The Greedy Fisherman’s Wife

Once upon a time there lived a poor fisherman. One day he caught a magic golden fish who promised to fulfill any of his wishes if he let her go.

He was a kind man and simply let her go free. After hearing the story, the fisherman’s greedy wife sent him back to the sea—she needed a new trough.

The fish granted the wish, and a new trough magically appeared at the old couple’s hut. But the fisherman’s wife now wanted more: a new house, to become a noble lady, and, eventually, the Queen of the Land.

Every time she sent her old husband to the shore, the golden fish would fulfill the wishes. However, the woman now wished to be the Empress of all Land and the Sea, and the golden fish to be her servant.

The fisherman went back to the shore, called the fish and explained the last wish of his wife. The golden fish disappeared without a word. When the old man returned home, he found his old mud hut, his poor old wife, and the original broken trough.

The point of the story is you shouldn’t overstep your mark. Being greedy has consequences, and in the story, I think you’ll agree; the golden fish had had enough.

Kind people will help, support your wishes like in my case; putting together a marketing project that needs help from car dealerships and mechanic workshops. Generally, people are kind, and will put themselves out to give you a helping hand. However, limitations need to be respected.

The fisherman’s greedy wife, only thought about herself. She lacked compassion for others.

Take care!

Prof. Carl Boniface

Vocabulary builder:

Trough (n) = rack, holder, a long, narrow open container for animals to eat or drink out of. "a water trough" Used as a trench, gutter, ditch or drain

Overstep the mark (idiom) = is an idiom that means to behave in a way that is unacceptable or to go beyond what is allowed. For example, you might overstep the mark by saying or doing something that offends someone.