Short stories to think about

The first story is about The Fisherman and His Wife. It is a summary of the fairy tale written by the Grimm Brothers: One day the fisherman pulled out a great fish. This fish was able to speak and told him that he was an enchanted prince and the fisherman should let him stay alive. The fisherman did and when he came home to tell his wife about it she persuaded him to go back and beg a boon of the fish.

The fisherman returned to the fish and asked for a little cottage because they were living in a little hut. The fish fulfilled the wish. After a while the wife was not happy with just having the cottage any more. She pressed her husband to return to the fish and ask for a large stone castle.

He did and the fish fulfilled the wish. And again after a while the wife asked for more and got what she had asked for. She wanted to be king, emperor, pope and got it all. Then she wanted to be lord of the sun and the moon and when the fish fulfilled that wish they were back in their little hut having no more wishes.

This was the summary of Grimm's fairy tale. There is another story I would like to tell. I do not know the origin though: An angler sat by the water all day and was fishing. A visitor came along and asked the angler why he would not use a net in order to catch a lot more fish.

• The angler asked: What am I supposed to do with more fish?
• The visitor answered: You could sell them and earn more money.
• A: What am I supposed to do with more money?
• V: You could buy a boat and catch even more fish.
• A: What am I supposed to do with more fish?
• V: You could then have a fleet and catch as many fish as you like and would not have to work anymore.
• A: What would I do if I had time all day then?
• V: Well, you could sit by the water all day and fish.