崖边的脚印

A trail of wet footprints led from the lighthouse toward the northern cliff. Even though the wind was growing stronger, Mara insisted that they follow it. The marks stopped beside a storage shed, where Jin found a rope, a broken lantern, and a map with one cave circled in red. Someone had also written the number 311 on the door.

Theo wanted to wait for the rescue boat, but the tide would prevent it from landing for hours. The group chose to deal with the immediate danger first. They tied the rope between themselves and approached the cliff carefully. Below, waves struck a narrow shelf of rock. A human voice rose from somewhere beyond it, then disappeared under the wind. Mara realized that the keeper might be trapped inside the sea cave. They checked every knot, left a bright scarf at the path, and agreed that nobody would move without calling to the others. Their safety depended on keeping the group connected in the thick fog. Reaching him would depend on their timing: the water would fall for only twenty minutes before the next storm wave arrived.