Outstanding Stories » The Fisherman

“The Fisherman” is one of the outstanding stories (sub-junior) of the second biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Thivesha Kumar, Binus School Serpong, Indonesia.

The Fisherman

Once there lived a fisherman named Jack. He lived in a small island, south of Kalimantan. He was poor but hardworking and kind. He had a wife named Avery, and a son named Agus. Agus was five years old. Jack loved Agus, so he wanted him to study hard and become a successful person. However, Jack could not afford buying books and stationeries for his son, so Agus stayed at home instead. Jack had to go out fishing everyday to feed his family.

One day, there was a big storm with heavy rain and big waves. Jack and Avery were worried, because their food was limited and could last for only a few days. Jack could not go fishing for more than a week due to big waves. Jack and his family became really hungry. Jack was helpless, so he went to a rich man named Tom for help. Jack braved through the storm and was soaking wet when he entered Tom’s house. When Tom saw Jack walking into the house, he shouted, “Stop there! What are you doing in my house?” Jack humbly answered him, “Tom, it’s been raining for more than a week and we are out of food. Could you please provide my family some food? We will be very grateful and try to repay your kindness.” Tom arrogantly replied, “You poor fisherman. How will you repay me? I don’t have any food to give you. You should find your own food.” Jack was upset and walked back home. He was thinking of his family, especially his son who was crying in hunger. He decided to go fishing in the storm for his family.

It was approaching sunset, but Jack rowed his boat into the sea. Huge waves rocked his boat. He prayed to god for his safety. Suddenly, a strong wave crashed his boat on a huge rock. Jack was thrown into the sea but he managed to grab hold of a large wood. He was swept by sea and Jack ended up in a cave by sea. He was surprised to find a treasure chest in the cave. When he opened the treasure chest, he found gold and jewelleries. He managed to return to his hut the next day, and he became a very rich man. Jack built his family a big house and put his son into a good school. He bought many fishing boats and hired fishermen.

One day, Jack was on his way to the town when he saw Tom sitting by the roadside. Jack was shocked. He asked Tom, “What happened?” Tom replied, “My house was destroyed in a fire. All my wealth is gone and I am a poor man now.” Jack felt pity and brought Tom to his house. He offered Tom to stay with him until Tom could build his own house. Tom thanked Jack for his kindness and he learnt an important lesson. Be kind and always help people when they are in need. Tom finished building his house after a few weeks, and they became good friends.