The Song of the Evening Tide
A lighthouse keeper discovers a magical song and joins sea creatures on a moonlit adventure to find the missing final verse, completing the ocean's lullaby.
- 7 min read
The Song of the Evening Tide
Winnie lived in a lighthouse painted white and red, perched on a rocky cliff where the ocean tucked itself into bed each night. Every evening, as the sun melted like orange sherbet into the sea, Winnie would climb the spiral stairs—round and round and round—to light the great lamp at the very top.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, Winnie noticed something magical floating on the breeze. It was a song—soft as sea foam, gentle as a seashell’s whisper.
Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash, The evening tide is singing, Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash, Night bells are ringing.
“Where is that coming from?” Winnie wondered aloud, her eyes growing wide as tide pools.
She grabbed her favorite yellow raincoat (even though it wasn’t raining) and her red rubber boots (even though the floors were quite dry) and tiptoed down the lighthouse stairs. The song grew stronger with each step, pulling her gently toward the shore.
At the beach, Winnie gasped.
The waves weren’t just washing up and down anymore—they were dancing! Each wave wore a crown of silver sparkles, and they were twirling and swaying in time with the mysterious melody.
“Hello, little lighthouse keeper,” said a voice as smooth as sea glass.
Winnie looked down and saw a small crab with a shell that shimmered like mother-of-pearl. On his back, he carried what looked like a tiny violin made entirely of driftwood and seaweed strings.
“I’m Cornelius,” said the crab, bowing politely. “I’m the Evening Tide’s conductor! But tonight, I have a problem.” His eyes grew worried. “The ocean’s lullaby is missing its final part, and without it, the sea creatures cannot fall asleep. Will you help me find the last verse?”
Winnie nodded eagerly. “I love lullabies! Where do we look?”
Cornelius pointed his small claw toward the water. “We must visit the singers of the sea. Quickly—climb onto this.”
A beautiful silver surfboard made of moonlight appeared at the water’s edge, bobbing gently. Winnie stepped on, and Cornelius scuttled aboard too. The surfboard began gliding smoothly across the calm evening water, following the song.
Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash, The evening tide is singing, Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash, Night bells are ringing.
Their first stop was a cluster of rocks where seven sleepy seals lay yawning.
“Excuse me,” Winnie called politely. “Do you know the last verse of the Evening Tide’s song?”
The largest seal, wearing what appeared to be spectacles made from sea glass, shook her head. “We only know the chorus,” she said, and all seven seals sang together:
“Close your eyes, drift away, Tomorrow brings another day, Rest your head, the sea will keep, Watch over you while you sleep.”
Their voices were beautiful, like honey and velvet mixed together, but Cornelius shook his tiny head. “That’s the middle verse, not the last one. We must keep searching!”
The moonlight surfboard carried them farther out, where the water turned deep purple-blue like grape juice. There, a family of dolphins leaped and splashed, creating arcs of glittering spray.
“Dolphins!” Winnie called. “Do you know the last verse of the Evening Tide’s song?”
The youngest dolphin, barely bigger than Winnie herself, chirped and clicked. Her mother translated: “We know the second verse!” And together, all the dolphins sang:
“Starfish counting, one two three, Jellyfish floating, wild and free, Octopus in his rocky bed, Pulls the coral over his head.”
Winnie clapped with delight—it was so beautiful! But Cornelius looked worried. “Still not the last verse,” he said. “The night is getting deeper. If we don’t complete the song soon, no one in the ocean will be able to sleep!”
Just then, Winnie noticed something. Far below, through the clear water, tiny lights were glowing—hundreds of them, like underwater fireflies.
“What are those?” she asked.
“The sleepy lanternfish,” Cornelius explained. “They’re trying so hard to fall asleep, but they can’t without the complete lullaby.”
Winnie felt determined. “There must be someone who knows it!”
The surfboard carried them to a place where the water was so calm it looked like a mirror reflecting the first stars of evening. And there, floating peacefully, was the largest, oldest sea turtle Winnie had ever seen. Her shell was covered with barnacles that sparkled like jewels, and her eyes were wise and kind.
“Grandmother Shelly,” Cornelius said respectfully. “We’re searching for the final verse.”
The ancient turtle smiled slowly. “Ah, yes. The last verse is the most important, for it is the one that brings true rest. But it cannot be sung by me alone. It requires something special—it requires a voice from the lighthouse, a voice from the land, to join with a voice from the sea. Perhaps…” She looked meaningfully at Winnie.
Winnie’s heart fluttered like a flag in the breeze. “You mean… I should sing it?”
“The final verse is in your heart already,” said Grandmother Shelly. “Every lighthouse keeper knows the song of helping others find their way home, of watching over those who need rest. Close your eyes, dear child, and listen.”
Winnie closed her eyes. She thought about her lighthouse, about how it helped ships find safe harbor. She thought about her own bed, cozy and warm, waiting for her at the end of each day. She thought about the feeling of being safe and loved as sleep crept in on quiet feet.
And then, as natural as breathing, the words came:
“So rest now, my dears, in the ocean so deep, The lighthouse is watching, safe in your sleep, The stars will stand guard till the morning is near, Dream gentle dreams, there’s nothing to fear.”
As Winnie sang, her voice mixed with Grandmother Shelly’s ancient rumble, with Cornelius’s gentle violin, and with the whoosh-splash of the waves themselves. The song swirled around them like a blanket made of music.
Below, the lanternfish lights began to dim, one by one, as each tiny fish closed its eyes. The dolphins settled into a calm swimming pattern, barely moving. The seals on their rocks yawned enormous yawns and tucked their flippers close.
All across the ocean, from the shallowest tidepools to the deepest trenches, sea creatures big and small began to drift into peaceful sleep.
The entire Evening Tide’s song echoed across the water now, complete at last:
Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash, The evening tide is singing, Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash, Night bells are ringing.
Close your eyes, drift away, Tomorrow brings another day, Rest your head, the sea will keep, Watch over you while you sleep.
Starfish counting, one two three, Jellyfish floating, wild and free, Octopus in his rocky bed, Pulls the coral over his head.
So rest now, my dears, in the ocean so deep, The lighthouse is watching, safe in your sleep, The stars will stand guard till the morning is near, Dream gentle dreams, there’s nothing to fear.
“Thank you, Winnie,” Cornelius whispered, and even his voice sounded sleepy now. “The Evening Tide is complete.”
The moonlight surfboard gently carried Winnie back to shore. Her red boots touched the sand, and she walked slowly up to her lighthouse, yawning as wide as the seals had.
She climbed the spiral stairs—round and round and round—but this time, the lighthouse lamp was already glowing all by itself, shining its warm light across the now-peaceful sea.
In her little room at the top of the lighthouse, Winnie’s bed waited, fluffy and inviting. She changed into her pajamas covered with tiny boats and anchors, and snuggled under her quilt that was blue like the ocean.
Through her window, she could see the stars standing guard, just as she had sung. She could hear the waves keeping time:
Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash…
And somewhere, very faint but very sure, she heard Cornelius’s little driftwood violin playing the Evening Tide’s song one last time, just for her.
Winnie smiled, closed her eyes, and let the song carry her off to sleep, where she dreamed of dolphins and starfish, of friendly crabs with violins, and of wise old turtles who knew that the best lullabies are the ones we share with friends.
And every creature in the ocean, from the smallest seahorse to the mightiest whale, slept peacefully through the night, thanks to the little lighthouse keeper who helped complete the song.
Whoooosh-splash, whoooosh-splash…
Goodnight.
The End