Once upon a time there lived an old woman and an old man. Their little house was located right on the seashore, and in that house was old, worn furniture. They lived poorly, without luxury or wealth. The grandfather made his living by fishing, and the grandmother kept house. Their children lived far away abroad and only occasionally wrote letters. And so one fine day, when it was already dawn outside, a courier knocked on the door:
Hello, you have a package!
Grandfather, come here quickly! Some young fellow brought us a package. Should we take it or not?
The old woman worried.
Who is it from?
The old man was surprised.
Your package is from distant lands, it travelled across the sea and through cities.
The courier replied.
Did our children send us exotic delicacies? Of course we'll take it, leave the package with us!
The old man exclaimed.
As soon as the door closed behind the courier, the old man and old woman began to open the package. They open a large box, and inside—a brand new, beautiful laptop of the latest generation.
Oh my goodness, what kind of box is this? And what are these little cords and holes?
The old woman was amazed.
You're something else! This is a real computer. You can play games on it, watch movies, and even print a book!
The old man was delighted and began to take the laptop out of the box.
And how do you know what this fancy thing is?
The old woman asked in surprise.
Well, the guys at fishing told me how they watch interesting films on computers like this and play "tanks."
What tanks? What kind of game is that? Are they huge, metal, real ones that shoot and drive?
The old woman nearly fell over in surprise.
You old woman, you're so out of touch with modern life! "Tanks" is a game, I'll go fishing and ask the guys how to play it. We'll have such fun together. Instead of staring out the window in the evenings and being bored, we'll play "tanks" whenever we want!
The grandfather scratched his head and began to set up the laptop.
He read the instructions for a long time, turning the laptop this way and that. And the package had everything needed: a modem, a wi-fi router, and even speakers to listen to music louder.
The old man connected everything and went fishing to meet with the guys and ask them everything. He came to the shore, but there was no one there. He had to go back home.
Night fell, and the old man and old woman were getting ready for bed. Suddenly they heard strange sounds coming from the room where they put the laptop: "beep-beep." Grandfather and grandmother were frightened, jumped up, and ran to the room. There, the screen lit up, music was playing, and on the monitor was an image—their own children, who live far away abroad.
How do you turn this thing on? Maybe I should press this blue button?
The old man decided to try his luck and pressed the button with all his might.
Mom, Dad, finally you're online. You're sitting in your backwater and don't know what's happening in the world. So we decided to give you a gift—a new, beautiful laptop so you could stay in touch with us anytime. We want to come visit you soon, we've missed you so much.
What joy!
The old woman cried out.
Our dear children are coming, but we have nothing to feed them. Come on, grandfather, go to the shore to catch some fish, maybe we'll have a good catch today.
The old man took his fishing gear and went fishing. He sat on the shore, an hour passed, then another, but there were no bites. Suddenly he felt the fishing line tighten, and the bell rang. The old man began to pull with all his might, and he pulled out a fish.
Just as he was about to throw it in the bucket, he heard the fish speak in a human voice:
Don't eat me, old man. I'm small and not tasty. Let's make a deal—you let me go, and I'll grant your wish. Make a wish!
The grandfather didn't think long and decided to take this chance.
Can you fill my refrigerator with food? My children are coming from far away, and I have nothing to treat them with.
That's not difficult at all. You'll have a full refrigerator of food, the tastiest and most wholesome.
The fish replied.
And so they did. The grandfather went home, and the fish swam off into the vast sea. The old man came home, and there was a full refrigerator: red caviar, black caviar, trout and salmon. Various tropical fruits, fragrant, and in the middle of the table—lobsters, langoustines, and a small roasted piglet.
Where did all this come from?
The old woman asked in bewilderment.
This, grandmother, is our salvation. I caught a golden fish while fishing, not an ordinary one, but a truly magical one. We made a deal—I let her go into the sea, and she grants any wish I make.
The old man told her with gleaming eyes.
The old woman grabbed her head and started shouting:
So nothing but food came into that old head of yours? Why don't you ask her for a sausage factory right away? You need to make wishes so that we benefit too. We'll become rich, buy furs, a car, do business. Go to that fish and ask her for a factory!
The grandfather came to the shore, and there, right at the sand, the golden fish was already waiting for him and asked in a human voice:
Well, are you happy with the food? The best products are now in your refrigerator.
My old woman is not satisfied. Now she wants a sausage factory so we can have our own business and live richly.
No problem! Your old woman will have a factory.
The old man came home, and there, next to the little house, was a tall fence and buildings on two hectares of land. Inside everything was humming and buzzing, lots of people working there, pigs and cows living in the pen.
Wow! And it's a real factory! And a farm next to it!
The old man was so surprised he nearly crashed into the fence.
Well, old woman, how do you like it? Are you happy now?
The old woman thought and said:
Let's go together to this golden fish. Let her look at me more carefully, remember my face, and now every time I ask her, she'll grant my wish.
The old woman quickly got ready and went to the shore.
Hey fish, come out! I brought you the old woman so you can grant her wishes.
The old man shouted.
The fish swam to the very shore and said:
What do you want? What wish should I grant?
I want you to always serve me and grant all my wishes instantly. Right now, for example, I want my own island in the middle of the ocean, a fancy airplane so we can fly to that island, and all your sea where lots of fish swim—I'll build a city on the water so all the sea creatures obey me.
But how? If you build a city on the water, where will all the other sea creatures live?
I'll put them in special aquariums.
The old woman laughed.
And suddenly, the fish flicked her tail, waves rose in the sea, wind swirled everything around. The old man and old woman ran home, deciding they'd come back when the storm calmed down. But instead of the factory next to the house, a thick forest suddenly appeared with wild animals, so the grandfather and grandmother couldn't even leave the house. The refrigerator was empty again, with only a crust of bread on the shelf. And so the old man and old woman ended up with nothing, and they greeted their children with just a piece of bread, without butter and even without salt.
Read fairy tales and you will always know what to wish for and what not to do!
