Question

king and fisherman short story in english tell to his daughter

Answer 1

There was once a poor fisherman. He lived by the sea with only the rolling waves to keep him company. A good man, he only caught what he needed and respected the sea and its creatures with a deep and steady devotion.
One blustery evening, having just finished supper, he sat alone with his thoughts when he heard a soft knocking at the door. So gentle was the sound that he thought he must have been mistaken. But the sound came again, so he roused himself and went to the door. There stood a maiden lovelier than a lily in the moonlight with long rippling hair and deep blue eyes. She smiled and her teeth were soft rounded oyster pearls. Not a regular maiden then, a sea-nymph. She asked him for shelter for the night and he willingly let her in.
In the morning when the fisherman awoke, and he woke early as fishermen do, the lovely sea-nymph was gone. On the pillow where she had lain rested a piece of pink coral. Being a wise man, he tucked the coral into a small box and tried not to think too much of the event.
Three months later, on a similarly stormy night, the fisherman again heard the gentle knock on the door and this time he did not wait for it to come again. There stood the sea-nymph, more beautiful than before, and she asked for shelter for the night. He let her in and the night passed as it had last time. When he awoke, quite early, as was his custom, she had gone, but she had left a silver fish scale on her pillow. He stowed the scale away with the coral in the tiny box and tried not to think of it anymore.
After another three months had passed, the fisherman again heard the knock through the wind of the storm. The sea-nymph asked for shelter and he let her in as before. Just as he was falling asleep, he heard her whisper in his ear,
“You have been good to me and my people, taking, as a true man should, the ebb and flow of the sea. I leave you tonight a small starfish. Plant it in your back garden and in three months time my last gift will be yours.”
In the morning when the fisherman awoke, before the light of first dawn, the sea-nymph was gone and on her pillow lay a limp starfish. Remembering her words, he took the starfish into his vegetable garden and planted it with care.
In three months’ time, the fisherman was sitting alone after finishing his supper when he heard a whimper from the garden. He went outside and there, in the earth, right where he had planted the starfish, rested a smiling baby. She was a lovely little thing with clear, sparkling eyes and pudgy little fists. He picked her up joyfully, not questioning her arrival, and brought her inside.
As the years passed, the baby grew into a delightful girl. With each day her kind heart shone brighter and her beauty burned stronger. She was the joy of her father’s life.
As she her legs grew strong enough to support her and her eyes became curious, she learned to observe what was around her and to question the things she did not understand.
“Father, who is my mother and why is she not here to take care of me?”
“Your mother is the sea and the Earth has nurtured you and takes care of you still.”
The girl was satisfied with this answer and, indeed, she had no reason not to be.
As the girl’s limbs lengthened and her hair grew long, she learned to defend herself from the beasts that wandered out of the nearby forest and the dangers of an angry sea.