Latin American Folktales [S.S. Col.] [Fairy Tales col.] by Bierhorst John (Ed.)

Author:Bierhorst, John (Ed.) [Bierhorst, John (Ed.)]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Folk Tales, Short Stories
ISBN: 9780307426581
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Published: 2007-12-18T02:00:00+00:00

54. The Fisherman’s Daughter

A man and a woman were married, and let me tell you they were poor. Every morning the man went fishing and would come back with no more than enough to get through one more day.

Then one time he pulled up his net and there was nothing at all, not a single fish. He heard a voice from the depths, “Promise to bring me the one who greets you lovingly when you arrive home, and I’ll give you as many fish as you want.”

The man thought, “Couldn’t it mean my little dog, who always runs from the house and jumps up to greet me when I come with my catch?” Three times the voice called from below. Hearing it for the third time, the man said, “Very well, I’ll bring you what you ask. Where shall I find you?”

“Right here!” said the voice. Then he cast his net again, and when he pulled it up it was filled with fish. He went home contented.

When he got within sight of his house, his little daughter ran out to greet him. “Papa, you’re home!” And she gave him a hug.

“Ay!” he said. “If only you knew, you wouldn’t hug me!” He entered the house, and his wife asked, “Why are you crying?”

“If you knew, you wouldn’t ask.” He kept quiet while his wife cooked the fish. When dinner was ready, he said, “I’m not hungry.”

“Tell me why not?”

He repeated, “If you knew, you wouldn’t ask.”

“Tell me!” The husband was crying. Finally he said, “I couldn’t catch a thing. My net was empty, but a voice promised me fish if I’d pay for it with the one who greets me lovingly. And when I got home, who should greet me with a hug but our own little daughter!”

The wife said, “You made a promise. Now you must do what the Lord requires.”

The man had three days to comply. On the third day they dressed their daughter nicely and the father took her to the deep place in the river where he had heard the voice. He called out, “Here’s the treasure you wanted.”

“Bring her to my house in the middle of the river,” came the answer, “and leave her there.”

They went into the water and found a house with chairs and tables and everything else a home should have. The man said, “Daughter, I must leave you now.” She was pleased with what she saw. “Very well,” she said, and he shut the door and went away. Night came.

When it was time to light the lamps, the lamps were lit. At supper-time the supper appeared, at bedtime the hammock was slung. Not a soul could be seen. Then all on their own the lights went out.

When morning came, breakfast appeared, but there was not a living soul. Yet the table was set. That night, when the lights went out again, a man’s voice called to her, “There’s a louse on the top of my head. Come kill it.” The girl got up, found the louse, and began rumpling the man’s hair.

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