RE: STACH Short Story Contest #31: 199 words, 5 winners, 15SB prize pool!
A Lesson for Thomas
Thomas was a spoiled teenager. His father Josef was a man who became rich by trading cattle, but in his childhood and adolescence he had many needs. His family was very poor and humble but full of values and love.
Josef realized that having pampered Thomas so much had turned him into a selfish and liar child capable of saying anything to achieve his goal.
Josef devised a plan to teach his son a lesson, took him to the forest and left him alone. He told him he should go home on his own. Thomas thought he was very intelligent and accepted the challenge, but he knew nothing about how to survive in the forest and return home. Scared spent the night in the forest with cold and hunger. He thought of all the times he lied to his parents just to scare them and get attention.
At dawn his father returned to the camp. Josef told him that he never left and that he observed him all the time hidden in the jungle. Thomas learned that the family was his shield and that without them he was nobody. He promised to behave well and make his family proud.