Eternal Bonds of the Lifeguard Tower
Once upon a time, in a sleepy seaside village, there stood an old lifeguard tower. It got erected in an era when the village had been a touristic hotspot. But over the years, the crowd dwindled, and the village had turned into an idyllic, tranquil place. The lifeguard tower stood as the last reminder of the village's heydays.
The tower belonged to a genial man named Samuel. Despite his old age, Samuel had the heart of a lion and the energy of a sea wave. He had been the local lifeguard from the time when village children still played near riverbanks or made castles on sandy beaches. Samuel, with his binoculars, would guard the children from the atop the tower, ready to dive into the water at the first sign of danger. Children were born, grew up, moved to bigger cities for their dreams, but Samuel remained at that tower, the eternal guardian of the village.
His relationship with the tower was almost sentient. He had named it 'Oliver,' and they made a peculiar but delightful pair. Oliver, although a non-living curio, seemed to share a heart with Samuel. Its wooden planks returning the warmth of Samuel's touch, the beams creaked in rhythmic resonance to Samuel’s whistling. Many claimed it was their unique bonding that had maintained Oliver's health despite harsh weather and relentless tides.
One day, a group of high-end development firm representatives arrived in the village. They proposed a plan to convert the seaside into a luxurious resort. For this, Samuel's old tower, Oliver, stood in the way. They made a generous offer to buy the tower.
The villagers were excited about the prospects of the development. But Samuel was heartbroken. He was against selling Oliver to these men who saw it as just a piece of wood, not the guardian it had been for years.
He stood up against it and urged the villagers to reconsider the proposal. But blinded by the allure of wealth and development, they dismissed his warnings. One by one, his friends, even the people he had saved from the sea's treacherous grip, sided with the businesspeople.
The company acquired the tower and, on a gloomy day, commenced the demolition. Samuel sat at a distance, watching his companion being reduced to bits. As the first strike hit Oliver, the skies roared with thunder, and an implausible sea storm broke out.
Waves crashed, winds screamed, and all hell broke loose over the village. The demolition ceased, and people ran for shelter. The storm destroyed the under-construction resorts and leveled the village. The only structure that stood firm was the tower, Oliver.
When the tempest subdued, the villagers realized their mistake. They had angered the spirit of the sea by their greed. Samuel, with Oliver, was their guardian, not from the visible dangers of the sea, but also from the invisible wrath of the sea.
The company representatives hastily left, their dreams of a luxurious resort washed away with the storm. The villagers apologized to Samuel and asked him to keep Oliver till the end of his days. Samuel smiled forgivingly, patting Oliver.
Years passed, and so did Samuel. But he left behind a legacy, reinstating the respect for the revered lifeguard tower. 'Oliver,' now became a symbol of the village, a landmark, a guardian always watching over the people and the sea alike.
Even today, you will see the tower standing tall against the backdrop of the placid sea. If you watch closely, you might see an old man’s face in the wooden patterns of the tower, with binoculars resting at its corner, and you might hear the echo of a soft whistle in the sea breeze. The story of Samuel and Oliver, the Eternal Bonds of the Lifeguard Tower, is still told and retold in the quiet seaside village.