The Old Man and The Sea Short Story By: Alyssa Topper
Chapter 1 There once lived an old man named Santiago. Santiago loved to fish. Every morning at the crack of dawn he’d grab his fishing gear and head out to sea. But for awhile now, Santiago couldn’t catch a single fish. This made the man sad, but very determined. “I’ll catch the biggest fish this town has ever seen!” Santiago declared. And the next day, that’s exactly what he set out to do.
Chapter 2 Santiago woke up extra early the next day to make sure he had all the supplies he needed for his fishing trip. He grabbed bait, lines and his lucky boots. And as Santiago headed out to his boat, he had a good feeling about the day. “I’ll catch a fish for sure today, I feel confident.” And with that he climbed into his boat and took off.
Chapter 3 Santiago sat quietly in his boat, watching the lines bob in the current. He waited patiently for a fish to come along and take the bait, but none came that day. Santiago was sad, but still determined, “Tomorrow will be better.� He said quietly to himself as he loaded up his bait and headed home for the day.
Chapter 4 The next day was cold and gloomy, the other fishermen that worked on the docks that day decided to stay inside, but not Santiago, he gathered his gear and headed excitedly to his boat. “Today’s the day.” He said confidently. Santiago paddled away from shore and headed towards the neverending ocean ahead of him.
Chapter 5 After about 2 ½ hours of paddling, Santiago finally reached a spot to stop for a rest, his lines dragging behind him empty. Santiago rested in the bow of the boat comfortably, feeling the sun beat down on him. “Come on, I know you’re out there.” He spoke quietly over the edge of the boat, staring at the water. Just as he finished his sentence, a large fish appeared, just under the surface of the water. Santiago stared at it in wonder. “There you are,”
Chapter 6 The large fish stuck his head into the air, breathing in the afternoon heat. “What are you doing way out here?” The large fish asked Santiago. “Why i’m trying to catch the biggest fish my town has ever seen!” He replied. “There are no big fish out here, only I. And you will surely never catch me, i’m too heavy for your lines.” “Oh I don’t know about that, I would stay out here forever if that meant catching you.” “But you would die out here, that’s so silly to risk your life for a fish.” “I love the challenge, and if that means I finally catch something, then it will all be worth it.” Santiago began to reach for his lines, he could feel the fish watching him. “We will see who wins his battle, fisherman.” The large fish said, just before he dove back into the dark waters.
Chapter 7 Santiago worked for many long hours that day, after hooking the large fish he was dragged around by the beast. It took him several hours to bring the large fish close enough to the surface to where he could bring it into the boat. “I got you now,” Santiago breathed happily, he knew that someday he’d bring home a fish of this size. He had been right.
Chapter 8 Santiago finally reeled the fish in by sunset. He made his way home quickly, and was excited to see the look on everyones faces when he returned.
Chapter 9 (end) As he pulled his boat ashore, he watched as the fishermen gathered on the docks to watch him carry his load off the boat. As he pulled the large fish from the boat he could hear gasps and sounds of amazement. Santiago had a giant smile on his face as he passed fellow fishermen. No one had believed that an old man like him could bring home such a big fish. But Santiago knew all along, and he was proud of himself.
(credits) written by: Alyssa Topper images from google images