Peaceful days
The first light of the day fell through the tiny cracks in the wall and illuminated small specks of dust that were swirled into the air by the ocean's briese. In the broad hammock there laid a young boy. He was sleeping, even snoring lightly, but his rest was soon disturbed by his mother's voice calling him. He grumbled upon being woken but got up nonetheless. The boy dressed himself quickly in a light shirt and shorts and walked over the smooth stone floor towards the kitchen. He enjoyed the stones cold touch on his bare feet. It contrasted the humid morning heat quiet nicely.
Once he stepped foot into the kitchen his senses were filled by the heavenly smell of the breakfast and the fire's gentle warmth. His mother ordered him to set the table and get some more eggs from the hen house. So he placed ten plates on the table and hurried outside. The chicken were kept in a small wood house and the boy climbed inside. The hens started greeting him and he petted them in return before lifting a few and quickly stealing their eggs. One of the hens grabbed one of his brown locks that was flowing freely down to his shoulder. He needed a few extra minutes to free himself from the hen's grip and once he got out of the house his back ached with the effort of arching.
While cracking his spine he looked out over the ocean. This morning was an exceptionally beautiful one. The sun's orange rays touched the water surface and gave it a comfortable warmth, while a gentle briese cooled his skin. He stayed there under the palms for a few more minutes before returning inside. During his absence the rest of the family had assembled around the breakfast table and were already starting to plan the day's activities. His father and uncle were talking animatedly about different fishing techniques while his sister and mother stood by the fire and discussed the different methods of cooking an egg.
After placing the eggs in his mother's hands he himself took a seat at the table and basked in the mornings tranquility. Everyone enjoyed their breakfast and in the middle of eating the boy's father stood up and announced that today the whole family would be going fishing. Upon that statement the younger children broke out into laughter and the adults too smiled in obvious pleasure. Fishing days were everyone's favourite.
Around two hours later the family went to the boats. Everyone brought their own spear and net as well as a small bundle of food. This would be necessary because they wouldn't return to the house until the evening.
They climbed into the thin boats and left the coast behind. The water underneath them was crystal clear and had a turquoise hue. After about 40 minutes they arrived at their fishing spot and everyone stopped and looked to their grandmother. She would decide who was allowed to dive in first.
The grandmother looked into the assembled faces and took a steady breath. She focused in on the young boy smiled and tilted her head slowly to the side. That was the signal, so the boy stood up, grabbed his spear and dove into the water.
The cold water engulfed him and looking around himself the boy saw another world filled with colour and life. Hundreds of fish swam around him. Stretching out his hand he touched one of them and felt the smooth scales under his fingers.
He pushed himself through the water and flowed along the sandy ground. There he too found many animals. Krabs and others mingled there under the safe branches of the corals.
Above himself he saw the others entering the water and he remembered why he was here. So he gripped his spear a little harder and swam to his sister. They would hunt together, like always.
After a long day of fishing and enjoying the time spent together, they made their way back to the coast. The sun was slowly setting on the horizon, casting a gentle orange light all over the place. The sea seemed awfully beautiful.
Truly a fitting end to such a peaceful day.
Everyone was excited for dinner and a good night's rest, so they paddled a little faster and made a hurry for their house.
Maybe this would be one of many nice days to come or it would be last in a long time. One could never know and so the young boy enjoyed the memory of this beautiful day and went to bed with hope in his heart and a peaceful mind.














