The Golden Fish

By the blue sea stood a little cottage where a fisherman lived with his wife. The cottage was old, but they could see the waves from the window, and hollyhocks…

By the blue sea stood a little cottage where a fisherman lived with his wife. The cottage was old, but they could see the waves from the window, and hollyhocks grew beside it. Every morning the fisherman went out to sea, while his wife mended the nets and baked bread. In the evenings they drank tea by the doorstep and listened to the soft rustle of sand along the shore.

One day a golden fish gleamed in the net. She spoke in a human voice and promised to grant a kind wish if the fisherman let her go. But he simply untangled the loops with care and lowered her into the water. “Swim free,” he said. “Knowing you are unharmed is enough for me.” The fish flicked her tail and disappeared into the shining depths.

At home the fisherman told his wife about the encounter. She looked at the leaking roof and the empty bread bin and suggested asking for only what they needed most. Together they called to the fish from the shore. At that very moment, fresh bread, a new wooden trough, sturdy boards and warm blankets appeared in their home. The couple thanked their helper, repaired the roof and enjoyed a cosy supper.

As time went by, they wanted to see still more wonders. At their request, the house became spacious, then a garden grew around it, and finally a tall palace appeared, with long halls. But footsteps sounded lonely in the enormous rooms, the hollyhocks vanished behind a stone wall, and the sea was almost hidden from view. Even the waves grew dark beneath heavy clouds.

The fisherman and his wife realised that they had chased after grandeur and lost the home they loved. They asked the fish to give them back their simple life, keeping only a sound roof and warmth. In the morning the palace was gone, the hollyhocks swayed by the window again, and the sea shone. The couple painted the shutters themselves, planted a garden and invited their neighbours for tea. From then on, they asked the sea only for good weather and made their own happiness with their own hands.