By Mic B.

My award-winning novella, An Old Man, a Young Man and the Seaizzle, is a sequel to The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea is a dramatic story about an old man, Santiago, and his open ocean expedition to catch a great marlin with nothing but lines and his own two hands. An Old Man, a Young Man and the Seaizzle, is a few years after Santiago caught the marlin. This time Santiago feels that he can seize a more superior fish and return home with it whole using the help from his young man companion, Manolin.

Manolin and Santiago already possessed a great bond, which was developed in the first book. Ever since Manolin was a little boy he was fishing with Santiago but his parents didn’t approve too well because the old man would be out for many days and not return home with anything. But in the sequel Manolin is old enough to make his own decisions and he decides to go for Santiago’s last adventure in hopes that with his help and companionship, it would be easier on the old man and the reward would be greater than the last… Boy, how wrong he was.

An Old Man, a Young Man and the Seaizzle captures the relationship development of the two main characters as they face the rough, open ocean, the dangers it brings and even the danger they bring upon themselves and to one another. In the exposition of the story, the two men enjoy each other’s company and talk very often. Manolin can tell that Santiago appreciates his presence and is grateful not to be alone this time. As the story progresses the old man begins to become delusional.

Santiago with his age, his mind starts to deceive him. One night when the waters were calm and the sun was submerging out from the horizon into the open skies, Manolin woke up to find Santiago throwing all the food and supplies over the skiff. “Old man! Have you lost your mind?!” Then hesitant as the old man sat with no words, looking mindlessly into the sky, Manolin realizes that Santiago is lost in a deep sleep. As Manolin puts his hand on Santiago’s shoulder, the old man wakes with a start and with no recollection, accuses Manolin of the act. Manolin puts up with Santiago hoping it’s just the heat and the mischievous ocean playing tricks on the old man’s mind but in the climax of the novella Santiago gets worse.

One day Manolin had enough. All the accusations and pointless grudges from the old man accumulated and by taking an oar into his hands, he struck Santiago in the back of the head knocking him out unconscious. “Sprawled on the floor of the skiff he lie. His mouth gaping open. ‘Santiago?’ the young man whispered, ‘please forgive me.’” He then rowed the boat to a deserted island and left the old man behind.

In the falling action, Manolin is consumed by guilt and he loses his mind. He realizes that if he were to go to get the old man, then the old man would kill him for the unforgivable crime he committed. However, if he decided to go back to the village, he would be hanged for mutiny. For the resolution of An Old Man, a Young Man and the Seaizzle, Manolin ties himself to the skiff and sinks it to the bottom of the ocean drowning himself and the Santiago’s dream of catching the biggest marlin.