The Fish Peri

The Fish Witch
angelfish

Jerry: Alriiiight ladies and gentlemen, we’re back, and we’ve got some more entertainment for you! The next guest that we’re going to bring onstage currently resides in Istanbul with her husband. Her name is Hillary, and guess what? She has got a secret for you. Let’s get her out here! Hillary, come on dooowwn!

(The crowd looks around excitedly. Hillary enters the room, a strikingly gorgeous yet modest young woman, and blushes as the audience claps for her.)

Hillary: Oh, ha, you guys don’t have to clap. Hi, Jerry!

Jerry: Hillary, so nice to have you! Why don’t you tell us your little secret?

Hillary: Well… I used to be a fish…

(The audience gasps, as Hillary looks around nervously.)

Jerry: Don’t be shy! Come on, why don’t you tell us your story?

Hillary: Well, okay, I guess! I was born a fish, you see, but not just any fish. I was a magical fish, and my father foretold to me that if any man should ever catch me, he would not eat me because of my beauty. Instead, he would keep me, and I should dutifully become his servant. Eventually, a young fisherman did happen to catch me! He was quite good-looking, too. And, just like my father had said, I was too pretty to sell or eat, so he kept me in his well. Every morning, when my handsome fisherman would go out to catch more fish, I took human form. I left my fish skin behind on the well, and went inside to clean his house spotless! After I was done with my duties, I went back to the well and put my skin back on. Of course, when he returned, he had no idea who had done it.

Jerry: Well, that’s awfully selfless of you.

Hillary: All in the life of a fish witch, I guess. But I really didn’t mind. He was quite cute, ya know? So one day, I was listening for him to leave so I could go clean his house, as usual. I heard the door open and shut, so I jumped out and began cleaning his house. When I returned to the well about an hour later, the fisherman was there holding my fish skin! This meant that I was set free, and could live as a human forever now! The fisherman, whose name was Mark, told me I could go wherever I chose, but I wanted to stay with him. I had grown very fond of him, and we were set to be married.

(The audience claps excitedly, and a few young women in the audience are crying.)

Ha, well, don’t break out the water-works yet guys! Apparently, as beautiful a fish as I was, I was even more beautiful in human form. The king of our land had heard tales of my beauty, and set his eyes on me to be his wife. Mark was very upset, and went to the king, begging him not to take me from him. The king told Mark that if he could produce for him a golden mansion, with a swimming pool encrusted in diamonds, I could stay with Mark. Well, of course I still had my magical powers, so this was a cinch! But the king was not satisfied. After he saw his house, he demanded of Mark a new Ferrari, faster than any ever made, thinking that Mark would fail and I would surely have to be the king's wife. Ha, in his dreams! I secretly conjured up a hot little car, and Mark delivered it to his palace. The king was still not pleased! He had no idea how Mark had obtained these luxurious items, yet he was still so adamant on having me for his wife that he didn’t seem to care. Quite a ruthless and greedy king, if you ask me. Every week, he would demand more: plasma TVs, Apple computers that weren’t even in the stores yet… it grew very tiresome. I was determined not to marry such a ruthless tyrant; besides, I loved Mark. So Mark and I devised a plan, and I turned all the king’s wishes against him. I magically burned his house to the ground,
with all his expensive technology inside of it.

(The audience claps enthusiastically as Hillary smiles.)

When the king saw his house, he wept bitterly and called to Mark, saying that if Mark could just bring his stuff back, he would let us marry and live happily ever after. It had worked! I magically restored all of his material possessions, and the king left Mark and me alone. We moved to Istanbul, got married, and have lived happily for almost seven years now! And without all the expensive, fancy junk. We’re happy enough with just each other.

Story Four

Author's note: I didn't have to change much from the original story this time. The main difference is that once the fish maiden had her fish skin taken away from her, she was no longer magical. Instead, the person granting all of these impossible demands of the king was the fish maiden's genie friend who lived in the ocean. The king would ask the fisherman to produce these crazy things, thinking that it was impossible and therefore he could take the fish maiden's hand in marriage, but the genie in the ocean never failed to give the fisherman what he needed. Of course, I modified what the king asked for. Instead of a plasma TV say, he asked for mules that sprung out of eggs! I thought it would be better to make this story as modern as I could. The king's final demand was that of a newborn infant who could speak and act like an adult. The genie gave this to the fisherman, and the baby, upon meeting the king, starting slapping him square across the face until the king begged the baby to be taken away, saying that if the fisherman could just do that, then he could have his beautiful maiden and he would leave them alone forever. I thought that was kind of funny!

Storybook Cover

Kunos, Igancz (1913) Fourty-four Turkish Fairy Tales. The Fish-Peri.

Back to Hannah's homepage!