Far away, in a kingdom called Gaitan, lived an old fisherman. He was poor and hadn't had much property and didn't have any family. The fisherman looked stern, with wrinkles that carved into his face. He had a thick accent from a place no one in the kingdom was familiar with. However, many of the other peasants and commoners adored him and his presence. When fishing days were bad, he'd sit on barrels at the dock and tell stories to everyone who was willing to listen. He'd often told about this woman named Manuela and her short dark hair and gentle face. He'd say to the people, "Para siempre. Yo te amo para siempre," though no one in Gaitan understood what that meant; those who wondered were too afraid to ask. The fisherman's favorite story to tell was about Manuela and her daughter. They lived together in a small house and took care of three small children. The five of them lived peacefully for years, until the daughter and her daughters were grown and one day, moved away. The fisherman had told everyone that Manuela lived alone in the house for years, but was often visited by her daughter and daughter's daughters. Yet throughout all of those years of solitude, Manuela remained happy. The people would ask the fisherman how he'd known about Manuela and her daughters and he would simply say, "that is a story for another day" and would send the people out.
One day, a storm brewed throughout the kingdom. It tore apart house by house and left dozens of people without a place to live. Rain and hail pelted down on Gaitan and the kingdom grew very worried for their well being. Ships weren't able to make stops at the ports and the food supply in the kingdom grew frighteningly low. The fisherman grew notice of this. Many of the people begged him to not to go out, but the fisherman said that he had to try something. If he hadn't, he believed many of his friends would starve. The fisherman, readied his mast and set sail. The storm threw him around like a rag doll. Any person with a normal conscience at all would have turned back, but, no matter what happened, the fisherman refused. He made his way to his first net. He reached his net and reeled in what he'd caught. The net was so full, it nearly tore in two. He set sail back to the kingdom and was welcomed back as a hero.Soon, the storm passed. The people in the kingdom rebuilt the houses that had been destroyed. However, many grew notice of their missing fisherman. He wasn't seen at the docks and his boat was empty. A few dozen people began to look for him. The small search crew looked for days with no avail. Soon, the king an queen became aware that the man who'd saved the kingdom was missing. They sent guards to each house in hopes of finding him. Finally, in a small shack along the beach, they found the missing fisherman. His face was pale and his eyes could barely open. The guards sent word to the king and queen and told them that he must have gotten sick from braving the storm. The king and queen sent their best doctors to his small shack, but in all of his stubbornness, he refused their service. He asked them, in his final wish, to take him to the dock to tell one final story. The entire kingdom showed up at the dock that day. The fisherman, frail and weak sat down on his favorite barrel and began to speak. He told them the story of Alejandro, a man who lived in a small house with his wife and daughter and daughter's three small children. His wife and daughter took care of the three small children and the six of them lived peacefully for years, until the daughter and her daughters were grown and one day, moved away. Alejandro and his wife lived together happily for years, until the man had lost his job. He promised to return once he had more money they could ever need. And just like that Alejandro, set sail on his boat, with the hope of returning to his beautiful wife with short dark hair and gentle face. After the story ended, the fisherman was returned to his shack. He rested in bed for the remainder of the day and thought about all he'd done. He was happy with his life, but there was one thing still haunting him, something he ever so dearly missed. He cried himself to the point of exhaustion and fell asleep. That night, with his face still stained with salt, the fisherman died in his sleep. The whole kingdom packed the church like sardines. It was the day of the fisherman's funeral. Upon his viewing, many people cried and would thank the fisherman for everything he did, including the king. The mass soon started and kingdom sat quietly and listened peacefully to the service. Nearly halfway through the mass, the church doors flew open. A woman, just about as old as the fisherman was, walked in the door. Her hair was short and dark, and her face very gentle. She was followed by a much younger woman, who was followed by three even younger girls. The eldest of the four apologised for their tardiness and spoke in the same accent of that of the fisherman. It was at this moment, the kingdom knew. Those were not just stories the fisherman told, they were recollections of his life. She woman with short dark hair walked up to the casket and began to cry. In between her sighs she was able to whisper, "para siempre. Yo te amo para siempre." Her daughter and her daughter's daughters cried and comforted the old woman. The first pew of the church had been cleared for them am finally, after ten years, Alejandro and Manuela and their daughter and their daughter's daughters had been reunited. The fisherman was finally at peace.
