THE FISHERMAN

        “We never know how our life would turn out if we had – or if we hadn’t – made, a certain choice, at a certain moment in the past…”

        So the man thought, sitting on the beach, watching the sea, the wind blowing through his sparse gray hair. What path would his life have taken if he hadn’t left his humble fisherman’s house many years ago? There was no trace left of that house anymore. Maybe the simple life of a fisherman is more fulfilling than the empty and fake life he used to live since he had left the village. But the roadways of life have no return path and arrogance always requires a high price to pay.

        “Hey, sir, why are you sitting on the sand? Your elegant clothes will get dirty!”

        That voice interrupted his thoughts for a moment. The man recognized the young fisherman, although he was only a little child when he had left the village. But the young fisherman could not possibly remember him and was wondering what was that fine man doing sitting on the deserted beach of their poor village.

        “The clothes… are of no importance” whispered the man in a worn out voice. 

        “How come ? Such clothes… I would give anything to have clothes like that,” sighed the young fisherman looking at his damaged trousers. “But you know what?… I come here every day hoping to meet the Spirit of the Depths… the one that makes any wish come true… and if I ever meet him… then… then this life of poverty will be over”

        “The Spirit of the Depths ?” asked the man with a painful startle.

        “Don’t tell me there is none… I know it exists… my parents have told me that many years ago it showed up to a fisherman from this village… who then became the happiest man on earth.”

        “I have heard this story too,” whispered the man, almost without voice. “But I also know that the Spirit of the Depths fulfills only one wish. And you must choose wisely because there is no way back.”

        “I know this as well… and I also know what I will choose: to be as rich and happy as that man is… and as you are”

        The man stood up dusting the sand from his elegant clothes that the young fisherman was watching with admiration and envy.

        “Now I must go. It was nice to meet you. And I wish you, in case you ever meet the Spirit of the Depths, to choose wisely. I  didn’t make a good choice.”

        “What didn’t you…? Have you met as well… ?”

        “Riches does not mean happiness,” cut the man shortly.  “Good bye”.

        “Do you mean you are not happy ? Don’t you have everything a human being can ever wish?” shouted the young man behind him.

        The man answered without turning his head, while walking away.

        “I am not happy. For me, money flows as from an endless source. I can travel everywhere, buy everything, build castles if I want to, or have any woman I would ever desire… but I would gladly exchange all this for the only thing in the world that can not be bought.”

        The man had  already got  lost in the mist when the young fisherman understood he was speaking precisely with the fisherman of the legend. He sat a long while on the beach, deep in thought, letting the crashing waves caress his bare feet. Evening was falling and the young fisherman, still confused, decided to go home. He stood up and began to walk away when he saw a strange shadow on the sand, as if the sky was enlightened somewhere behind him. He turned around and saw a light like a white flame, right above the sea.

        “I am the Spirit of the Depths”, a voice said, coming from the white flame. “You were waiting for me to make your wish come true.”

        The young man remembered the old fisherman’s words.

        “Give me the only thing in the world that can not be bought.”

        “Are you sure this is what you want ? I can make only one wish of yours come true, and once you wish it, you can’t change your mind. Why don’t you ask me for riches and power? This would be the key for you to make all the wishes you may ever have come true, for the rest of your life.”

        “I only want what I have asked you for. There is only one thing that counts, above anything. Because no matter how rich and powerful you might be, no matter how much the others would envy you for having everything, all this means nothing at all if you don’t have love.”

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