, sweeping his messy hair into an equally messy bun and walking out into the cabin. It was just going 9:30 am.

Mads was still snoozing on the sofa, so Enjar went about his morning making a coffee and some toast. Mads seemed to wake up soon after, and they went about their days, mostly ignoring each other. Enjar curled up in bed with a comfortable jumper and hot coffee, reading his book.

He’d been reading a poem as he ate lunch in the kitchen, when he noticed Mads reading over his shoulder. “Is it any good?” Enjar shrugged, “Yeah, it’s okay…” He felt a little self conscious Mads had been reading his book.

“Read it, I wanna hear.” Enjar sighed, looking at the words. “Okay...

The Lord of the Storm, by Friedrich Muller.

His watchful eyes Gaze over horizon, Fingers pulling back the waves, His fists hammering on the clouds like drums, Igniting the sky, set ablaze.

A good captain respects him, Wise ones avoid his gaze, And the greedy ones, Meet his ire, In hail, sleet and rain.

So leave him to his frightful rage Total control over the waves. And make sure to avoid his cloudy cage, For you will not escape his wrath unscathed.

But should you meet His watery gaze, Know him, And call his name...

The Lord of the Storm He has no mercy, His eyes strike the soul With fear in their wake. His hair whirls wildly around the sky, The air thick enough to break.

And his booming, ragged wails, Erupt the silence of the night. There is no use, Trying to win this fight.

The angry waves thrown over decks, Lighting striking in the night. As the sky itself quakes, The Lord showing his wrath, To all the forsaken vessels, Unlucky enough to cross his path.

So stay fast and true, Through rain And his screams, And let him pass over your heads, As he leaves you in peace to weep.

Or better yet, Leave him be, Let him travel on his way, On wide berth and strong breeze,

Lest he claim your soul, And drag you down, To the deep.”

He finished the poem, shrugging.

“The rhythm is a bit off, but it’s not bad.” Enjar finished, however Mads looked entranced. “That was… Wow…”

Enjar kept reading, finishing the book and leaving it on his desk, logging onto the computer. The storm showed no signs of letting up as the wind howled, and the maps showed a heavy splattering of extremely heavy rain incoming. It was only going to get worse. It seemed the Lord of the Storm was paying him a visit.

Hooray…

The day was good though, Mads seemed to be satisfied with his job and Enjar was nice and cozy, so everyone won.

They had some left overs of the potato soup Enjar had managed to split between them enough for a meal, and both men went to bed early with full stomachs and a content mind…

Mads awoke to a loud yell and a radio blaring voices at the end of the sofa. He glanced at Enjar who was pulling a baggy orange dry suit on. “Mads!” Mads sat up, confused. “Huh…? What’s happening…?” Enjar zipped up the suit and began throwing a harness on over his chest and waist, clipping it all together and then what looked like a deflated floatation device over the top.

He rushed across the room, clipping the hand held radio to his belt, and looked at Mads. “It’s bad. How trained up are you on water rescues?” Mads’ mind was reeling as Enjar walked back across the room, grabbing some rope from the cupboard next to the door to the tower.

“Uh, not for a while…” Mads rubbed his eyes as Enjar nodded. “Can you drive a boat?” Mads yawned. “Wha- kaaiiiiyh?” “Fishing boat.” “Yeah, I can…” “Good, get into warm gear, whatever you have, and meet me at the car in 3.”

The adrenaline was beginning to kick in. “What happened?” Mads asked as Enjar strode towards the front door. “Ship collision. Freighters.” Enjar answered with a glance over his shoulder, before disappearing into the rain. Mads snapped into action.

Soon they were in Enjar’s land cruiser, hurting through the torrential rain almost blind. They could barely see a foot in front of them, but Enjar seemed to be managing just fine. They had driven for about 5 minutes, when the lighthouse keeper suddenly stopped the car, getting out and walking towards a small boat after grabbing his ropes.

He helped Mads get in, pushing it out and hopping in himself, then took control of the engine, his arm yanking on the ignition cord. It roared to life and they sped quite fast out of the small fjord. As they came around the headland, Mads could see the lighthouse above them, the powerful light piercing the rain as they navigated through the rocky outcrops and angrily thrashing waves.

Soon they were surrounded by nothing except darkness, but Enjar forced the small boat to keep going as they neared the lights by the water that had begun to emerge from the mist.

“That’s the Base!” Enjar yelled as the sped up to it, docking near the boats already in the water. They neared one of the boats, commanded by a fierce looking, short woman, a young guy and Matthew, all in their orange drysuits.

