The salty air tickled Finn the fisherman's nose as he sat in his little boat, bobbing on the gentle waves. He lived with his wife, Ilsa, in a tiny, tippy shack by the sea, and most days, they didn't have much more than fish to eat.

One sunny morning, Finn cast his line, and ZING! He pulled up a fish, but this was no ordinary fish. It was a flounder, and it shimmered with all the colours of the rainbow.
"Wow!" Finn whispered.
Suddenly, the flounder spoke! "Please, kind fisherman," it said, "I'm not really a fish. I'm an enchanted prince! Let me go, and I'll be very grateful."
Finn was so surprised he nearly dropped his fishing rod. "An enchanted prince? Goodness me! Of course, I'll let you go." And he gently put the flounder back into the water.

When Finn got home, he told Ilsa about the talking flounder.
"A talking flounder?" Ilsa’s eyes grew wide. "And you just let it go? You silly man! It was an enchanted prince! It could have granted us a wish! Go back and ask for a nice, cozy cottage instead of this leaky shack."
Finn didn't like to argue, so he trudged back to the shore. The sea was calm and blue. He called out, "Oh, magic flounder in the sea, come listen now and talk to me!"
The flounder swam up. "What does your wife want now?" it asked.
"Well," said Finn, "she says we need a cozy cottage."
"Go home," said the flounder. "She has it already."
Finn went home, and sure enough, the tippy shack was gone! In its place stood a lovely little cottage with a garden full of flowers. Ilsa was inside, smiling. "This is much better!" she said.

For a week, they were happy. Then Ilsa said, "Finn, this cottage is nice, but it's a bit small. I think I'd like to live in a big stone castle!"
"A castle?" Finn gulped. "But this cottage is so lovely!"
"Nonsense!" said Ilsa. "Go ask the flounder for a castle."
So, poor Finn went back to the sea. The water was a bit green and choppy this time. He called, "Oh, magic flounder in the sea, come listen now and talk to me!"
The flounder appeared. "What does she want now?"
"She wants... a big stone castle," Finn mumbled.
"Go home," said the flounder. "She has it already."
And there it was! A huge castle with towers and flags. Servants rushed about, and there was a table piled high with delicious food. Ilsa sat on a velvet chair, looking very pleased.

A few days later, Ilsa frowned. "Finn," she said, "this castle is grand, but I want to be King of all the land!"
"King?" cried Finn. "Ilsa, that's too much!"
"Go!" she ordered. "Tell the flounder I want to be King!"
With a heavy heart, Finn went to the sea. The sea was dark grey, and the waves were bigger, crashing onto the shore. He called out, "Oh, magic flounder in the sea, come listen now and talk to me!"
The flounder swam up, its voice a little deeper. "What now?"
"She... she wants to be King," Finn whispered.
"Go home," sighed the flounder. "She is King."
Finn found Ilsa on a golden throne, wearing a crown and holding a scepter. Guards stood all around.

But soon, Ilsa was not satisfied. "Being King is good," she declared, "but I want to be Emperor!"
Finn was very worried. "Emperor? Oh, Ilsa, please, be happy with what you have!"
"I want to be Emperor!" she shouted. "Go to the flounder!"
Finn stumbled to the shore. The sea was black and churning, with huge waves. Lightning flashed in the sky. "Oh, magic flounder in the sea, come listen now and talk to me!" he cried.
The flounder appeared, looking tired. "What does she want?"
"She wants to be Emperor," Finn said, his voice trembling.
"Go home. She is Emperor."
Ilsa was now in an even grander palace, with kings and queens bowing to her.

Still, it wasn't enough. One morning, Ilsa woke Finn before sunrise. "I want to be Pope!" she announced.
"Pope?" Finn was horrified. "You can't ask for that! There's only one Pope!"
"I will be Pope!" Ilsa insisted. "Go now!"
Finn could barely walk to the sea. A terrible storm raged. The sky was black, thunder roared, and the waves crashed like mountains. He shouted over the wind, "Oh, magic flounder in the sea, come listen now and talk to me!"
The flounder appeared, its voice like the rumbling storm. "WHAT DOES SHE WANT?"
"She... she wants to be Pope," Finn stammered, terrified.
"Go home. She is Pope."
And so she was, in a magnificent church, with cardinals and bishops all around her.

But the very next morning, Ilsa woke up and saw the sun rising. "Finn!" she yelled. "I don't like the sun and moon rising without my permission! I want to be like the one who made everything! I want to tell the sun when to rise and the moon when to shine!"
Finn was so scared he could hardly speak. "Ilsa, no! That's impossible! That's wrong! Please, stop!"
"GO!" she screamed, her face red with anger.
Finn crawled to the shore. The storm was so wild, he thought the world was ending. The wind howled, and the waves were as tall as mountains. He could barely make himself heard. "Oh, magic flounder in the sea...!"
The flounder appeared, its eyes like burning coals. "WHAT DOES SHE WANT NOW?" it boomed.
"She... she wants to control the sun and the moon... to be like... like the one who made everything," Finn wept.
The flounder looked at him sadly. "Go home," it said, its voice suddenly quiet. "She is back in the tippy shack."

Finn turned and ran. The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. The sun peeked out. And when he reached where the grand church had been, he saw only their old, tiny, tippy shack. Ilsa was sitting inside, looking miserable.
And there they stayed, in their little shack by the sea, with just enough to eat. And perhaps, just perhaps, Ilsa finally understood that wanting too, too much can leave you with nothing at all.

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