The Fisherman and His Wife
Once upon a time, a kind fisherman lived with his wife in a small, scruffy hut right by the sea. They didn't have much, but they had the sound of the waves to sleep to. Every day, the fisherman went out to fish. Swish, swish, swish went his line into the water.
One day, he caught a fish that looked like a rainbow—a shimmering, glowing Flounder. But then, the fish spoke! "Please, kind man, let me go!" the fish pleaded. "I am an enchanted prince!" The fisherman's eyes went wide. "A talking fish?" he said. He was a kind man, so he put the fish back. Splash!
When he told his wife, she folded her arms and looked very grumpy. "You let a magic fish go for nothing? Go back! Tell him I want a pretty cottage with a garden!"
The fisherman went back. The sea was calm and bright blue. He called out, and the fish appeared. "Of course," said the fish. When the man got home, the scruffy hut was gone! His wife was sitting in a lovely house with flowers everywhere. But the next morning, she wasn't smiling. "Too small!" she shouted. "I want a giant stone castle!"
The fisherman went back. The sea was now a murky green. The fish gave the castle. Then the wife wanted to be a Queen. Then an Empress! Every time the fisherman went back, the sea got angrier. It turned dark purple, then stormy grey, then inky black.
Finally, the wife stomped her feet. "I want to be the boss of the Sun and the Moon! Go tell the fish!" The fisherman was trembling. He went to the shore. The wind was howling and the waves were crashing like THUNDER!
The fish rose from the dark water. He didn't look happy. "Go home," the fish said. "You will find her back in your scruffy hut." And there they stayed. They had a roof, they had the sea, and they had each other. They finally learned that being thankful for "enough" is the best magic of all.
