So the fisherman went back up the hill, passed through the garden, and saw that indeed, the humble cottage had been magically transformed into a beautiful big house, with a good solid foundation and a nice sound roof.

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

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

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

“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 house is so small, really,” she said. “I mean, if the fish was a PRINCE, couldn’t he have gotten us a proper castle? I mean, you did spare his life…”

The old man didn’t really think this was a good idea, and he tried to convince his wife so, but she was determined to live in a castle, so finally, with a heavy heart, he went back down to the Sea and called to the flounder.