The Tale of the Golden Fish

Once upon a time, in a small village by the sea, there lived an old fisherman and his wife. They were very poor, living in a simple hut made of straw, and the fisherman would go out to sea every day, hoping to catch enough fish to feed them both.

One day, as the fisherman cast his net into the sea, he pulled up something extraordinary—a golden fish, shimmering and glowing under the sun. To the fisherman’s astonishment, the fish spoke.

“Please, kind fisherman, spare my life, and I will grant you any wish you desire,” the golden fish begged.

The fisherman, a simple and kind man, was surprised but did not wish to harm the fish. "You don’t need to grant me anything," he said. "I will let you go simply because it is the right thing to do."

And so, the fisherman gently released the golden fish back into the sea. He returned home and told his wife the incredible story of the talking golden fish. But instead of being pleased, the wife grew angry.

"Foolish man!" she scolded. "You should have asked the fish for something! Look at how poor we are, living in this miserable hut. Go back to the sea and ask the fish to give us a nice house!"

Though the fisherman did not want to disturb the fish, he wanted to please his wife, so he returned to the shore and called out to the golden fish. The fish appeared again, shimmering in the water.

“My wife is unhappy,” said the fisherman, “and she wishes for a new house.”

The golden fish replied, “Go home, fisherman. Your wish is granted.”

When the fisherman returned, he found his wife standing in front of a beautiful wooden cottage. She was pleased, but as time passed, her happiness faded. She grew more and more dissatisfied.

"This house is too small," she said one day. "Go back to the fish and ask for a grand stone mansion instead."

The fisherman, reluctant but obedient, went to the sea once more and called out to the golden fish. The fish appeared again and, upon hearing the wife’s wish, said, “Go home, fisherman. Your wish is granted.”

Sure enough, when the fisherman returned, there stood a magnificent stone mansion with many rooms, gardens, and servants. But still, his wife was not content. Soon she demanded more.

"I want to be a noblewoman," she declared. "Go and ask the fish to make me the queen of the land."

The fisherman was troubled by this request but went to the sea once again. This time, the sea looked dark and restless. When the golden fish appeared, the fisherman hesitated, but told it of his wife’s latest demand.

The fish sighed. “Go home, fisherman. Your wish is granted.”

When the fisherman returned, he found his wife seated on a grand throne, wearing a crown and ordering people around as their queen. But even this was not enough for her. After a few days, she grew greedy again.

"I want to rule the seas, just as I rule the land!" she said. "Go back to the fish and tell it to make me the Empress of the Seas, so even the golden fish must obey me!"

The fisherman, saddened by his wife’s endless greed, returned to the sea once more. The water was now churning violently, and dark clouds gathered overhead. The golden fish appeared, looking tired.

“What does she want now?” asked the fish.

The fisherman lowered his head and replied, “She wishes to be Empress of the Seas, to rule over all the oceans, even you.”

The golden fish said nothing for a long moment. Then, with a flick of its tail, it swam away, disappearing into the depths of the sea without granting any more wishes.

The fisherman waited, but the fish did not return. He eventually went back to his wife, fearing the worst. And when he arrived, the grand palace was gone. In its place stood their old, broken-down hut, just as it had been before. His wife, no longer a queen, was sitting on the doorstep, as poor and dissatisfied as ever.

From that day forward, the fisherman and his wife lived as they had before, but the fisherman never sought out the golden fish again. He had learned that greed and endless desire only lead to ruin.

And so, they lived out their days in their humble hut by the sea.