The Candle In the Window

The Candle In the Window

     There was a little white candle in the kitchen of a house by the sea. It stood on a high shelf, for its days of usefulness were past. It was forgotten and covered with dust. There had been a time when it had given out its light into the darkest corners of the kitchen in the house by the sea.

     All  was changed now. From the power house miles away came the electric current which lighted all the houses on the coast. It sent beams from the lighthouse to the ships, to guide them safely into the harbor.

     "Times have changed," thought the half-burned white candle, its sides bulging with tears of melted wax. "My life is over. I am useless!" The tears would not flow, they only hung like frozen icicles.

     One night a great storm lashed the coast and white-crested waves broke over the shore line in a fury. The stinging rain beat against the windows like lead pellets. An anxious woman gazed quietly toward the sea. Somewhere out there was a fishing boat carrying her husband and sons. She pressed her face close to the pane and watched for a flash from the lighthouse. That light had never failed, and tonight it was the only hope for storm-tossed seamen.

     It was hard for her to see through the rain-drenched window. It was very dark outside. She continued to look until at last she knew--there was no light! The lighthouse beam had failed! She turned away from the scene in despair, and as she did so, the electric light in her kitchen went out. The fishing hamlet was in total darkness. The power plant miles away had been cut off by the storm.

     What should she do? She thought of the old candle! It would not do very much good, but it would keep her company through the night. It was better than nothing. She groped her way to the shelf where matches were kept. She found the candle, blew the dust off its tip, and lighted it. It flickered faintly, then broke into a clear yellow flame. She had forgotten just how much light a little candle could send out. The window caught the reflection bright in contrast to the darkness outside. 

     "Out there the boats are being tossed about," she thought. "Will my fishermen be able to make the harbor? How can they without a light?" She was in great anxiety. There must be some way to help them.

     Suddenly an idea came to her, and she went into her room and came back with a small mirror. She set the candle on the window ledge and placed the mirror in back of it. At least the tiny rays would appear a little brighter to whomever might see them.

     Dawn came and the little candle gave one last sputter and burned out. The wind and rain subsided when the woman saw several figures struggling along the beach. She ran out to meet them. 

     "We rode out the storm, Mother," one of them called. "Somewhere we saw a small ray of light. We rowed for it and it brought us in to the right place."

     "It must have been the candle," she said. That was the only light in the hamlet."

by Edna J. Robb, from Sunshine Magazine, June 1957