This story is about a fisherman and his wife.

They live in a hut

near the sea. Their hut is very small. Its roof is straw and it is made
of wood. But the scenery is wonderful. Everywhere is green and
there are a lot of plants around the house.

The fisherman has got a boat. Sometimes he goes fishing

by his boat, sometimes he catches fish by the seaside. They
don’t have any children. That’s why their house is very quiet.

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 Let’s look in their house! It’s a mess because they never do
housework. There are dirty dishes on the table, even on the floor.

“I don’t want to clean this house. Everything is old and

ugly.” she always says. “When can we have a beautiful house?”
Poor fisherman never gives an answer to his wife. He just smiles
and helps her. Because he is really a good man.

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 One day, the fisherman goes down to the sea. He begins
to wait for a fish. Some time later he feels a big tug on the line
and he pulls and pulls. At last the fish comes out of the sea. The
fisherman is very surprised because it begins to speak.

“Please, throw me back into the sea,” it says. “I’m not a

fish. I’m an enchanted Prince.” The fisherman believes the fish
and throws it back into the sea.

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 He comes home that night, the fisherman tells this story to
his wife. “You idiot!” she cries. “You should ask it a wish. It is a
chance for us. Go back and ask for a pretty little cottage. So we
can live in it.” He is hopeless. How can he go back and find the
fish? But his wife is very angry with him.

The fisherman, “But my dear, where can I find him?” says

hopelessly. “I don’t know. It’s your problem.” says his wife. “And
don’t say one more word.”

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 “Come on. Why are you still waiting here?.” asks the
woman. “Don’t forget. Ask for a cottage in the garden.” Poor
fisherman turns back and goes to the shore.
He calls out to the enchanged fish. And the fish comes
to the surface. “Oh, noble fish,” begins the fisherman. “My wife
begs you to
grant us a wish.”
The fish thinks
for a moment
and then he
says “Go home
and see what
happens”.

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 The fisherman hurries
home and finds his wife
in a little cottage. “Now
we don’t need anything
else.” says the man happily.
“Mmmm, maybe,” answers
his wife. Because she has
some other plans in her
mind.
A few weeks later
fisherman’s wife gets up early. She wakes his husband up, too.
And she begins to complain.
“You know this cottage is really too small,” she says. “We must
have a castle and live in it. Go back and ask that fish because it
owes his life to you.”

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 The fisherman explains his wife’s wish to the fish. This time the
fish gets angry and splashes his tail angrily in the water. The sky
grows dark and the waves crash onto the beach. “Very well,”
says the fish. “Go home and see what happens.” But it says this
furiously.

The fisherman is very frightened. He returnes home quickly

and he finds his wife in a castle. “Thank you, fish. Thank you.” he
says to himself.

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 Now they have got a very big
castle. There are a lot of servants
and furniture in it. His wife is in
beautiful clothes and she gives
orders to the servants.
“Now our happiness is
complete,” says the fisherman.
“Who knows?” answers the
woman. “Every day brings new
things. Let’s wait and see.” The
fisherman looks at his wife in fear.
Because he knows that she’ll never
stop asking for more things.

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 Only a few days later, she begins to complain again. “I
really think,” she says, “it isn’t a fish. He’s a Prince. That’s why he
can give us some more things. I want a royal palace. I want to
have a throne and a crown. It isn’t a problem for him. He can
give one to us. I want to rule a kingdom. I want to be a queen.”

The fisherman argues with his wife. “No!” he says, “I can’t

do that.” But at the end he makes his way down to the shore
and calls the fish.

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 “What do you want this time?” asks the fish. The fisherman
tells his wife’s wish to the fish. But this time, when he finishes
telling it, a great storm blows up. The fisherman can’t stand on
his feet. He kneels on the sand and tries to look at fish. It is windy
and there are black clouds in the sky.

“Don’t come back to me again. Because your wife is a

greedy woman. She never stops asking wishes.” says the fish, at
last.

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 When he arrives at home, he finds his wife on a throne. The
castle is a royal palace now. His wife has got a crown on her
head and people are waiting for her orders. “Now at least,” he
says to himself, “she cannot want for anything more.” But he is
wrong!

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 A week later, his wife wakes up with a new idea in her mind.
“I’m ruling a few thousand people. But I want to be the ruler of
the world!” The fisherman hides under the sheets. But his wife
makes him go. With a heavy heart, he sets off the sea shore.

When the fisherman tells the fish what his wife wants,
there is a big thunder and the man feels he is dying. “Go home.
Your wife has what she deserves.” the fish says in a horrible
voice. And he doesn’t give a chance to the fisherman to say
even a word. “I really wish not to come again.” he says quietly.

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 He walks home slowly. He is very sad and unhappy. But
suddenly he becomes very happy because their old, small hut
is there. “Oh, my god! I miss my house. It is home for me. Thank
you.....” he says happily. He opens the door and goes in.

His wife is sitting on the broken stool. She is crying. “Don’t

cry, dear. We can be happy everywhere. Look! We have got
a house, a job and we are healthy. This is important.” he says
to her. “You’re right. I’m sorry for everything. I love you and my
house.” she answers. And, they are still living there to this day.

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 EXERCISES
1 True or False.
T F
1. The fisherman’s wife is a happy woman.
2. The fish does what they want.
3. The fish is enchanted.
4. The fisherman’s wife asks for five wishes.
5. The fisherman never wants to see the fish to
ask for wishes.
6. The fish punishes the man and his wife.

2 Match.
Who said these sentences?

1. “No! I can’t do that.” The Fisherman

2. “When will we have a beautiful house?”

3. “Your wife has what she deserves.” The Fish
4. “We can be happy everywhere.”
5. “I’m sorry for everything.”
The Wife
6. “This is the last wish.”

3 Fill in.
enchanted
1. The wife wants to live in a ................... .
splashes
2. The fish ................... his tail angrily.
kingdom
3. It is an ................... fish.
palace
4. There are lots of ................... in the castle.

5. The wife wants to rule a ................... .

servants

6. The fisherman and his wife live in a ................... . hut

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4 Answer.

1. Describe the fisherman’s house.

.........................................................................................
2. What does the fisherman catch one day?
.........................................................................................
3. Why does the man’s wife get angry with him?
.........................................................................................
4. What makes the fisherman surprised?
.........................................................................................
5. What does the fisherman’s wife wish to have?
.........................................................................................
6. Is the fisherman’s wife greedy? Why? Why not?
.........................................................................................
7. How does the weather change when the fish is
angry?
.........................................................................................
8. What makes the fish angry?
.........................................................................................
9. Does the fisherman miss his old house? Why?
.........................................................................................
10.What happens at the end of the story?
.........................................................................................

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