Grace's LIGHT

A hidden secret proved to Annie that bravery came in many forms

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No dogs on the Maisie-Jane, love,' said Skipper Dave. He smiled slightly at the two pairs of pleading brown eyes looking up at him – Annie's granddaughter Jenny and Scruff, her rough-haired terrier. The passengers waiting to board the Maisie-Jane shuffled their feet. Nobody wanted to stand around in the chilly sea breeze.

‘But Scruff's very well behaved, isn’t he, Nana?’ said eight-year-old Jenny, her expression mutinous.

The skipper turned to Annie for backup. ‘Look, we shouldn't...’

‘If that’s the rule, Jenny, he can’t come,’ said Annie, feeling her stress levels rising. She really should have enquired about whether her little dog could join them before booking this trip to the Farne Islands. From the moment her granddaughter had spotted the roaming beam of the Longstone Island lighthouse from Annie's cottage on their first night together, the little girl had been desperate to go there. Annie had told Jenny the story of Grace Darling, who had lived in the lighthouse and risked her life to save many others at sea. The girl had been fascinated, so her grandmother had set about making the trip happen.

Now, Annie’s heart sank. There was no way Scruff could be left out of this adventure.

‘You'll sit quietly, won’t you, Scruff?’ Jenny looked imploringly at the little dog.

Miraculously, Scruff obliged, perhaps hearing the word ‘sit’. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, his face a picture of innocence.

This seemed to swing it with the skipper, who sighed theatrically. ‘OK, OK. But keep him on his lead. And I don’t want any mess!’

‘Cool!’ Jenny’s face lit up and, sensing her excitement, the dog jumped up and licked her nose.