Having concluded his conversation with Eli, Jacob ran as fast as he could back home, eager to let his family know about the peculiar and powerful person he just encountered.
The run only took him ten minutes, and finally Jacob opened the house's door while completely out of breath and gasping for air. The house wasn't big, but it wasn't small, either. It had a few rooms. A room for Jacob, a room for his parents, and a wooden table with a few chairs in the middle of the home. A few candles surrounded the house to keep it visible. It was a humble home, but this was how most families lived, barring the rich ones. Waiting to meet him at the door were his mother Sara and his father Dave, who both were extremely worried about their son.
While they knew that their son is an adventurous child, they also knew that he was in no way rebellious and always respected the rules that were imposed on him by his parents, particularly the rule that Jacob had to be home before sundown, however, it was now past sundown and they were both about to leave and look for their missing child. As they were about to exit, Jacob arrived.
Seeing Jacob walk in, both parents noticed that he was in no physical harm, just out of breath from running back home, so their worries decreased to a certain extent, however, they still had to know why their son broke the most valuable rule they had imposed on him.
Having taken a minute to catch his breath, Jacob finally spoke,
"Mom! Dad! I met a powerful man! He killed a giant fish monster and saved my life! We have to go and say thank you to him!"
While confused by their child's statement, the first feeling that took over the parents was relief. While they could see that he wasn't hurt, a verbal confirmation was always going to be a relief.
Finally able to think clearly, many questions began making their way to the parents' mind. Questions like,
"Who was this man", "Did he really not harm Jacob", "If what Jacob says is true, what if the man uses his immense strength against the world?"
Dave spoke and said,
"Jacob, go sit in the dining room. We have a lot to talk about."
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Jacob's curious smile turned into a frown, as in his excitement, he had forgotten that he broke the sacred rule that's imposed on him by his parents, and he knew that he was about to receive an earful from his parents. However, protesting wasn't an option, so Jacob simply said,
"Okay dad."
As he proceeded to go and sit at one of the four wooden chairs that surrounded the table, Jacob would see his parents deliberating on what to do.
"You can do the talking. He clearly went through something, and we need to hear him out." Said Sara.
Dave responded with a sigh, as he started walking towards the table, Sarah followed closely.
Dave sat down on the chair directly opposite Jacob's and Sarah sat next to Dave. Dave placed both of his hands on his chin, looking at this son with a serious expression.
Dave knew that this was a serious matter which couldn't and shouldn't be swept aside, having served in the Royal Army for most of his adult life. He is a tall man with a muscular build, with a body covered in scars from previous battles against both man and monster.
Dave finally spoke,
"Where did you meet this man, Jacob?"
Jacob, being a child, couldn't look his father directly in the eye. He is used to his father being very playful, kind, and easy going. This was a side of his father that he very rarely saw.
Gathering all the courage he had, Jacob responded,
"He was fishing, dad. He fishes in that lake close to our house."
Dave rose his eyebrows slightly, recalling that he had heard stories of a man fishing for an absurd amount of time, but he never really thought much of it. Who would? It's just a man fishing.
Jacob continued,
"I asked him to join him and fish and we had a short conversation, and that's when a very big fish appeared and pulled me way up high in the air! But the fisherman killed it with one kick, dad!"
Dave's eyebrows rose once again, he knew that his son was no liar, and there was no reason to lie about something like this. However, this was also a hard story to believe, even coming from his own son. Naturally, Dave asked,
"What did you learn about this man, Jacob?"
Jacob was finally able to look his father in the eye, as the felt that the atmosphere has became a bit lighter. He responded,
"He doesn't talk a lot, dad. He just told me his name was Eli. Nothing else"
Dave sighed, looking at his son and saying,
"I've heard enough, Jacob. It's time for bed. Go to your room and sleep for school."
While disappointed that he couldn't talk to his father about the strange man he met, he also knew that he couldn't bargain with his dad in his current, serious mood. So Jacob responded,
"Okay dad."
Jacob than went to his room and laid down, trying to sleep.
Meanwhile, Sarah asked Dave,
"What do we do? Is it even possible to ignore something like this?"
Dave looked at his wife, saying,
"No, this obviously can't be ignored. I have to go meet this so-called fisherman myself and determine whether he's friend or foe."
The meeting between the fisherman and Dave is now inevitable.