The Island Boy

An Island Boy once loved to stand on the shore and watch his father and the men go out fishing in their old fishing boat. He dreamed of the day that he would be big enough to go out with them in the boat and fish like they do on the wide-open sea. He would catch a great many fish and sell them at the market. He would do well for himself then and bring the catch home to his family as well. When his father came back from sea one day he asked him ‘When will I be big enough to go out and fish with the men like you do each day?’ His father fetched as small coconut tree from the village in a pot and showed the boy the other big coconut trees planted next to the lane by the seaside. ‘These trees are mine and your grandfather’s that we planted when we were little lads like you. See how tall and proud they are. What lovely nuts they carry to feed us each year?’ The little boy nodded ‘yes.’ And his father then told him ‘We will plant this little tree for you and when it is big and tall enough to carry its own splendid coconuts you will also be tall and proud enough to go out and work like the big men do.’ ‘But that will take forever.’ The island boy replied to his father sadly. ‘Both you and this little tree will grow tall and proud sooner than you think,’ said he. So the father and son planted his little coconut tree out by the lane next to the tall ones, and each afternoon he would sit and dream under the tree as it grew bigger slowly but surely. Dreaming of the little fishing boats out at sea and the good times that where yet to come for them both. The little tree would dream along side the boy of the day he too would be tall and proud. A fine tree in that lane of coconut trees he would be then. The greatest one of them all. The big trees would just smile at the two little ones and say, ‘When will you both be tall and strong?’ they whispered with their tall swaying tops in the cool breeze. ‘One day,’ they both replied ‘One day soon.’  And yes the seasons sped passed very fast and one day the boy came back from sea in the boat having grown tall and proud like all of the young men of the village. He went and stood beside his old friend the little coconut tree having dreamt under its branches of this day so often. ‘Look how tall we both have grown,’ he said to the tall young tree. Then he climbed to the top of his favourite tree. His very own coconut tree. He came back down with two splendid nuts to show for it and carried them home to his village with his prize catch of the day. Everything comes to those who are prepared to wait. The sun sank a lovely pink, red and blue into the distant waves at the end of another perfect day. It was just another day in paradise for them all.