Here's another very long story—number 34—in the same dark, Gothic style:---

# **34. "The Shadow of St. Michael's Tower in Cornwall"—A Story of Who Can't Get Down From the Top**

On the south coast of Cornwall stands the lonely **St. Michael's Tower**, built on a steep cliff overlooking the stormy sea.

For centuries, it served as a lighthouse and lookout for fishermen and sailors.

But locals speak of it differently—as a place where time is lost and the **shadow never leaves its master**.

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## **I—The New Keeper**

In 1927, lighthouse keeper **Thomas Albright** took up duty at St. Michael's Tower.

He was young, ambitious, and confident.

He had never believed in superstitions before, not even maritime legends.

On the first night, he noticed something strange.

Against the backdrop of the full moon, his own shadow seemed a little longer, more distinct than it should have been.

And when he turned to look out at the sea, the shadow… moved away in the opposite direction.

Thomas took it for an optical illusion.

He didn't know it was the first warning.

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## **II — First Signals**

A few days later, the sound of footsteps appeared in the tower, though Thomas was alone.

At first, he thought it was the wind beating on the wooden stairs.

But the footsteps were too regular—heavy, slow, and reverberated off the walls in an unsettling way.

The voice of the wind mingled with the sound, creating a sound that seemed to say:

**“Stay at the top. Never come down.”**

Thomas began to write in his journal:

> “A shadow watches me. Not just my own—something more. Something learning my movements, my habits.

> And at night… it pursues me with its gaze.”

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## **III — Encounter with a Shadow**

One stormy night, Thomas set out to the top of the tower to test the lantern's light.

The storm seemed thick as tar.

Rain lashed the windows and roof, and the wind howled like an animal.

Then he saw it—a **shadow** that belonged to no one.

It was tall, slender, and its arms were unnaturally long.

It stood at the top, its eyes black as nothing.

It didn't move, but Thomas felt the shadow **watching his every move**.

The shadow spoke in a whisper that was both audible in his ears and in his mind:

**"Your time is mine now.

Will you come down? I won't let you."**

Thomas stepped back, but the stairs made strange sounds.

As if they were trying to stop him.

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## **IV — Attempted Descent**

The next day, Thomas tried to descend to the keepers' quarters.

But the steps were different than yesterday.

Some of the stairs had disappeared, as if the air had swallowed them.

The air was heavy, thick.

A shadow stood above, watching every move.

Each glance down caused Thomas to lose his balance.

He realized the tower was pulling him in.

Not in the physical sense, but in time and space.

Each step down took hours, each moment an eternity.

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## **V — Visit from the Predecessors**

Thomas found old notes from previous lighthouse keepers.

Some wrote about the same thing:

* shadows that become real

* the feeling of being watched 24 hours a day

* time that seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time

Some never left the tower. And their bodies were never found.

Some claimed their own shadows remained at the top of the tower, as if still serving as lighthouse keeper.

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## **VI - The Last Night**

One night, Thomas realized the shadow was becoming more distinct.

It not only resembled his own outline—it moved independently, balancing in a rhythm he couldn't replicate.

The shadow reached out and whispered:

**"You can't come down until you give me your time."**

Thomas felt the ground dissolve around him.

The air became liquid, and the light from the lantern swirled.

He tried to scream, but his voice vanished.

He tried to move down—the stairs were a trap.

He tried to move sideways—the space was unresponsive.

The shadow began to lean over him.

Thomas knew that if he stopped fighting… he would become one of those who would never come down from the top.

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## **VII — After Dawn**

In the morning, the people of Durham saw the tower as usual.

The light was on, the lighthouse keeper was on duty.

But no one noticed Thomas.

His body was never found.

His notes were never found.

Only his shadow, standing motionless at the top, looking down.

And time passed differently in the tower than in the rest of the city.

They say that anyone who looks at St. Michael's Tower today can see a shadow that belongs to no one, yet to everyone who ever served there.

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