Life at sea is not always about blue skies, light breezes and turquoise waters. So, the life at the lighthouse is also not always about endless summer and fishing nets full of catch. Solitary life and the lack of company sometimes lead to difficult states of mind. However, ‘rainy days’ are also a part of life so I decided to share with you some not so romantic sketches from lighthouse keepers’ lives. The following text is not recommendable for those who cannot stand scary stories.
The first tragedy I will tell you about occurred on the Murvica lighthouse, located on the west end of the channel near Drvenik island, Central Dalmatia. It was a stormy night when the lighthouse keeper took his life by blowing his head with a shotgun. His wife found his body outside the house and contacted the headquarters over the radio. It was impossible to take off because the night was too dark while the storm kept creating big waves and severe wind. Fellow lighthouse keepers listened the entire night to the poor wife who was so shocked that she lost her sanity. She tried to cover her husband with blankets because she believed he was sleeping outside. Later, she managed to drag him to bed, whispering over the radio to everybody to shut up, not to wake up her husband.
Fellow lighthouse keepers listened the entire night to the poor wife who was so shocked that she lost her sanity. She tried to cover her husband with blankets because she believed he was sleeping outside. Later, she managed to drag him to bed, whispering over the radio to everybody to shut up, not to wake up her husband. The horror ended with the first light when the coastal crew made it to the lighthouse. It turned out her husband was deeply depressed so he committed suicide.
Another suicidal story is about a lighthouse keeper’s wife who killed herself by jumping into the abyss. Before finding her dead body, her husband found a suicide note. She wanted to tell him she was suffering from cancer and that there was no help for her. She didn’t want him to go through the agony of slowly losing her. In the note, she confessed him her eternal love and talked about the lack of courage to fight the disease and face him.
At the end of this sad post, I promise you that my next ones will be happier. I just wanted to share the true story about lighthouse keepers’ lives, which are not always painted in pink. Therefore, I apologize to all of you who found this text too cruel, as the real life sometimes is.
I wish you a calm sea, a fair wind and a strong mast!