At the Pike's Command

A poor craftsman lived and worked from morning until night, yet he still never had enough food. One day, by the well, a large pike landed in his bucket. He…

A poor craftsman lived and worked from morning until night, yet he still never had enough food. One day, by the well, a large pike landed in his bucket. He released it, and the pike taught him the words: “By the pike’s command, by a kindly wish.”

During a festival, the princess was handing out baskets of treats in the square and accidentally passed the craftsman by. He felt hurt and whispered the magic words. The baskets flew after him, and ribbons wound around his bench. The craftsman immediately put everything back and apologized. The king, who had watched what happened in the square, asked him to help deliver the remaining treats to villages by the sea; the princess volunteered to go along so that she could see for herself that the magic was being used for good deeds.

The wind carried their round barrel-shaped boat, with windows, a roof, and supplies, to a distant green island. When the craftsman and the princess stepped ashore, at the pike’s command a bright palace appeared there, with a garden and a pond where twelve golden ducks and a silver drake swam. The travelers opened the palace to anyone who needed rest and help, and in time they fell in love and became a family.

Many years later, the craftsman and the princess’s grown son sailed across the sea and met a princess and her strong friend beside a broken mill. Instead of fighting a duel, the three of them lifted the heavy mill wheel and set the mill working again. The princess suggested that they choose no winner, but become a team and continue doing good deeds.

When the king came to visit, the craftsman wished in front of everyone for one golden duck to appear beneath the king’s cloak. At the pond he immediately set the bird free and explained, “Now we can see how easy it is to accuse someone innocent when we judge only by a first impression.” The king listened to the princess and the craftsman, apologized, and the family was reconciled.