Obscure Occurrences : Disappearance of Eilean Mor Lighthouse Keepers

What is Eilean Mor?

 Off the coast of northwestern Scotland, lies the Flannan Isles. One of its islets is called the Eilean Mor and it holds a lighthouse. This island was inhabited only by the three or four lighthouse keepers, sheep, and their shepherds. The island keepers were changed periodically. Because of the immensely less human population, this island had always had a paranormal reputation where people always felt as if they were being watched. Also, the church on this island gave an instant urge for its visitors to immediately kneel down and pray. The draw was so strong that people walked around this church on their knees. Thus, it developed into a strange practice where as soon as one got into the islands, they immediately got on their knees and crawled around the church.

Findings of the Crew

 In the December of 1900, a steamboat was passing by the Flannan Isles and they noticed that the lighthouse on Eilean Mor was not functioning properly. When they reached the port after 3 days, they informed the authorities that the lighthouse was not functional and asked them to check it. So, James Harvey figured out that it was time to replace those lighthouse keepers, got his crew together along with Joseph Moore who was supposed to be the replacement, and headed to the island.

 There was a huge staircase on the island which started from the dock and ended on the lighthouse and the people on this staircase could be seen from quite some distance. Also, it was customary for the lighthouse keepers to come to the dock if a crew arrived. So, James Harvey and his crew kept staring at the staircase as they neared the island hoping to see the lighthouse keepers but, none of the three lighthouse keepers turned up. As they neared the dock, they understood that even the dock was not prepared which was very strange as it was the duty of the keepers to keep it prepared always. With the dock not prepared and no one coming to receive them, the crew understood that something was wrong.

 After orders from the captain himself, Joseph Moore headed to the island to do a cursory examination. As he climbed up the staircase, he felt as if he was being suffocated by a dark atmosphere. As soon as he was able to see the foot of the lighthouse, he noticed that the steel railings of the staircase were bent like tin cans near the lighthouse. Also, a huge boulder that was present near the lighthouse for years, was moved significantly from its position. Joseph immediately concluded that the island was hit by a powerful storm that could be awarded the Storm of the Century.

 He continued walking on the stairs and eventually reached the lighthouse door which was not locked but closed. After yelling a few times and not getting any response, he opened it himself and walked inside. While walking inside he noticed that one oilskin jacket was still on the hooks and this left him wondering why someone would leave the island without wearing the jacket. He also noticed that the kitchen tables had plates with meat and pickle and a couple of chairs were upturned near them. He thought to himself that something terrible should have happened because of which they should have left in a hurry leaving back their food on the table and upturning chairs. On further inspection, he noticed that the mechanical clock of the lighthouse was stopped.

 Once he was done, he went back to the boat and told them what he saw after which the captain and the rest of the crew ventured into the island to confirm. After confirming it himself, James sent a telegram to the mainland explaining what he saw. He wrote that the lightkeepers had died due to a dreadful accident and the clocks were stopped because of it. He also noted that the accident should have happened at least a week ago. He claimed that the lives of the three were claimed by the sea. After sending this telegram, the crew went around the island searching for traces of the lost light keepers during which they got hold of their logbook.

 The logbook had standard entries until the 12^th of December after which the creepy stuff began. On the 12^th of December, the leader of the lighthouse keepers noted that they were being hit by a terrific storm and he doubted if the lighthouse would be able to withstand it. He also noted that one of his colleagues was praying for the past two days and the other one was constantly crying. The man he described as crying was an extremely emotionally strong man who had been against a multitude of really bad storms and at times, he did it all alone. He was a man who wouldn’t succumb to anything and his crying demonstrated the magnitude of this storm. On the 13^th and 14^th of December, it was logged that they doubted they would leave the island alive but on the 15^th it was noted that the storm had withered off and they were grateful to God. It was concluded that once the storm settled, the three should have moved near the dock where they could have been washed off by a rogue wave.

The Conflict

 This news spread on the mainland which eventually reached the ears of the people living on the coastline who had a clear view of the island. They were shocked when they heard this news as according to them, there was no storm near the island. In fact, on the 12^th 13^th, and 14^th, the weather was so clear that they were able to see parts of the island from the coast which could only be seen under pristine conditions. This directly conflicts with what was noted in the logbook. So, what actually happened to the lighthouse keepers? Were they still alive? Why did they see a storm when there was no storm in the first place? The answers to these questions are obscure. To add to the strangeness, people who succeeded the missing three reported hearing someone yelling the names of the missing three.