So the fisherman went back up the hill, passed through the garden, and saw that indeed, his little run-down shack had been magically transformed into a nice snug cottage, with a good solid foundation and a nice sound roof.

“Oh this is very nice!” said the fisherman, and he hugged his wife.

The old man goes back the hill and finds a new cottage where his shack used to be.

“Yes, it is,” she said, looking around. She kissed her husband and they went about their evening routine in the new little cottage.

A few days later, though, the fisherman noticed that his wife was looking pretty unhappy.

“What is the matter, Dear?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really,” she said, looking away from him. The fisherman had been married to his dear wife for a long time, though, and he knew that this was not going to be the end of this conversation. So he pestered, and he persisted, and finally she admitted what was troubling her.

“It’s just that this cottage is so small, really,” she said. “I mean, if the fish was a PRINCE, couldn’t he have gotten us a nice house like the mayor’s house? I mean, you did spare his life…”