Excerpt from the golden fish: a retelling of a russian tale
lee washington

1 the old fisherman floated on the black sea, boat bobbing from side to side as a frigid wind sliced through his threadbare sweater. though the fisherman and his wife were struggling to survive without much money, he thought happily of the meager but delicious dinner of homemade bread that was waiting for him at home. suddenly, he felt a sharp pull on the fishing line, and the fisherman heaved a large, shining, yellow fish onto the boat. its fins sparkled like coins cascading from a treasure chest.

2 the fish began to beg. “if you release me,” the fish blubbered, “i’ll give you everything you need.”

the fisherman eyed the fantastic creature. “i am content with what i have, but i will let you go regardless,” the fisherman said as he plopped the fish back into the sea.

4 when the sun’s heavy eyelids began to droop, the fisherman returned home through the town. he passed a wealthy man arguing with a shopkeeper about merchandise and sadly shook his head at the annoyed men as he entered his house.

“what did you catch today? ” his wife inquired as she handed him some morsels of bread. the fisherman related the story of the remarkable talking fish.

“no fish and no wish? you threw away a lucky gift! ” the wife scolded, her usual affectionate manner absent as she sent her husband back to ask for more food.

the drowsy fisherman walked back to the water’s edge and called the name of every fish in the sea until finally the golden fish arrived on a small, sparkling wave.

“my wife wants more food,” he told the fish, who simply nodded its scaly head and slipped back under water.

9 after receiving more food, the wife sent the fisherman to ask the fish for a bigger house while she nervously picked at the expensive lobster feast spread before her. she became perpetually restless and irritable, pacing the house until the fisherman returned home each day to discover his wife’s latest longing.

soon his wife felt unsatisfied with the new, luxurious house; she wanted to control more things on earth, so she sent her husband back to the fish with a request to make her queen of the seas. once again, the exhausted fisherman walked to the sea. hesitantly, he called every fish that lived there until the golden fish pushed aside each sardine and minnow, ready to grant the next wish. but when the fish heard that the wife wanted control of everything in the fish’s aquatic home, the fish squinted at the uncertain fisherman.

“enough! ” said the fish, and the fisherman’s new house immediately turned back into the small cottage where he and his wife had once lived. their extravagant food became simple again, and the fisherman’s wife once again learned to cherish the little that they had. their love renewed once riches and wishes ceased breaking them apart. although the fisherman still caught fish of every other name, the golden fish never returned.

which word best describes the fisherman’s wife?
a) greedy
b) outraged
c) patient
d) sincere