“Mann! Where do you want me?!” Enjar yelled. She looked over at him, eyes lighting up in relief. “Hop on!” She replied, Mads and Enjar getting aboard, the boat speeding out towards the darkness. The waves were rougher, the boat skipping over the surface of a few as they crossed another headland and turned out to the open sea. Around them were coast guard vessels, racing towards the mist.

After what felt like forever, they neared the site of the incident. It was chaos. One of the massive freighters had been speared by the other, and now both were listing badly. There were small splashing flecks in the ice cold, churning waves…

People…

Mann steered the boat towards the site, Enjar yelling at Mads to pick a side over but he was frozen from adrenaline and shock. The wind whirled around them as Enjar grabbed his shoulders, the search lights all around them illuminating his face as his black hair whirled around him wildly, his blue eyes meeting Mads’ own, and stared deep into his soul.

“Get it together!” He shook the man gently… Mads was entranced for half a second but the sharp shadows and bright lights cast across Enjar’s face, making him look… ethereal as his hair whirled around him.

Like… he was the Lord of the Storm.

Mads nodded, his mind kicking into gear and taking over, Enjar tying his hair back as they neared a splashing body. Enjar reached out for the man desperately paddling in the water, pulling him on board. Mads helped a young man pull another desperate man into the boat. They managed to cram six passengers in before turning around and getting the shivering wet men back to the Base.

Turning out again, they hauled a woman from the water after throwing her a rope, her skin ghostly white, tinged with blue. Then, pulled another man out and then another.

Then they got a big guy. Enjar caught him, and Mads watched the lighthouse keeper brace himself as he let the chubby man grab onto his forearms. He was a heavy guy, and even heavier now he was wet. His fingers cling to Enjar’s forearms as the shorter man pulled, crying out as if he was in pain. The boat tilted slightly, and the man tumbled in, sending it rocking. Enjar fell backwards, landing heavily on his back, panting and cradling his left arm.

Mads helped the big man up as the boat began speeding back, when the Mann turned around. “En, you should send your little friend inside to help warm people up.”

“You heard the lady!” Enjar yelled over the howling wind and rain. Mads obliged, quite happy to shed his thin rain coat and go somewhere warm.

Enjar helped people out of the boats as they were herded into the Base, waving at Mads and jumping back into the big rescue boat with who Mads had learned were Matthew and the young failed flirt, Gunnar. Mads watched them disappear into the darkness. They’d seen a few bodies in the water, he wondered how long it was going to take to get everyone…

There were going to be bodies.

Enjar spotted the fat man in the water, paddling, cold and tired. He cried out in fear, Mann steering the boat towards him. Enjar leapt forwards, reaching out for the man and feeling his cold, weak grip clamp onto his forearms. He began to pull him up. The guy was already heavy, but the added weight of the water on his thick, warm clothing made him even heavier.

Enjar grunted as he slowly lifted the guy, only to feel his scar tissue pulling painfully… He’d never felt this sensation before, but suddenly became worried his scars would split open from deep inside… He didn’t notice he was crying out in pain as he finally hauled the guy in and fell backwards, lightheaded from pain…

His scars ached…

Pounded...

Throbbed...

They hurt badly, like they had been ripped open from deep inside.

Cradling his worst arm to his body, he heard Mann tell Mads to go inside as they went back, his scars still aching and throbbing down in the deepest layers of his skin, near the bone. The rain was making them all shiver in their dry suits as they continued to look for people, hauling up the bodies they could.

They began driving around the now eerily silence scene, only the wind, rain and waves howling in their ears. It was a grim scene… They had collected a few frozen bodies when they heard a weak, desperate cry for help far away from them. Everyone looked into the darkness as they saw the spec of a figure paddling desperately towards them… He was struggling to stay afloat, if they didn’t get to him… They would be fishing out another body.

“Help me!” He screamed desperately, as Mann grimaced. She steered the boat towards him, but they weren’t going to get there fast enough, especially navigating the debris.

“We have to help him!” Gunnar begged Mann, who’s eyes were fixed on water. “I’m trying.” They continued, getting agonisingly closer to the man as he continued to scream for help, the coast guards looking up and seeing that they were being tossed further to the guy, who was getting weaker and quieter… He was sinking down below the waves…

“En.” Matthew pleaded, knowing exactly what his best friend was thinking as he saw his jaw tighten. “Enjar.”

Enjar glanced at him as the man let out a weak cry, unable to make any words form, just a scream of terror.

“Screw this.” Enjar muttered, walking to the edge of the boat.

“En.” Matthew snapped, knowing exactly what his best friend was thinking as he saw his jaw tighten.

“Tie on first.”

Enjar glanced at his friend as the man let out a weak cry, unable to make any words form, just a scream of terror, and nodded, grabbing the rope Matthew was offering him and clipping himself on. Then, without a second thought, Enjar dived into the abrasive, salty water.

