“We have twenty minutes to get in and out,” Lucy said.
“Keep going.”
Around and around they went, all the way to the very top. Reaching the landing, they found a door leading to an observation platform.
“This is incredible,” Gloria breathed. “Look at the view.”
“I can see for miles,” Lucy said. “Let’s snap a selfie.”
The friends posed making sure the ship was in the background. With pictures taken, they walked along the metal decking, stopping to read the signs detailing the points of interest.
“We need to head back down,” Lucy reminded them.
Ruth checked her watch. “We have ten minutes tops, before the ticket taker locks us in.”
Gloria lingered, taking in the view…the ship…the water. “It was worth the effort.”
“Sure was.” Lucy, distracted by the mesmerizing view, inadvertently tripped on the door’s raised threshold. Her cell phone slipped from her hand.
Ruth lunged forward to grab it, colliding with Lucy who was on her way down.
The phone hit the metal step, clattering loudly.
“Ouch!” Lucy cried out in pain.
“Sorry.” Ruth sprang to her feet. “I tried to get your phone.”
“I have it.” Gloria snatched it up.
“Klutzy me.” Lucy gripped the railing and carefully pulled herself to a standing position. “I think I twisted my ankle.”
“Are you serious?”
She took another step, crying out in pain. “I’ll have to hobble down the stairs.”
“You’ll have to hobble quickly.”
Ding…Ding…Ding.The warning bell clanged loudly.
“The bell!” Gloria ran out onto the platform, to the side where the entrance was located. “The ticket lady is getting ready to lock us in.”
Chapter 27
“Wait!” Gloria frantically waved her arms, struggling to get the lighthouse employee’s attention. “Don’t lock us in!”
Ruth slipped in beside her. “I don’t think she can hear you.”
“Not with the wind blowing.”
The breeze Gloria had been appreciating only moments earlier grabbed hold of the woman’s hat. It lifted off her head and twirled around. She ran after it, chasing it across the yard and to the corner.
“Did she lock the door?”
“I’m not sure. She stood there for a minute before her hat blew off.” Gloria rushed past Ruth. Careful to sidestep Lucy, who was balancing on one foot, she raced down the steps.
Gloria reached the bottom and sprinted to the door, only to discover it was shut and locked. Quickly assessing the situation, she ran to the other side, thinking maybe there was a window. No such luck.
She tried the doorknob again, desperately twisting it back and forth. It refused to budge.
