Chapter 1. Footnotes on the same page

The lighthouse keeper climbed the stairs every evening at dusk.¹ She counted the steps as she went, out of habit rather than need.

The lamp was lit by hand until the island was connected to the mainland grid.² After that, the keeper’s work was mostly cleaning glass and keeping records.

On clear nights the beam could be seen from the far side of the bay. On foggy nights, the horn did the work instead.

Visitors were rare, and most of them came for the view.³ The keeper offered them tea and a short tour, and then sent them on their way before dark.

Her notebook recorded the weather,⁴ the ships that passed,⁵ and the birds that rested on the gallery rail.⁶