The Boat

Two fishermen shared a boat.

They went out together each day.

The sea was not always calm.

But the boat held.

One afternoon, while alone,
one of them dropped a tool.

It struck the bottom of the boat.
A small crack appeared.

He looked at it.

Water came in slowly.
Just a little.

He pressed something against it.
It stopped.

“It’s nothing,” he thought.

When the other fisherman returned,
he said nothing.

The next day,
they went out again.

The sea was rough.

The crack opened slightly.
Water seeped in.

The man noticed.
But he stayed quiet.

“It’s still small,”
he thought.

Days passed.

Each time, the sea grew harder.
Each time, the water came faster.
Each time, he said nothing.

One morning, far from shore,
the boat began to take in water.

More than before.

The other fisherman turned.

“What’s happening?”
he asked.

The man looked
at the bottom of the boat.

For a moment,
he looked at the water.

Then the water rose.

And the boat sank.