The Fisherman's Fate (An Original Children's Story)

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Long time ago, there was an old fisherman who always complained because he had never been lucky with his trade. He lived in a hut by the sea, in an island where there was said to be an enchanted prince who had turned himself into a crab. The fisherman didn't believe this at all, and would spend the whole day in his boat, frowning and complaining about his bad luck. Little did he know that the crab-prince was indeed real, and that he had listened to the fisherman all those times and knew about all his troubles.

One day, the crab-prince decided to finally help him.

"My friend, don't be upset,

For your wish will soon come true

Go home now, and celebrate

For the blessings that have come to you."

The fisherman was speechless. "A talking crab?", he thought. He left his net and rowed back to the shore as fast as he can to get away from the creature. He reached his tiny hut with his knees trembling in fear, but recovered soon enough when he found five large crates filled with the rarest kinds of fishes just outside his door. The crab was telling the truth, after all.

He went off to sell the fishes at a good price and earned a lot of money that day.

The next morning, the man suddenly felt that his hut was too small. He spent hours last night thinking about the things that he was going to buy, -- chairs, cabinets, tables, and many other things -- and they won't fit inside his hut. "If that crab could give me loads of fishes that easily," he thought, "surely he could give me a house,". So he hurriedly jumped in his boat and sailed across the sea to find the crab.

It didn't take long for the crab-prince to show up again. And as soon as the fisherman saw him, he began to speak of his request.

"Magnificent creature, a poor man's bliss

You've wiped my troubles in a breeze

But if you don't mind, I have one more wish

A bigger house, that's all it is."

The crab told the fisherman to go home, for his wish was granted. The man went home, and just as what he was told, a large house stood on the exact same spot where his tiny hut used to be. Satisfied, he went to the market and bought all the things he wanted.

He enjoyed spending his money too much that his fortune didn't last him long. And before he knew it, he was poor again. He sold his house and all of his belongings for half of their value, but the money wasn't enough for him. He had nowhere to stay and nothing to eat. The old man didn't know what to do.

Then he remembered the crab who had changed his life. "This is all his fault. If he didn't interfere with my life, I wouldn't be in this situation. He must do something to fix this." So he sat in his old boat, the only possession he had left, and rowed against the waves as he called out to the crab. At once, the crab appeared in the surface of the water and listened to his complaints.

The fisherman blamed the crab for everything that happened to him, and when he was done, the crab replied, "Everything I did was help you, but you were never satisfied. You took more than what you can afford, so now you have nothing. But I'm giving you another chance, one more wish so you can start over. After this, you're on your own."

The fisherman thought hard, he knew he had to be wise. For hours, he sat in his boat, while the crab-prince waited for his answer. Then, a brilliant idea struck him, and soon, he knew what he wants. He wanted to be just like the crab, so he can make everything happen. He will be rich and powerful. Yes, that's it!

When he told the crab about this, the creature laughed at him. "Are you sure? You know you can't take it back," the crab asked once he'd regained his composure.

"Yes! Yes! I want to be just like you!," the man replied eagerly. The crab sighed in response and finally agreed, he granted the fisherman's final wish and left.

The man regretted his wish as soon as it was granted, but there was nothing he could do. He realized, a little too late, that any form of greed never ends up well. He spent the rest of his life in the bottom of the ocean, begging the crab-prince for another chance.