FISHWISH

1 Fish Wish Madison Wu Once upon a time, there was a mystical fish. It was covered with gold and looked magnificent. The fish could communicate with humans, make any wish come true and guarantee people enter heaven. On a thunderous autumn afternoon, the fish encountered a miserable fisherman.” Oh lord, when can I fully feed my wife?”. The fisherman was a poor man from a poor village. He was married to a gorgeous wife who was arrogant. The fisherman worked hard and loved his wife so much that he would buy his wife precious jewelry as a gift. The fish was curious to see a man fishing on a nonseasonal day; the fisherman‘s hook was too powerful and tangled the fish’s tail. “Please don’t catch me. I promise you four wishes for anything you want. I’m the prince of the sea!” exclaimed the fish.

2 “Alright, since you’re the first to ask,” the fisherman replied puzzledly as he saw the bracelet the fish handed him. Not long after, the sunset and the fisherman arrived home with empty hands. His wife was more curious about how many fish he caught than how he was after a whole day of fishing. “How are we going to survive the winter if you can’t catch some fish?” his wife sighed. ” I encountered a talking fish today, though I let him go, he promised me four wishes,” the fisherman said apprehensively. The fisherman's wife puts down the yarn, and looks greedily at him with alacrity.“Okay then, it’s about time you bring some real goods home. Go find it tomorrow and tell the darn fish to give us a sufficient food supply to get us through winter!” demanded the fisherman’s wife. The fisherman resisted and argued but still went. He arrived at the same lake and repeated the spell the fish told him: 2

3 Prince of the sea The fish that makes dreams come true Come alive so I can make my wish come true Within seconds, the bracelet the fish gave him began to vibrate; and soon after, the fish appeared. The fish quickly explained the rules, and the fisherman began to wish: “ I wish my wife and I would be fulfilled with food and supplied with coal this winter.” The fish responded thankfully, “Yes sir, the job is done.” The fisherman was curious about what exactly happened. He came home to a cabinet full of food, a warm house, and a happy wife. “ Oh lord, the fish really is the prince of the sea! Tomorrow, tell him that we want to be the richest family in this country!” The fisherman was still stunned by the generosity of the fish. He disagreed privately, yet still nodded in agreement. The following day, his wife woke him up and prepared a table full of food. “ Have a wonderful day, my dear,” the complaisant fisherman was disappointed and mellowly left the house. Prince of the sea The fish that makes dreams come true Come alive so I can make my wish come true The fish appeared on the surface instantly, “ Yes dear, what do you need?” “ I was wondering if I could make another wish, then I’d be satisfied,” said the fisherman hopefully. The fish nodded, and the fisherman said,” I want to be the wealthiest family in 3

4 this country.” The fish said, “Yes sir, the job is done.” The fisherman was approaching home as he saw his wife running towards him. “ Mi Amor, look at my brand new dress from the store!” The fisherman smiled brightly. In the following week, they went from the poorest to the richest. However, they struggled to have what they wanted the most; a child. Also, from the stress of living such different lives, they could barely get the hang of it. “This life is getting boring; tell that fish I want to become the first family of the country,” said the wife. “Mi Amor, you know how I hate socializing,” said the fisherman. “We have nothing but 100 grand left; we shall start something better,” the wife replied. “Honey, we have enough fortune for the rest of our lives. Look at all your shiny clothes and those huge diamonds. “The wife went on about how she wanted more. The fisherman was desperate, but he had no choice but to make his wife happy. He went to the fish, chanted the spell, and told the fish his wish. Almost immediately, there were guards heavily armed behind him. “Yes sir, I am with the President,” the guard said on the walkie-talk. The fisherman sat in a limo and went to the executive mansion. There he saw his wife sobbing. Their pet, who was always by their side, died suddenly. “Oh honey, she was well and energetic this morning before I left. I took her to the vet yesterday for the most expensive checkup.” The fisherman calmed his wife and cuddled with the icy cold body for the rest of the night. 4

5 “Can we get another dog just like her? I miss her companionship”. The fisherman wasn’t over their pet’s death, yet he agreed because there was no way of saving it. “Wait, what If we become the gods? Then we can save our pet from death.” The fisherman was quiet for hours, not knowing what to say.” Mi querida, it’s dead. Leave it alone. Let’s get another dog.” His wife was silent, not knowing how to react when her husband shouted at her for the first time. She started to cry, pounding the floor. The fisherman didn’t react and kept working. She kept acting like this for the next week or so. The fisherman was finally softhearted and used his last wish. As he was using the spell, the bracelet the talking fish gave him began to fade. “ Well, this is your last wish. What do you want?”The fisherman stood there for a moment,” my wife and I wanted to become gods.” The fish didn’t reply like usual. “I gave you four wishes to improve your miserable life, not to get greedy, ” the fish said imperturbably. In the blink of an eye, the fisherman was dressed in torn clothes and could hear his wife crying in the distance. 5

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