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The Lighthouse Ghost of Yaquina Bay

by Alexandra Mason

Sunday, August 27

2:00 p.m.

 

Lighthouse Ghost

 

 

Long-time residents of Newport, Oregon report seeing a feeble light in the tower of the defunct lighthouse at Yaquina Bay. They ascribe this to the presence of the ghost of Muriel Trevenard, a teenaged girl who, in the years after its abandonment in 1874, went alone into the lighthouse to retrieve a dropped handkerchief and was never seen again.

Lischen M. Miller gave body and form to the apocryphal tale of Muriel in the “Pacific Quarterly” in 1899. And now Alexandra Mason brings Muriel’s tale into the present. We hear Muriel’s thoughts of her (non)existence since her death, as she is trapped in the lighthouse and in an endless limbo.

Young Amelia Allen and her father Hal visit Newport and see Muriel’s light from their condo across the bay. When they visit the museum, Muriel takes a chance and materializes to them. Amelia senses that a personal mission is now hers, to help put Muriel to rest—and she discovers that Muriel is actually a distant ancestor.

"The Lighthouse Ghost is not only a tale of ghostly intrigue, but a delving into the minds of a teenage ghost and a teenage girl, both of whom have lost their mother and are trying to find their bearings...For young and old alike, The Lighthouse Ghost is beautifully written, the story is riveting and the characters are vivid and engaging. A must-read for lovers of the Oregon Coast." -- Mme Brenda Hollander