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A Fish and a Gift

- Liesl Jobson

Papa cycles down to Muizenberg Beach. Squeak squeak go the wheels all the way to Surfer's Corner. Gulls circle the sky. "Whaaat? Whaaat? Whaaat?" they cry. "What will you bring back for Yusuf?" Papa rings his bell. "Wait and see what it will be!"
The fishermen watch the sun rise. They check their nets. They check their oars. They listen to the wind. They drag their boats down to the water. Yusuf's grandfather, Oupa Salie was a treknet fisherman. Before him his father, Oupagrootjie Ridwaan, knew the sea too.
The boat rides into the waves. Papa's arms stretch to the oar. His leg braces against the side. His neck strains, his back muscles ripple. Papa sings as he works: "Drop and swish. Find a fish. Pull and plop. Don't you stop."
All day long Yusuf looks at the sky. It is bright and clear and windless. A fish and a gift! What will Papa bring home from the sea? Sometimes he brings a beautiful shell. Sometimes he brings a jewel green bottle rinsed by the waves.

License information: CC BY 4.0
MPAA: G
Go to source: https://www.africanstorybook.org/

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