5. Drunks in the Lighthouse

5

DRUNKS IN THE LIGHTHOUSE

TERESA

" I t's cold as shit in here, huh?" Zephyr says from the spiral staircase.

From one of the staircases. Because this is a multiple staircase house. Once again—not a cottage.

The rest of us have piled on to one couch—there are three total—for warmth.

"Ya think?" Anelisa scoffs from between Dawn and Taara, clutching a blanket close.

We've all been fighting for the blanket as each of us came downstairs to convene. As the blanket is hers, Anelisa has been fighting the hardest. Taara and I have cuddled up regardless, trying to warm each other up from the cold.

"Please tell me there's a heater in this house," I beg.

"Oh yeah, you know the deal in beach cities: heat yes, AC no," Zephyr says, idly stepping down the stairs.

"Okay… and? Ya gonna turn it on?" Anelisa pushes.

"Mmm, I guess I could," Zephyr muses.

All four of us turn towards Zephyr and glare them down until they walk to a beautifully decorated grate.

"It's a thermostat!" Dawn exclaims.

"What did you think it was?" Zephyr asks, pulling the grate open, punching the buttons, and shutting it again.

"I dunno. A button to a secret passageway? Just decorative? I had hypotheses."

"Mmmm," Anelisa breathes. "Feel that sweet, sweet heat."

"Not enough," Taara grumbles, cuddling up closer to me.

"Give it a few minutes," Zephyr says. "It's probably shaking off a few pounds of dust."

"Oh, my lungs are going to love that," I say.

Dawn gets up, causing Anelisa to squeak, desperately holding the blanket close to keep in all the heat.

"Crazy that it's so cold in here in the middle of summer," Dawn murmurs.

"Is it? It's always been like this," Zephyr says. "Beach is right there. It's an old house… probably in worse shape than when I was here last."

"I guess. It's just been so hot at home," Dawn says, happily circumnavigating the living room now that the heat filters in.

She might have done it sooner, but we pulled her into the cuddle puddle by force. Warmth in numbers and all. Her hands glide across the walls, playing with the wainscoting.

"If there was a secret passageway," Zephyr says, coming up behind Dawn, "I would have found it."

"Spoilsport," Dawn mutters. "This house would be perfect for secret passageways."

"Tell you what," Zephyr says. "Once I hit five-thousand subs, I'll install a secret passageway just for you."

Dawn gasps and turns around. "Really?!"

"I mean, not just for you. You're right, that does sound pretty dope. It's for me, too."

Dawn gives Zephyr the biggest doe eyes before trying to figure out what to do with her hands. She stims for a few seconds before reaching forward and giving Zephyr a very awkward hug. Watching the two of them hug is rare, cute, and kind of funny, considering they both have issues with touch in their own ways. Dawn pulls apart quickly and goes to explore the rest of the room. Zephyr shakes their head, a smile edging at the corner of their lips. They take a seat on one of the empty couches, facing us.

"Is there a nude beach nearby?" I ask, now that we're a bit more settled and relaxed .

Everyone looks at me as if that's a super weird question to ask.

"Why? Are you looking?" Anelisa asks, tilting an eyebrow.

She's so good at that.

"Not at all," Zephyr says. "Though I guess any beach could be a nude beach if it was private enough."

"Is it like… common… for people to run around naked on the beaches here?" I ask next.

"Okay, what did you see?" Zephyr asks, sitting up more on the couch.

"A really hot naked guy with a bichon frise just hanging out—and I mean really hanging out—on the beach behind us…" I say.

"WHEN?" Anelisa yelps. "And why didn't you bring down the rest of us!?"

"I was in shock. And his dog was really distracting."

"Yeah, the dog," Taara laughs.

"Anyway, he ran off with the dog before I knew what was up. I just wanted to go down there and play in the water for a bit," I say. "Something really calming when it's just you, the ocean, and the stars."

"And dangerous," Taara scorns. "Very dangerous."

Zephyr shrugs. "Abuelita used to go out there all the time by herself. I mean, she lived here for years without accident…"

There's a collective hush as we all wait to see —

"But anyway, I wouldn't recommend it," they finish.

If my naked hot guy news had sent Zephyr into a bout of melancholy, that would be my sign to yeet into the ocean. I feel like everything I try lately is just making things worse. All I want is my lighthearted vacation, and I know that's selfish, but I need it.

"Hey, Zeph!" Dawn calls from across the room. "Where's the Lighthouse?"

"There's a lighthouse?!" Taara asks, excited.

"Uh, yeah, on the other side of town—why?" Zephyr asks.

Dawn tramps over with a stack of old papers.

"Am I wrong in saying this doesn't look like a lighthouse?" she asks, laying them flat.

It's an old newspaper clipping, a little wrinkled, a little faded. The photo in question shows bartenders in white jackets handing drinks over to men in tuxes and women in long, decadent gowns.

"Is that…" Taara starts.

"Motherfucking Nina Martinez!" Anelisa says, pointing to a woman that does, in fact, look an awful lot like Zephyr's grandmother.

"Look in the background! That's Cab Calloway!" I exclaim.

The famous black jazz singer is mid-song on the stage behind her, holding a baton. I remember watching videos of him performing over and over again when I was younger, captivated by the way he moves. He looks like he's about to jump out of the picture here.

"Charlie Chaplin!" Taara points out a man in the corner with his iconic mustache.

"I think that's Gloria Swanson," Zephyr points out next.

"Who?" I ask.

"Fifty years later, revisiting the Lighthouse," Dawn reads. "Hollywood's speakeasy away from home. Invited in for an exclusive tour, the current owner has requested we keep the historical landmark secret—Zeph! We have to find the Lighthouse!"

"I mean, I'll take you to the Cryptic Cove lighthouse, but—"

"But this is probably not the actual lighthouse."

"Which means…"

"Maybe your grandma has more clues about where it could be. It's gotta be around here somewhere. She was obviously a member—I mean, did they have memberships for speakeasies? She was a regular. Something!"

I groan, disinterested in the sudden mystery. This does not sound like a vacation, this sounds like I'm being roped into an escape room I didn't sign up for.

"You know where I'd rather go?"

"To a nude beach?" Anelisa jokes.

"True," I acknowledge. "Or the modern version of a speakeasy. You know, like a place where they sell alcohol and there's dancing?"

"Oh, you mean like a bar?" Dawn asks too earnestly.

"Yes, Dawn, a bar," I agree.

"Wait, that's actually not a bad idea. We can ask around! They might know the local history and have some clues about where the Lighthouse is!"

I let out a long sigh, but it gets buried under everyone else agreeing to go to the bar. At least we're going to a bar! The rest of them can look for a mystery… I'm just looking for a good time.