The Guiding Light

It's a dewy morning out on the peninsula. Our boat is still crashed against the rocks. " You think it's fixable?" Olivia asks. " Probably, I wouldn't know the first thing about it though." The  light from the house shines through the fog. I squint my eyes. One could probably see that for miles. " Where did they go?" I ask. "They wanted to follow the guiding light."  "The guiding light?" Olivia points to the ocean. There, I faintly see the light stretching out into the horizon. I stare at the wreckage and wonder how we can get there. " I have no clue how to fix it." I reiterate. "That's ok." She says, looking out into the ocean. " Really?" Olivia nods, still looking off into the distance. " Yeah, maybe that path is not for us." Olivia turns and begins walking towards the land.  " Where you going?" I  shout out to her. "It's a place you'll like."  I carefully follow her along the rocky peninsula. Some of the stones start to shift under our feet. But we make it back to the land without any scrapes or bruises. All we have to do is walk slowly.  It was actually nice to go from the slimy, slippery rocks to the muddy soil. Never thought I would welcome mud so much. " Well, here it is." Olivia says in a melancholic tone. "What's wrong?" I ask. "This is the tree that brought us here." It is the same tree. It's branches still lean towards the ocean. Except now it is bare and dark black from the rain. There is but one leaf on the tree. I pick it off the branch and it crumbles in my palm immediately. Olivia looks down in disappointment. " All I wanted to do was show you something pretty." I lift her face gently and take off her mask. I look deep into her saddened eyes. "You did. You always do. Thank you."