Stood lonely on seaside a tent which no one knew it had been staying there for how much time. All they saw was its shabbyness tent which only appeared on thing that had fought against winds and sun lights for decades. Canvas which covered on roof and around the tent had turned faded and torn. Sun went up laid lights on the roof. A man emerged after the canvas hanging before the door. He looked shabby as like his tent. He wore faded clothes which seemed bigger than his skinny body. The man had austere face wrinkles sunk deeply into his skin. He had both hair and beard white and his eyebrow was white. However, his eyes were still bright and live. The man hurried to where his boat was. He grabbed it by the hands which were thick and full of scars. He dragged it toward the water then sat on it. He rowed out. That’s what he did every day. He dropped his net into water. Then he waited. After that he pulled it up and found out what he had in the net. He’s a fisher if I had to say.
The first time, he pulled up he got a small fish. However, the fish was not a normal fish it‘s a golden fish. He took it up staring.
“Please! let me get back water, I will help have a castle instead of your tent”, said the fish suddenly.
“I need a castle for what while I have nothing to eat”, he replied not felling surprised.
“I will help you mange the thing”, said the fish, “There will have a cabinet in castale and it will serve you whatever you want to eat”
“What you say is real, right?” he asked, “Thank you so much!”
“Yes, all I say will become real. However, you have to promise one thing”, said the fish, “that you must to not tell anyone where your fortune come from. If you say, all things you have will vanish”.
He let the fish down water then rowed back home. From distance he didn’t see his tent and instead of the tent it’s a castle. He stood front of the castle admired it a long time. Then, he went in. His wife now was sitting in a gorgeous room wearing beautiful clothes.
“OMG! Look at the things”, his wife said, “Don’t you believe it? I’m fell so happy”
“Yes, I’m also happy like you”, he said, “But I also fell hungry. You should bring something to here”.
“I don’t have anything”, she said, “Hope this castle has something to eat.”
“You don’t need to seek this castle. Don’t you see the cabinet?” he said, “Open it, you will find things to eat”.
She went to cabinet and opened it and what she saw at the time that’s a cabinet with full of dishes and wine. The delicious looking dishes radiated out attracted smell as though they were inviting people to eat.
“OMG! I don’t want anything more”, she screamed in happiness.
She brought dishes and set them on table. Later, he and she both sat on and enjoyed the meal. They finished after one half hour.
“Do you know where the things come from? She asked. She really felt curious.
“You had better not to think about it. I can’t say. If I say, all things will vanish”, he said.
“Alright! If I was not allowed to know, I won’t ask”, she said. However what she thought was not same what she said. The thing where there things came from always bothered her. And so that she always bothered her husband with the question where there things came from. Firstly, he forced himself not to tell her but he couldn’t keep the thing in secret forever while his wife’s always beside him and bothered his ears by all she could. At last, he told her. And the castle vanished when he still didn’t finish his story so that they got again their tent. She and he stayed in the tent with the same expression of regret.
He went to the sea tomorrow and did what he had done before. He dropped net into water then pulled in up. It seemed lucky god stood on his side. He caught the golden fish.
“Please! Let me back to water. I will return you that magnificent castle and that magical cabinet with full of dishes in it but keep your mouth silent” said the fish.
“I will try”, he said.
He freed the fish then rowed toward seaside. And when he landed on seaside the thing he saw fist was the castle. The magical stood in the castle at its place as though it had nothing happened previously. His wife seemed to be the person who was happiest but she’s also the person who was most curious. The first time seemed not to teach her any lesson. She started insisting her husband. “Where do the things come from?” the words bothered her husband all the time. It hurted the husband’s brain so much. In seconds he felt angry, he told her all. It didn’t need a second for the castle and cabinet vanished. He and she now were sitting on shabby chairs under their old roof.
“See! What did you do? You like that?” he said.
“I frefer to lose all things than not to know where they came from”, she said.
The next morning the husband one more time offed. He rowed far away the seaside then dropped his net. Few days later, in a time he dropped the net, he caught the golden fish.
“Alright! I think I can not escape from you” said the fish, “My fate forces me to die in your hand. Chop me in six pieces, give two for your wife to eat, two for your horse and the others you bury in your garden. If you do what I did say, the fortunes will come to you”.
He brought the fish to home and did what the fish had said. He chopped the fish in six, gave two middle pieces to his wife, other two he let his horse eat and the other he buried under his garden.
A year passed, at the place he buried two pieces of the fish grow up two golden trees. His horse gave to two golden little horses and his wife also gave to two golden sons. Years crossed, the golden trees grew up and bore golden flowers. The horse had changed into golden athletic horses and the childrens had become healthy teenagers. As like almost children the wide world outside always urged them to discover, the son with brave hearts had a wish setting off and discover the world.
“Dad”, said the son, “We want to leave. We want to come discover this large world”
The unexpected desire of the sons made the fisher felt confused.
“Sons, you’re both still little while the world outside was so big and harsh and I can’t manage it. I also can not know when you feel tired, hurt or mabe you get in case that you may be lose your life. That makes me fell unhappy sons. I don’t want you leave before you are old enough to able to protect yourself”, he said.
“Look!” said one, pointing at the golden flowes, “Those golden flowers still stand there. If you want to know if we are healthy or sick, you only need see the flowers. If the flowers still fresh, we are healthy. If the flowers went withered, we get sick and if the flowers drop, we die.”
