Down by the sparkling sea, in a tiny, rickety shack that smelled of salt and seaweed, lived a fisherman named Finn. His wife was named Lina. Finn wasn't very good at catching fish, so they were often hungry.

One sunny morning, Finn cast his line into the water. Wiggle, wiggle, tug! He pulled and pulled, and out came a beautiful, shimmering fish with scales like rainbows.
"Wow!" Finn whispered.
To his surprise, the fish spoke! "Oh, kind fisherman," it said in a tiny voice, "please let me go! I'm not a real fish. I'm an enchanted prince. If you put me back in the water, I’ll be very grateful."
Finn was so surprised he just nodded and gently put the fish back into the sea. It flicked its tail and disappeared.

When Finn went home with an empty basket, Lina was not happy. "No fish again?" she grumbled.
Finn told her about the talking fish.
Lina's eyes grew wide. "A talking fish? An enchanted prince? And you let him go without asking for anything? You silly man! Go back right now and tell that fish we want a nice, cozy cottage instead of this leaky old shack!"
Finn didn't want to, but Lina insisted. So, he went back to the sea and called out,
"Oh, fish in the sea, come listen to me,
My wife, Lina, wants something, you see!"
The rainbow fish swam up. "What does she want?" it asked.
"She wants a cozy cottage," Finn mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Go home, then," said the fish. "She already has it."
Finn went home and, sure enough, the rickety shack was gone! In its place stood a lovely little cottage with a garden full of flowers. Lina was beaming. "This is much better!" she said.

For a week, they were happy. Then Lina said, "Finn, this cottage is nice, but it's a bit small. I think we deserve a big stone castle! Go ask the fish."
"But Lina," Finn started, "we have a lovely cottage now."
"Nonsense! I want a castle!" she demanded.
So, poor Finn went back to the sea. The water was a little bit green and choppy this time. He called out,
"Oh, fish in the sea, come listen to me,
My wife, Lina, wants something, you see!"
The fish appeared. "Now what does she want?" it asked, its voice a little less bright.
"She wants a big stone castle," Finn said quietly.
"Go home, then," said the fish. "She already has it."
Finn returned, and there stood a magnificent stone castle with tall towers and flags flying. Lina was standing on the balcony, wearing a fine dress. "Now this is more like it!" she declared.

A few weeks passed. Then Lina announced, "Finn, being mistress of a castle is good, but I want to be Queen of all the land! Go tell the fish!"
Finn sighed. "Lina, isn't this enough? Being Queen is a very big thing."
"I want to be Queen!" she stamped her foot.
With a heavy heart, Finn went to the sea. The water was dark grey now, and the waves were much bigger. He called,
"Oh, fish in the sea, come listen to me,
My wife, Lina, wants something, you see!"
The fish came, looking rather tired. "What now?"
"She wants to be Queen," Finn whispered.
"Go home," the fish said wearily. "She is Queen."
Finn found Lina in a grand throne room, wearing a golden crown and ordering servants around. "Excellent!" she said.

But soon, being Queen wasn't enough. "Finn," she said one morning, "I want to be Empress! Higher than a Queen! Go to the fish!"
Finn was very worried. "Lina, please, this is too much!"
"Go!" she commanded.
The sea was black and angry when Finn arrived. Huge waves crashed onto the shore, and the wind howled. He shouted over the storm,
"Oh, fish in the sea, come listen to me,
My wife, Lina, wants something, you see!"
The fish appeared, its eyes glowing. "WHAT DOES SHE WANT NOW?" it boomed.
"She... she wants to be Empress," Finn stammered, frightened.
"GO HOME. SHE IS EMPRESS," the fish thundered, and disappeared beneath the churning waves.
Lina was indeed Empress, with even more power and riches.

But even that didn't satisfy her. One day, she looked out at the sky and said, "Finn, I am tired of the sun and moon doing what they want. I want to control the sun and the moon! I want to be like the ruler of the universe! Go tell the fish!"
Finn was horrified. "Lina, no! That's impossible! You'll make the fish very angry!"
"I AM THE EMPRESS! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" she shrieked.
Trembling, Finn stumbled to the shore. The sea was a terrifying, swirling storm. The sky was black as night, even though it was daytime. Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed. He could barely stand. He screamed into the wind,
"Oh, fish in the sea, come listen to me,
My wife, Lina, wants something, you see!"
The fish rose from the furious sea, larger than ever, its voice like the storm itself. "WHAT IS IT NOW?"
"She... she wants to control the sun and the moon," Finn cried.
The fish looked at him with terrible, sad eyes. "That is too much. Go home."
And with a final, mighty crash of a wave, the fish was gone.
Finn turned and walked slowly home. The storm suddenly stopped. The grand palace, the servants, the riches – all vanished.
There, by the sparkling sea, was their tiny, rickety shack, smelling of salt and seaweed. Lina was inside, wearing her old, patched clothes.
And there they lived, for the rest of their days, just as they had before, but perhaps a little wiser.

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