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The merchant himself went back home to his family, his wife, and his children, and he lived with them until the day he dies. But this story is not as strange or as amazing as the story of the fisherman.
Dinarzad asked, Please, sister, what is the story of the fisherman?” Shahrazad said…
[The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon]
There was an poor fisherman who live alone in a wooden house by the lake. He lacked family and friends. His only company was his neighbor who lived on the other side of the lake. After his morning fishing session, the fisherman started to pack up his equipment when a demon approached him. The dark figure made the fisherman jump out of his skin. Not only did the presence of the demon scare of but the presence of someone at his home surprised him. The demon, angered by the the fisherman said, “You keep taking all of my fish and eating it for yourself. If I see you fishing here again, I will kill you.” The fisherman quickly returned home after the sudden fright. Originally dejected, the fisherman was afraid to leave his home and fish. However, the fisherman’s desire to fish grew as he thought of a way out of this dilemma. That night, the fisherman thought he could outwit the demon and fish on the other side of the lake to hide from him.
That night, the fisherman caught a fish on his first throw. He was afraid that the demon was watching so he quickly left for home. However, as he was heading home, his neighbor stopped him. He came out and said, “Why are you holding a woman by her feet? Do you know that this fish is a woman who was turned into a fish?” The fisherman was surprised and asked for the woman to be returned to her true form. His neighbor complied and the fish became a beautiful woman. Thankful, the woman offered the fisherman to become his wife. The fisherman responded, “Thank you so much. Of course I want to marry you and your beauty but I am also so thankful that the demon cannot come after me. You cannot believe what just happened between me and the demon. It must be the strangest story you will ever hear.” Chuckling, the women responded, “Of course I believe you but I think the story of me and the butcher will be stranger than yours. Do you wish to hear it?”
But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister said, “What an amazing story!” Shahrazad replied, “The rest is even more amazing.” The king said to himself, “I must hear the rest of the story before I put her to death.”
The following night Dinarzad said to her sister Shahraza, “If you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely, little tales to while away the night.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:
[ The Tale of the Fish and the Butcher]
It is said, O wise and merciful King, that the fisherman was completely enticed by the woman’s confidence in her tale and urged her to go on. The woman smiled and began her tale.
There once was a butcher who was all alone, he had no friends or family, only the animals the farmers traded with him. He did not befriend the animals, fearing that he would form a connection that would make it too hard for him to kill the animals and thus lose his job. Every day, he would quickly feed the animals and quickly leave. He liked to walk by the pond by his house, as the animals living inside made him feel less lonely. On one of his walks, he noticed a woman lying unconscious near the bank of the pond. He grew concerned when he noticed she was not moving and he quickly brought her to his home. For days, he took care of her by feeding her and telling her stories to make her happy. She quickly grew accustomed to his home and eventually helped him in his duties to feed the animals. He warned her, “Never stay too long, for you will grow a connection to the animals and it will be far too hard to let them go.” She did not listen and spent most of her time with them. The butcher noticed this and became worried, “If she continues to befriend these animals, she will surely make me stop killing them for their meat, and I will lose my job and money!”
He loved her and so killing her was not an option. He wanted her company but turning her into a large animal would not suffice, as it was his job to slaughter them for their meat. He thought to himself, ” Ah, perhaps I shall make her into a beautiful fish! I can keep her in my pond and see her whenever I want to and she will not be able to befriend the other animals. Plus, fish are far too small to make any money from, so killing her will not be an issue!” He grew excited of his plan and when night struck and he knew she was asleep he…
But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she lapsed into silence. Then her sister said, “What an amazing story!” Shahrazad replied, “You will not believe what happens after.”
What a great pair of tales–well-done, Catherine and Delsy!