The Talking Fish
Whether it happened or not, there once lived a poor man. This poor man went to a fisherman and hired himself out for work. Each day he earned a few fish, brought them home, and that’s how he and his wife survived.One day, the fisherman caught a beautiful little fish, ordered his worker to take care of it, and went back into the water. The worker sat on the shore, looking at the beautiful fish, and thought: "Oh Lord, a fish is also a living creature! It must have parents, friends, it must understand something, feel joy and sorrow..." Before he could finish the thought, the fish spoke in a human voice:
"Listen, brother-man! I was playing with my friends in the river waves, got carried away by joy, and ended up in the fisherman's net. Now, my parents are probably looking for me, crying, and my friends are grieving. And I myself, as you can see, am suffering—I’m suffocating without water. I want to go back to the river." The fish spoke quietly, barely audibly, struggling to open its dry mouth. The worker felt sorry for the fish, took it, and threw it back into the river.
"Swim, beautiful fish! Let your parents cry no more. Let your friends grieve no more. Swim, live, and rejoice with them!"
The fisherman saw this and became very angry with his worker:
"Well, you fool! I’m out here getting soaked, catching fish, and you throw it back into the water! Get out of here and don’t show your face to me again! You’re no worker of mine! Go starve to death!" He took the worker’s bag and drove him away.
"Where will I go now? What will I do? How will I live?"
Worried and empty-handed, the poor man trudged home. As he walked sadly, a Monster in human form approached him, driving a beautiful cow.
"Good day, brother! Why so sad? What’s on your mind?" asked the Monster.
The poor man told him of his troubles: he was left without work, without food, and didn’t know how he and his wife would survive.
"Listen, friend," said the Monster, "I’ll give you this cow for three years. Every day it will give enough milk to feed you and your wife to your heart’s content. But once the three years are up, I’ll come to you on that very night and ask you questions. If you answer, the cow is yours. If you can’t, I’ll take both of you and do as I please. Do you agree?"
The poor man thought, "We’ll starve to death anyway, so I might as well take the cow. It will feed us for three years, and then, God willing, maybe we’ll find a way to answer the questions."
"I agree!" he said.
He took the cow and led it home.
For three years, the cow fed the poor man and his wife, and they hardly noticed how quickly the time passed. But then the agreed-upon time came: the Monster was to appear that night. At dusk, the husband and wife sat sadly by the threshold, wondering how they would answer the Monster’s questions. Who knew what it would ask?
"This is what happens when you deal with a Monster!" they sighed and repented. But what was done was done, and there was no other way out. The dreadful night was already approaching.
Suddenly, a handsome young stranger approached them and said:
"Good evening! I’m a traveler. Could you give me shelter for the night?"
"Why not, brother-traveler! A guest is a gift from God. But it’s dangerous to stay with us tonight. We took a cow from the Monster with the agreement that we’d feed on its milk for three years. The Monster set a condition: after three years, it would come and ask us questions. If we answer, the cow is ours; if not, we’ll become its prisoners. The time is up tonight, and we don’t know how to answer. Whatever the Monster does to us, we deserve it. But we don’t want you to suffer!"
"Don’t worry! Whatever happens to you will happen to me," replied the traveler.
The hosts agreed. The guest stayed. At midnight, there was a loud knock at the door.
"Who’s there?"
"The Monster! I’ve come—answer my questions!"
How could they answer? The wife was struck dumb with fear, and the husband froze in place.
"Don’t be afraid, I’ll answer for you!" said the young guest, rushing to the door.
"I’m here," came the Monster’s voice from behind the door.
"I’m here too," replied the guest.
"Where are you from?"
"From the other side of the sea."
"How did you get here?"
"I rode a lame mosquito, mounted it, and came!"
"So the sea was small?"
"Small? An eagle couldn’t fly across it!"
"So the eagle is a chick?"
"A chick? The shadow of its wings covers a city!"
"So the city is very small?"
"Small? A hare couldn’t run across it!"
"So the hare is tiny?"
"Tiny? You could make a fur coat, a hat, and a pair of mittens from its skin!"
"So a dwarf would wear them?"
"A dwarf? Put a rooster on his knee—he wouldn’t hear it crow!"
"So he’s deaf?"
"Deaf? He can hear a deer grazing on grass in the mountains!"
The Monster was baffled. It sensed that behind the door was some wise, brave, and invincible force. Not knowing what else to say, the Monster quietly retreated and vanished into the night.
The husband and wife were freed from their plight and rejoiced. Soon, dawn broke. The young guest began to say goodbye.
"No, no, we won’t let you go!" the husband and wife blocked his way. "You saved our lives—tell us, how can we repay you?"
"There’s no need to repay me. I must go."
"At least tell us your name. If we can’t repay you, we’ll know whom to bless."
"Do good and throw it into the water—it won’t be lost. I am the talking fish you spared," replied the stranger, and he disappeared. The husband and wife were left in joyful amazement.
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