You made it, you're standing outside the quaint little building on the edge of the cliffs. The 'Love Lost' it was cutely named and you are here to discover the secrets of the love that was lost.


"My word, you look just like them," came the voice of the short plump hotel manager.


"Excuse me," you reply dumbfounded.


"The love lost, in which this house is adeptly named. Mind you, they completely lost their wits; one commited suicide, apparently told themselves to do it. Let me show you to your room."


"Interesting," you murmer.


You follow the manager inside and they lead you to your room and you enter alone, taking in a deep breath of the fresh sea air through the open window.


"Ring in the bell if you require assistance. Sleep well," and with that the manager was gone.


Staring out of the window you admire the distant lighthouse and note how it looks exactly like the one your grandparents once had as a model. You watch the waves beating at the rocks for a little too long, so mesmerised you nearly miss the faint the whisper in the room.


"My love..." The whisper was so low it could have been a thought.


"My love," you repeat out loud. Night falls quickly and you retire for bed.


A dream ensnares you. Feeling like an out of body experience; floating above, you watch yourself stood on the deck of that lighthouse. There is another person there, you appear to be arguing with them. Eventually the other person leaves, clearly upset. The other you on the deck looks directly up at you, a tear in their eye but they smile bravely at you.


"My love!" You wake suddenly, a bright light fills the room. Wrapping the blanket about yourself you stand out of bed and reach the window.


"The lighthouse!" You exclaim. It is now much closer to your window. The rotating light illuminates the room forming shadows all around you. Glimpses of a figure can be seen by the bed. A fully formed spirit stands over where you slept, "My love," the whisper is repeated. You realise it is the upset person you argued with in your dream.


You look at the lighthouse again; a figure stands there too. It is you, you are stood on the balcony of the tall shaft.


You share a look of anticipation with yourself on the ledge. Neither of you can turn your eyes away.


Then suddenly, the other version of you smiles valiantly and jumps. Leaping from the balcony they dive feet first into the dark depths below, never to be seen again.


An anguished voice speaks out from behind, "My love! Lost. Lost is my heart."


Turning around you see a pale ghostly face staring into yours. A face you would have called beautiful if not for the deathly hollow expression.


The spirit reaches out to you; longing to touch you, to feel your warmth, to feel anything. Recoiling leads you to retreat backwards towards the window.


A change sweeps across the ghost's transparent face, "Don't do it! Don't end what we've only just begun!"


Looking down you find that you have somehow climbed out of the window and are now standing on the platform of the lighthouse. The window and the hotel have also retreated a safe distance as it appears they are now just as far away from you as the lighthouse was when you first laid eyes upon it.


As you stare at the crashing waves below you suddenly realise you're not here to learn the secrets of the love that was lost; you are the love lost.


Looking back into the window of the hotel, into the eyes of your lover, a tear swells in your eye and then... You jump.


***


The next morning you are standing in front of the 'Love Lost' hotel, you made it, you finally arrived. You've been eager to learn the secrets of this for some time and now was your chance.


"My word, you look just like them," came the voice of the short plump hotel manager.


Not the end...