The Fisherman and the Little Gold Fish

The Fisherman Catches a Little Gold Fish

An Old Man and an Old Woman live in a little old hut near the sea. The Old Man is a fisherman. He has a boat and goes to the sea every day.

One day he is on the sea in his boat.

It is a beautiful day. The sea is still and blue. Soon the Fisherman catches a Little Gold Fish.

“Please let me go,” says the Little Gold Fish. “I can give you anything you like.”

“Very well. Swim away, swim away,” says the Fisherman. “I don’t want a fish that can talk.”

He puts the Little Gold Fish into the water, and it swims away.

I Want to Have a Pretty Little Cottage

The Old Man comes home to the Old Woman in the little hut. He tells her about the Little Gold Fish that can talk.

“We must ask this Little Gold Fish for something,” says the Old Woman. “We live in a little old hut. I want to have a pretty little cottage. Go back and ask the Little Gold Fish to give us a pretty little cottage.”

The Old Man does not like to go, but still he goes back to the sea. When he comes to the sea, the water is all yellow and green. He looks down and says,

“Oh Fish of the Sea, come listen to me! My wife wants to ask a favor of you.”

The Little Gold Fish swims up to him, and asks, “What does she want?”

“A cottage,” says the Old Man. “She says she does not like to live in a little old hut.”

“You can go home,” says the Little Gold Fish. “She is in the cottage already.”

I Want to Have a Castle

So the Old Man goes home, and there is his wife at the door of a pretty little cottage.

“Come in! Come in!” she says. “Isn’t this a beautiful cottage?”

There is a pretty sitting-room and a bedroom, and a kitchen in the cottage, and there is a little garden behind the cottage.

“Now you are happy,” says the Old Man.

The Old Woman is happy for some time, and then she says,

“I don’t like this cottage. I want to have a castle. Ask the Little Gold Fish to give us a castle.”

“I don’t like to ask the Little Gold Fish,” says the Old Man. “The Little Gold Fish may be very angry. I don’t think it can do that.”

“Oh, yes!” says the Old Woman. “The Little Gold Fish can do it.”

So the Old Man goes to the sea once more. This time the water is dark blue. The Old Man looks down and says,

“Oh Fish of the Sea, come listen to me! My wife wants to ask a favor of you.”

“What does she want now?” asks the Little Gold Fish.

“She does not like the cottage,” says the Old Man. “She wants a beautiful castle.”

“Go home,” says the Little Gold Fish. “She is at the door of the castle already.”

I Want to Be Queen of All the Land

The Old Man goes away, and there is the Old Woman at the door of a beautiful castle.

“Come in! Come in!” she says. “Isn’t this a beautiful castle?”

They go into the castle, and he sees many rooms and gold chairs and tables. Behind the castle there is a garden, and around it there is a beautiful park.

“Now you are happy,” says the Old Man.

The next morning the Old Woman says, “Go to the Little Gold Fish, and tell it to make me queen of all the land.”

“You can’t be queen,” says the Old Man. “The Little Gold Fish may be angry. It can’t make you queen.”

“Yes, the Little Gold Fish can do it,” says the Old Woman. “Go and ask the Little Gold Fish to make me queen of all the land.”

So the Old Man goes down to the sea. This time the water is dark grey. He looks down and cries,

“Oh Fish of the Sea, come listen to me! My wife wants to ask a favor of you.”

“What does she want now?” asks the Little Gold Fish.

“She does not like the beautiful castle,” says the Old Man. “She wants to be queen of all the land.”

“Go home,” says the Little Gold Fish. “She is queen already.”

I Want to Be Queen of the Sea

So the Old Man goes home. The Old Woman is sitting in a chair of gold.

“Are you queen now?” asks the Old Man.

“Yes,” says she, “I am queen.”

“What a good thing it is to be queen,” says the Old Man. “You are very happy now.”

The next day the Old Woman says to the Old Man, “Go to the Little Gold Fish and tell the Fish to make me queen of the sea.”

“The Little Gold Fish can’t make you queen of the sea,” says the Old Man. “It may be angry.”

“Yes, the Little Gold Fish can do it,” says the Old Woman.

The Old Woman is very angry, and at last the Old Man goes away.

“I don’t like this,” he says, “the Little Gold Fish may be angry.”

When he comes to the sea, the water is quite black, and the Old Man is afraid. But still he looks down and cries,

“Oh Fish of the Sea, come listen to me! My wife wants to ask a favor of you.”

“What does she want now?” asks the Little Gold Fish.

“She wants to be queen of the sea,” says the Old Man.

“Go home,” says the Little Gold Fish, “to your old hut again.”

So the Old Man goes home, and there is the Old Woman at the door of the little old hut.