Title : Holes in the Fence
Retold by : Sheikh Hassan Seylan 'Abad
Illustrator : Raihan Munif Bahasuan
Author : Sheikh Hassan Seylan 'Abad
Publisher : Abad Ceria Enterprise
Summary of the story :
This story is about a boy who had a bad temper. His family and friends were afraid of his bad temper that none would come near him. One day, he bought a new pair of boots and told his neighbour that he will join them in the field. When he turned up, nobody was there. His anger grew. He went home with his bad temper. He kicked his boots towards his father who was watering the plants. The boots almost hit his father who was standing a few inches away. Then, he went inside his room and shouted when he noticed that his towel was not there. His father wore a piece of 'sarong' and knocked on the door with his son's towel. He acted like a servant to his son. The boy looked at his father and felt wrong. He told his father not to do this to him and he admitted that he was bad. He apologised and asked help from his father to help him turn over a new leaf. His father forgave him and agreed to help his son. He gave his son a box of nails and a hammer. He told him to hammer a nail into the wooden fence whenever he loses his temper. The boy followed his instructions and hammer a nail into the wooden fence each day. After a while, he discovered that he can control his temper and told his father that he don't need these nails anymore. His father smiled and took back the nails. Then, he told his son to keep the hammer and pulled out one nail each day. The days passed and the boy told his father that all nails in the fence were gone. The father took his son's hand and asked his son to look at the holes in the fence. He told his son that the fence will never be the same and no matter how many time you say sorry, the wound will still be there. The boy understood and apologised to his father. He had learned his lessons.
The part which I like the most in this story is when the boy's father wore a piece of 'sarong' and knocked on the door with the boy's towel.
The moral of this story is that we should always be patient because losing our temper may cause us losing our friends and even family members.
