I go out fishing in the sea every day, and I don’t catch much of anything.

Then today, when I was sitting in the boat with my rod, the line suddenly caught. It went down, down, down, and I drew it up, up, up. I had a Flounder on my line! I landed him in the boat, and when I unhooked him, the Fish spoke. “Hark, you Fisherman, I pray you, let me live! I’m not really a Flounder. I’m an enchanted prince. I won’t be any good to eat. Put me back in the water, and let me go.”

“Come, now, no need for so many words about it, of course I’ll set you free,” I said. “Any fish that can talk should be let go!”

I carefully set him back into the water, and watched as he swam to the bottom, leaving a streak of blood behind him.

The Fisherman Who Catches a Flounder in The Fisherman and His Wife, Grimms. Illustration by Alexander Zick.