Three Skeleton Key is about three men who work in a lighthouse. They are the unnamed narrator, Le Gleo and Itchoua. The lighthouse they operate is located on a small island off the coast of Guyana called Three Skeleton Key. It is named after three escaped convicts whose stolen canoe crashes on the island and they eventually die of hunger and thirst. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Itchoua sees a ship heading towards the island and alarms the other two. The ship is abandoned and eventually crashes into the rocks. The men signaled the ship to turn around, but soon discovered that there were rats on the ship. They assumed the ship was abandoned, but realized that the ship's deadly rats had eaten the entire crew. The mice swam to the island and completely covered it. The men are trapped in the lighthouse. Soon, hungry rats ate through the opening window and forced the men to go to the upper level of the lighthouse (where there is no food or water). The night before (the sixth day trapped), the men decided not to turn on the beacon as they always should. This attracts the attention of the mainland and they send people to check the lighthouse. When the people arrive, they assume that the three men have been eaten alive, but Itchoua sends a message in morse code using the light from the lighthouse. The first rescue attempt (seventh day trapped) was to use a fire boat to spray water on the rats away from the lighthouse. This failed and Le Gleo is no longer in his head. On the eighth day the fireboat returns, but with a boat full of fresh meat behind it. Rats swim towards easily accessible meat. The fireboat burns the mice after dousing them in gasoline, and the rest of the mice are eaten by sharks. The men are then saved. Le Gleo's mind broke and he was sent to an institution in France. Itchoua died due to infection from fighting rats. The narrator returns to work on the repaired lighthouse. Characters: Narrator His most terrifying experience was on Three Skeleton Keys He decided to work on Three Skeleton Keys because the pay was high and he was determined to save a good sum before his marriage Very satisfied with life on the Key Lighthouse Lived on the Key for 2 yearsHe worked at the lighthouse with Le Gleo and ItchouaAfter his most terrifying experience on the island, he returned and resumed his service thereHe worked at the lighthouses for 35 yearsHis most terrifying experience occurred after his return from leave at the end of JuneLe GleoFrenchman on the age of the narrator His mind broke from the experience and he was sent back to France. He spent the rest of his life in an Itchoua institution The chief keeper of the light From Spain About 10 years older than Le Gleo and the narrator He died within a week of the experience from a rat bite Vocabulary: Supplies: a supply of food and other necessary things Maneuver: to move carefully and usually skillfully Promptly: quickly and easily Riveted: to attract and hold someone's full attention Besiegers: to gather around (someone) aggressively, annoyingly, etc. Barge: a large boat which has a flat bottom and which is used to transport goods in harbours, on rivers and canals Key: a low-lying island Maritime: relating to ships or navigation Brethren: the lay members of a male religious order Regatta: a series of boat races Pestilential: likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease Diminish: change to something smaller or lower Predominate: be greater in number, quantity, power, status, or importance Flotilla: a fleet of small boats