Long ago, on the peaceful shores of La Passe in La Digue, there lived a fisherman named Romain. He was strong, kind, and known across the island for his skill at reading the ocean’s moods. He could tell when the wind would change just by looking at the colour of the waves. Yet beneath his calm spirit lay a dangerous pride.
One evening, as the sun sank behind the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of orange and pink, Romain cast his nets far beyond the usual fishing grounds. The sea was calm and deep, but an old superstition warned that no man should fish there after sunset. The elders said that was the time when the Sea Mother, the guardian spirit of the waters, rose to count her pearls and command the tides.
Romain had heard these stories since childhood, but he had grown too proud to believe in them. “The sea belongs to those who dare,” he told himself as he threw his nets into the darkening waves.
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Moments later, the waters stirred. A shimmering light rose from the depths, and a voice echoed through the mist. “Romain, son of La Digue,” it said softly, “you have entered my realm uninvited. Take what you have caught, but promise never to return after nightfall.”
Startled, Romain knelt in his boat. “I promise, great spirit,” he whispered. The light faded, and the sea grew still again. When he pulled up his nets, they overflowed with fish shining like silver coins. He returned home, humbled yet delighted by his good fortune.
For many weeks, Romain kept his promise. He fished only in daylight and never ventured far after sunset. But as his neighbours began to envy his success, his pride returned. “The sea favours the brave,” he boasted at the market one afternoon. “Why should I fear stories meant to frighten children?”
That night, under the full moon, Romain pushed his boat back into the water. The ocean was eerily quiet. The stars glittered above like watchful eyes. As he cast his nets once more, a cold wind swept across the waves. Then the voice returned, filled with sorrow and anger.
“You have broken your promise, Romain. The sea remembers.”
The wind roared. Waves rose like mountains, tossing his boat from side to side. Romain clung to his oar, calling for mercy, but his voice was lost in the storm. When dawn broke, the sea lay calm again. His boat drifted back to shore, battered but still afloat.
Yet something strange had happened. The island of La Digue no longer lay where it once had. The fishermen who woke that morning saw that the land had drifted far from the rest of the Seychelles. The channels between the islands had widened overnight. Where once they could see the hills of Praslin, now there was only open water.
Romain walked to the highest point and gazed at the endless sea. His heart ached with guilt. “Forgive me,” he murmured, kneeling on the sand. But the sea remained silent, its waves lapping softly as if to remind him that it had spoken its final word.
From that day forward, the people of La Passe told their children the tale of the fisherman who broke his promise to the sea. They said that the ocean moved the island itself to teach humans humility. And even now, when the wind howls at night, some say it is the Sea Mother whispering her warning across the waves: “The sea gives, but it never forgets.”
Moral lesson
The story teaches that promises made to nature must never be broken. Pride and greed can blind people to the sacred balance of life. Just as Romain’s broken vow caused his island to drift away, every broken promise weakens the bond between humans and the world that sustains them. Respect, humility, and gratitude are the only ways to keep harmony with the forces that shape our lives.
Knowledge check
Who was Romain in the story, and what made him special among the people of La Digue?
Romain was a skilled fisherman who could read the sea’s moods better than anyone else on the island.What warning did the Sea Mother give to Romain when he first entered her waters at night?
She warned him to never fish after sunset and to keep his promise to respect her realm.Why did Romain break his promise to the Sea Mother despite his earlier fear?
He became proud and boastful after his success, believing the sea’s warnings were only legends.What happened to the island after Romain broke his promise?
The sea moved La Digue away from the other islands as a punishment and reminder of his disobedience.What message does the Sea Mother’s punishment convey about human behaviour?
It shows that pride and disrespect toward nature lead to loss and isolation.How is this story still remembered by the people of La Digue today?
It is told as a legend reminding islanders to keep faith with the sea and never break sacred promises.
Cultural Origin:
Source: Oral narrative from the fishermen of La Passe, La Digue. Recorded by Claude H. Besson in Stories Beneath the Palm Trees (1945).