His drysuit kept him warm enough as he swam to the now almost unconscious guy, battling the waves as his friends watched on in horror… His arms hurt so badly as he fought the thrashing waves, rain beating down loudly on his skull and the water around him, air thick and humid as a wave hit him in the face, Enjar gritting his teeth through the pain.

The three silhouettes watched as Enjar was thrown against a nearby rock, causing him to see stars for a second, just as the young man dipped below the water.

He didn’t resurface.

Pushing off the rock, Enjar grabbed him, Gunnar and Matt yanking on the rope clipped to his waist as he fought the churning waves back to the boat. “There we go, nearly there.” He grunted as Matthew and Gunnar pulled him in.

They hauled the two men up onto the deck, Enjar collapsing onto the floor, shivering. The crew helped him up, Gunnar wrapping a blanket around the shivering man he’d rescued, Enjar shivering himself. “That was stupid, Nielson. Brave, but stupid.” Mann said, looking at the lighthouse keeper with a proud, but stressed expression.

At that second, a radio call crackled up. “All ships back to Base. This storm is too rough. Abort mission.”

The coast guards all went back to Base to warm up, a grim silence settling over them. Enjar curled on the ground, freezing and numb to his bones. By the time they got back to Base, he was barely able to move. All of them were freezing, but Enjar was jittery, his bones rattling inside him… His mind was set on one thing… warmth… He was so numb his strained arms had even stopped hurting…

They all crawled out of the boat onto the jetty as it finally reached the docking point. Enjar was the last to crawl out, unable to stand he was shaking so much… Matthew and Gunnar slung their arms under him as they helped him stagger inside, all four of the crew quaking in their boots. Mann disappeared off into the crowds somewhere, but Matthew and Gunnar brought Enjar over to the blankets, where they all stripped of their drysuits to their waists and wrapped themselves in blankets, ending up slumped against a wall.

Enjar’s wet hair was stuck to his face, hair tie ripped from his tangles in the ocean fray. He tucked some soaked strands away, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall behind him as he sighed. He couldn’t get warm and his mind was so fuzzy…

Mads walked up to him with hot tea. “You look like shit.” He half joked, his smile faltering as Enjar didn’t move. His skin was pale, lips blue and he was still… not shivering at all. His tops of his hands rested on the ground, fingers curled over his almost ghostly white palms, completely still. Matthew turned, looking concerned, gently shaking his friend’s shoulder.

Enjar’s head lolled forward, but he remained unconscious. “En?” Matthew said, his voice heightening in alarm. “En!” He shook Enjar harder, causing him to jerk slightly and groan. “Hey man, tea’s here…” Matthew sighed in relief. Enjar’s tired eyes looked up at Mads, who was smiling in relief, and reached for the tea with shaking hands. His winced as he took the mug, sipping the hot tea and sighing as it settled in his stomach, looking down at his arms, which were marked with hand shaped bruises from the people he’d rescued.

The sight nearly made him drop his mug, which Matthew took from him when he noticed the distant look in his eye.

“Hey En, you okay?” Enjar stared at the handprints on his scars with wide eyes, shaking in horror. Matthew adjusted the blanket over him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, noticing how his best friend flinched slightly. “Shh, you’re okay. You’re safe…” Enjar nodded, gulping and reaching for his tea, weakly sipping it, even though he’d lost his appetite.

He gagged slightly, rushing past people to the bathroom, where he shut the stall door with shaking hands. Collapsing to his knees he threw up his guts as sweat poured down his brow. He sensed someone behind him, and flinched, gasping in fear as fingers collected his hair back and rubbed his back.

“St-stop…” He stuttered, as the hands left him. “You okay?” Matthew asked him. Enjar didn’t know how answer. Matthew understood. “Wanna try find somewhere to try and sleep it off?” Enjar shook his head. “Can’t sleep.” The world was swaying as his ears began to ring. He was vaguely aware of the fact someone helped him stand and walk away. Soon he was back in the hustle and bustle of the Base, dragged through by someone as he tried to wriggle free. “I’m here En. It’s just me.”

Matthew.

He was going to keep him safe.

Enjar heard a door close and some cold, hard flat ground met him.

He heard talking, a woman… Mann. She was talking to Matthew.

“Is he alright?”