The fisher went to the gate with his sons. The children said goodbye to their dad. They mounted on golden horses, rode off. The first place they came was a small town. They stopped at front of a in. They all landed on, chained their horses before went in. At that time, the inn was very crowded. People stayed here to drunk and ate.
“Look!” one laughed as he saw one of them went in, “a golden child”
“OMG! One more golden child”, laughed the person more loudly then people also sunk in laugh. They looked at the children, laughed and whispered around them. It’s because that they had never seen any one like them. They are too different and therefore that’s why they became the subject for others to taunt. One of the children could not stand it. He left the inn and went straight back home while the other decided to continue his journey. They parted. The child who continued followed the road left the town. The road led him to a forest. It’s a large forest with full of anicent trees standing very thick. There had a small path which was covered by intertwined branches and leaves above. He stopped front of the path and his horse seemed not want to go in. He urged his horse to move but people around prevented him.
“Don’t. You shouldn’t go this way”, said one of people, “This forest was the place robbers stay. They will not let you cross forset easily. Besides, you and your horse are gold. I’m afraid they will kill you”.
“I will cross it”, he said determinedly. He didn’t scare.
He took bear skin covered on whole his body, lathered ashes ôn his face, hands and whole his horse’s body. When he had disguised, he rode in the road. He didn’t need to wait much time. Just going in the road, he had heard some whispering voices after trees besiding the road.
“One comes”, said a voice.
“Let him cross”, said other voice, “poor person”.
He went cross the forest safety and continued his journey. Then, he arrived to a village. This village was hometown of a beautiful girl. The first time in his life his heart throbbed was the first time he met her. He couldn’t take his eyes off from her. Then, his feet automatically stepped toward her. He grabbed her hand, stared at her eyes. Though it’s the first time the girl met him, she didn’t care or dodged his eyes.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?” he said, “Before I meet you, I don’t believe it”.
“Do you want to marry with me?” he added.
She looked at him. She consented.
“Yes, I agreed. I agree to share whole my life with you”, she said.
Then a weeding fastly was organized. The father of the bride came back while the weeding was taking place.
“Where is the groom”, he said with an expression of displeasure.
People pointed him the groom who now was still wearing bear skin.
“I won’t let him marry with you”, he roared at his daughter, “Look! A poor man he looked so dirty”
“I will kill him now”, he added still at the high pitched voice.
“Please”, the bride screamed. She grabbed his hand and tried to hold him back. “I love him dad”, she said.
The man loved his daughter very much. He stopped because he didn’t want his daughter unhappy. However, he also didn’t want his daughter to marry with a poor. The next morning, he woke up and wanted to make sure that the groom of her daugter was not a poor beggar. He approached to where the groom lying and took a look. That time he discovered that his son-in-law was not a beggar. The person who was lying on the bed was a handsome boy with whole body was gold. The bear skin was thrown laid on ground.
“It’s so lucky I didn’t let my anger control myself I should have had a big mistake”, he thought, found the way to leave.
That night the golden boy had a dream. He dreamed about hunting and he was a person who chased after a beautiful deer. When he woke up the first thing he thought about was hunting.
“Wife, I want go in forest. I want hunting”, he said.
She didn’t know what but the wife didn’t felt comfortable. She insisted her husband to stay still at home.
“Husband, I don’t want you to go. I feel something bad will go to you”, she said.
“I will go. I have to go” he said shortly.
Then, he went straight to forest after that. Just stepped on forest he had seen a deer standing at the road leading in forest. That deer and the deer in his dream seemed to be one. He grabbed his gun, pointed it but the deer ran. He chased after it, crossed the forest for whole the day. However, the deer vanished after it led him go in deep forest. He wandered keep his eyes look around to find but he didn’t see. Sun was going to downing while he didn’t know exactly how to get out the forest. But, he didn’t need much time to find out a small house in that forest. The owner of the house was a witch but he didn’t know. He knocked on the door. The witch went out.
“What are you doing here while the sun is going to down?” she asked.
“Don’t you see any deer running cross here?” he asked her.
“Yes” she said, “I know it very well”.
A dog followed the witch, its master went out. It saw him and started barking at him. It’s to noisy.
“Shut up, bad dog”, he shouted, “I will kill you if you continue barking at me”.
The witch turned angry.
“You want to kill my dog?” she screamed. Then she did magic and he was transformed into a stone statue. His wife was at home waiting for his coming back. She knew that he got in danger that made her feel sad.
Meanwhile, his brother was in home discovered one flower turned withered. He immediately knew that his brother in danger.
“Dad, brother must be in danger. I have to go. I have to save him”, he said.
“I don’t want you to go son. I don’t want to lose including you”, his father said.
“I will go. I have to go”, he said confidently.
He immediately mouted on the remaining horse and galloped left. He rode straight to where his brother was transformed into stone.
“Witch! Get out”, he roared, “I know you in”
The witch went out. She told sweet words to entice him to come near her.
“Come on boy! Go here and tell me what you need. I will try my best to help you”, said the witch.
“I will go near you”, he shouted, “If you revive my brother, I will shot you”, he threatened, pointed his gun at the witch.
The witch had no choice but to revive his brother. She put her hand on the stone statue and seconds later, his brother revived. They happily hugged the other. Then they both mounted on their horses left the forest. One came back to his wife and the other come back to their parent, lived their happy lives till they died.
THE END
Book Introductions
1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore
Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books
2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese
This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books
3. The Treasury of Fables
An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books
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