The Lighthouse

She had been alone for as long as she could recall. Maintaining the beacon light was her sole purpose in life.

—The story's description

"The Lighthouse" is a 2018 short story written by Brendan Rizzo. Set in an deserted island with a single girl maintaining a lighthouse, it documents how this came to be. She is later saved by suppliers monitoring the island. By the end of the story, it is revealed that the girl has no knowledge of the outside world.

The short story can be found on Fictionpress here.

Tropes used in The Lighthouse include:

Backstory: The beginning of the story.
Dark and Troubled Past: The main character's parents are presumedly dead, with her dad not being seen again after an attempt by him to hold their boat in a storm. Her mom is nowhere to be seen as well.
Deserted Island: The setting for the story.
In Medias Res: The story begins in the middle, before giving context to the main character's character.
Lighthouse Point: Where the main character lives.
Orphan's Ordeal: Being alone in the lighthouse, the main character maintained the lighthouse and had to subsist on the island's sole food source, which had deteriorated badly when she was saved.
Parental Abandonment: While a thunderstorm is occurring, the dad tried to protect the boat. It is inferred that he died.

Stay here! I'll be back soon, but make sure that light shines!

—Dad

Short Runners: The story itself only takes a few minutes to read.