The Fisherman and His Wife

Once upon a time, there lived a humble fisherman with his wife in a small, dilapidated hut near the sea. Each day, the fisherman went to the sea to catch fish to feed them both. 

One sunny day, as he cast his line into the shimmering waters, he caught a huge, golden fish.

"Please, kind fisherman," begged the fish, "let me go, for I am not an ordinary fish but an enchanted prince. If you spare my life, I will grant you any wish."

The fisherman, a kind-hearted man, did not wish for anything and set the fish free. He returned home and told his wife about the miraculous fish.

"You Silly!" exclaimed his wife. "Why didn’t you wish for something? Go back and ask the fish for a nice, big house."

Reluctantly, the fisherman went back to the sea and called for the fish. The water turned golden, and the fish appeared. The fisherman conveyed his wife's wish, and the fish replied, "Go home. She has what she wants."

Indeed, when the fisherman returned, their hut had been transformed into a beautiful, spacious house. The wife, however, was not satisfied for long. Soon, she asked her husband to go back to the fish and wish to be the king of the land.

Again, the fisherman went to the sea and called for the fish. With the same reluctance, he made his wife’s wish known. The fish granted it, and the wife became the queen, ruling over a vast kingdom.

Still, the wife’s greed knew no bounds. She then wished to become the empress of the entire world. The fisherman, now weary and ashamed, went back to the sea once more. As he called the fish, the waves grew tumultuous, and the sky darkened.

When the fish appeared, the fisherman hesitated but conveyed his wife’s latest wish. The fish sighed deeply, sensing the wife’s insatiable greed. "Go home," said the fish. "She is back in the hut."

The fisherman returned home to find their beautiful house and kingdom vanished. Once again, they lived in their old, broken-down hut by the sea.

From that day on, the fisherman continued his simple life, fishing daily, while his wife, filled with regret, learned the value of contentment. They lived the rest of their days in their humble home, understanding that true happiness cannot be found in endless wishes but in appreciating what one already has.

And so, the lesson of the fisherman and his wife echoed through the village: be grateful for your blessings and beware of the pitfalls of greed.