There is an island that cannot be reached by car, train, or plane. The only way to get there is by boat. On the edge of the island there is a harbor where several boats are moored. They all look beautiful. They have beautiful flags and colorful sails.
A captain stands on each ship and proudly shows himself so that everyone knows that the ship belongs to him. When someone wants to leave the island, they choose a ship and ask the captain if he will take them. The captain then safely transports the passenger to their destination.
Captains love transporting people. They want to sail the seas and show off how beautiful their ships are and how many people they have taken on board. They are proud of their work. However, not all ships on this island were always good for transporting people. There was a ship no one wanted to board, ever. The captain of this ship was named Bruno. He loved his ship and loved sailing the seas. For some unknown reason, however, no one wanted to board it.
One day, Bruno was standing at the edge of his ship, looking out at the wide sea. He dreamed of how wonderful it would be to transport people and show them the mysterious wonders of the water kingdom. The waves would crash against his ship, and he would steer it proudly and firmly. The wind would ruffle his hair and the sun would burn his face. All the passengers would admire him for being such a good captain.
An unfamiliar voice interrupted his thoughts: “Hello, do you have room on your ship? Could you take me off the island?” Captain Bruno looked at the young woman standing next to him. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Someone wanted a ride, and on his boat! “Yes, of course. Certainly. Get on board. We can leave right away,” Captain Bruno blurted out before the young woman had time to change her mind. She got on board and was glad to have found a free boat to take her off the island.
But when she stepped on board, she was unpleasantly surprised. The boat had looked beautiful from the shore. And its captain? Like a real man. But when she stepped on board, she was horrified. There was chewing gum stuck to the floor, the benches were covered in some sticky drink, and there was trash underneath them. The boat didn’t smell good at all.
“So sit down and let’s go,” said Captain Bruno, looking forward to finally taking someone out to sea. The young woman just looked around and replied awkwardly, “I’d like to, but I have nowhere to sit. I think I know why no one wants to sail with you. I think if you cleaned everything up and washed the boat, you’d have more passengers right away.”
Captain Bruno was ashamed. It hadn’t occurred to him that the mess might be the real reason why people didn’t want to sail with him. When he looked around his boat, it struck him. And he was sorry. The young lady saw how upset Bruno was. So she promised him that when they arrived at their destination, she would help him tidy up the ship. And she did as she said.
After a while, the ship was full. Word spread everywhere about how beautiful Captain Bruno’s ship was and how well he steered it. And what about the young girl who helped him? As a reward, the captain gave her free passage. They became friends. The young lady helped Bruno keep the ship clean and fragrant, and he loved taking her out on the open sea for adventures. The captain was glad that someone had shown him how important it was to keep his place clean.