The Fisherman and His Wife

Once upon a time, there was a humble fisherman who lived in a small cottage by the sea with his wife. They had very little, but they were content with what they had. The fisherman would go out every day to cast his net into the ocean, hoping to catch enough fish to provide for his family. His wife, though kind, often dreamed of a better life filled with wealth and luxury.

One day, as the fisherman cast his net, he felt a heavy weight at the end of his line. He pulled with all his might, and when he finally brought the net ashore, he discovered, to his surprise, a beautiful golden fish caught in the mesh. The fish looked up at him with pleading eyes and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

“Please, kind fisherman,” the golden fish said, “let me go, and I will grant you a wish. Ask for anything, and it shall be yours.”

The fisherman was astonished by the fish’s words, but he quickly realized that the fish was a magical being. He thought for a moment and then, feeling sympathy for the creature, he replied, “I don’t want anything for myself. I have all I need.” He gently released the fish back into the water and watched as it swam away, disappearing into the deep blue ocean.

When the fisherman returned home and told his wife about the magical fish, she was not pleased. “Why didn’t you ask for something?” she demanded. “We could have had a better life! Go back and ask the fish for something, anything! We deserve more than this humble cottage.”

Reluctantly, the fisherman agreed to his wife’s request. He went down to the shore and called out to the golden fish. Soon, the fish appeared, rising from the water.

“Kind fish,” the fisherman said, “I released you because I didn’t need anything for myself. But my wife has asked for something. She wants a larger house.”

The golden fish nodded. “Go home. Your wish shall be granted.”

When the fisherman returned to his cottage, he found that his small, humble home had been transformed into a grand mansion, with tall towers, lush gardens, and a beautiful view of the sea. His wife was overjoyed and praised him for his wisdom. But it didn’t take long for her to grow dissatisfied with their new life.

“This house is nice,” she said, “but it’s still not enough. I want to be a queen. Go to the fish and ask for that.”

The fisherman hesitated, but he loved his wife and didn’t want to upset her. So, once again, he walked to the shore and called out to the golden fish. The fish rose from the water and asked, “What is it that you seek now?”

“My wife wants to be a queen,” the fisherman explained.

The fish granted the wish, and when the fisherman returned home, his wife was dressed in royal robes and sat upon a grand throne in the center of the mansion. She had everything she could possibly want, yet her greed continued to grow.

“I am queen,” she said, “but I want to be the ruler of the entire world. Go to the fish and ask for that!”

The fisherman, though nervous, once again made his way to the shore. He called out to the golden fish, and once again, it appeared before him.

“My wife now wants to be the ruler of the entire world,” he said, almost ashamed to ask for such a grand request.

The fish, without a word, granted the wish. When the fisherman returned home, he found that his wife had become the Empress of the World. She sat on a throne even grander than before, surrounded by servants, jewels, and treasures from every corner of the earth. But despite her newfound power, she was still not content.

“I am Empress,” she declared, “but I want to be like God. I want to control the heavens and the earth. Go to the fish and ask for that!”

The fisherman was now truly troubled. His wife’s desires had grown so enormous that he was afraid to ask for anything further. But because he loved her, he did as she asked. With a heavy heart, he went to the shore and called out to the golden fish once more.

“Great fish,” he said, “my wife wants to be like God. She wants to control everything in the heavens and the earth.”

The fish rose from the water, its eyes cold and distant. It asked, “What is it you want now?”

With a sigh, the fisherman explained his wife’s request. The fish paused for a moment, and then spoke gravely. “Go home. You will find what you seek there.”

The fisherman, filled with dread, returned home. But when he entered the grand mansion, he found it was not as it had been before. His wife was no longer an empress, but instead sat on the ground in front of a crumbling cottage. The grand palace was gone, and the treasures had vanished. The once-beautiful mansion had returned to its humble state, and the world around it was quiet and ordinary again.

His wife, now humbled and ashamed, looked up at him with wide eyes. “What have we done?” she asked. “I was never satisfied. I wanted more and more, and in the end, I have lost everything.”

The fisherman, though saddened by their loss, spoke kindly. “You asked for too much, and the fish could give no more. It seems that we must learn to be content with what we have.”

And so, the fisherman and his wife lived the rest of their days in their humble cottage by the sea, and though they no longer had riches or power, they found happiness in each other’s company. The fisherman, having learned a valuable lesson, never again asked for more than what he truly needed. His wife, too, learned to appreciate the simple joys of life.