“No idea. He’s freaked out and I don’t know why. He’s got these big bruises on his hands, he’s freezing…”

Enjar curled up, hugging his naked waist as he sobbed. A warm blanket landed over him, and his shaking hands gripped it, holding it over his eyes. The memories flashed before his eyes for forever… His arms aching like the day they were cut…

Matthew watched as Enjar’s body slowly began to still, and he was asleep. Finally, at peace. Mann’s office was the perfect place for him to calm down. But it worried Matthew, he’d never seen his best friend that freaked out and traumatised before… Then he remembered, Enjar had told him about the hands… The doctors had held him down, their hand shaped bruises on his arms and legs… his chest and neck and face…

Enjar had been triggered when the memory was unearthed. It suddenly all clicked together, and Matthew brought a hand to his mouth as he sank to the ground beside Enjar, tucking the hair out of his face and waiting for him to wake up. He was exhausted, he couldn’t imaging how Enjar felt… He noticed one of his arms tucked by his head. Some of the scars looked swollen. Matthew almost didn’t want Enjar to wake up just yet so he wouldn’t deal with the pain… But Enjar was already stirring… He woke up looking groggy, rubbing his eyes and wincing as he looked at his arms, quickly looking away. “Do you want me to get a bandage for them? So you don’t have to see?” Enjar shook his head. “Too similar…” He shivered. “I just want clothes.” Matthew nodded, Mann already disappearing to find him some. She returned with a sweaty smelling, grey jumper and some slightly too small sweatpants. Enjar gratefully changed into them, ignoring the fact the slightly too tight sweatpants rose to above his ankles, and his legs filled out the fabric snuggly. He didn’t mind, he could at least feel normal.

Matthew watched him carefully, as they went back out into the fray, Enjar insisting on continuing to help. He ended up handing out blankets to the crews of the boats, which was actually Gunnars job, but he’d taken to talking to the secretary he’d been crushing on, still with his dry suit hanging off his hips, flexing his abs slightly too obviously, leaving little to the imagination. At lease she at least seemed to be into it. Enjar smirked tiredly, deciding to have some fun and get his mind off things. Walking over to Gunnar and he wrapped his shoulders in a blanket. “Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold Gunnar, then might finally be my turn to rescue you from being sick.” Enjar glanced quickly at the girl, who looked intrigued. “Oh, you don’t know? Gunnar saved my life a while back. I had bad appendicitis and collapsed. He was the one who found me and kept me awake until I got to the hospital.” Gunnar looked down, going a little pink. “Dude, I’m trying to do you a solid, you gotta keep your chin up and have confidence.” Enjar murmured under his breath, just enough so that the girl couldn’t tell. Gunnar looked up with an embarrassed smile, nodding as he shuffled in place. “I uh, I did do that, yeah…”

Enjar saw Matthew grinning from nearby. He sauntered over, looking Gunnar up and down. “Don’t tell me, Enjar is regaining the time Gunnar saved his life, isn’t he?” Enjar smiled at his friend. “Yup.” With that, he plonked the pile of blankets down in Gunnar’s hands, Matthew doing the same to the girl. “He can give her all the details as you hand out more blankets.” Matthew added, Enjar snorting and patting the young man on the back. “You got this.” From across the room, Mads watched the tired, haggard looking lighthouse keeper smile his strange, lopsided smile, patting the young coast guard on the back and walk off for some tea. Despite the haunted look in his eye, he seemed… genuinely happy… Mads smiled as he continued to refill tea cups, watching the lighthouse keeper among his comrades…

Enjar collapsed into bed with a tired groan. It was 6 am, and they’d only just managed to get back to the lighthouse. Mads had practically collapsed onto the couch the second they got through the door.

Enjar stripped off the smelly, badly fitting clothes and got dressed into something fresh. He tried not to look at his arms, that Maria, the medic had said looked injured, the scar tissue possibly tearing a little from dragging people out for hours.

But as he passed out, he smiled, knowing he’d done a job well done, and that there were 37 men and women alive because of him and the coast guards…

Mads thought to himself as he passed in and out of consciousness about the day he’d had, the adrenaline rush he hadn’t felt in a long time…

Enjar deserved so much more help than what he asked for, maintaining the lighthouse and jumping into help whenever someone needed him without a second thought. The truth was, no one in his department respected the lighthouse keepers. They felt like they were rude, weird, lazy old men with no lives or family…

But Enjar was none of that. He was brave and strong, and deep down, very soft and kind. His hard exterior just a wall to protect a very delicate and gentle person. Seeing him gently feeding a man his tea when his hands were too injured to hold the mug, despite Enjar’s own abused arms, watching him give up his blanket for a woman who didn’t get one.

How he laughed and joked through the horrible evening with his coast guard brothers and sisters, raising spirits when everyone was in shock…

He was inspired by this man, in a way no one had inspired him before. His dedication to his job instilled a new energy into Mads to fight for the keepers he went to see…

But only least after he'd had at least 15 hours of sleep and 7 triple shot espressos straight into his bloodstream…

#snaillamp #whump #whumpblr #whump writing #whumpee #whump oc #enjar oc #original post #this was a long one ahhaha

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