Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 40 Sea King's Gift (2)
In the middle of the night, the fisherman sat up and said to his wife, "Did you hear anything?"

"No," she replied.

"I think the turning of the weather vane on the roof is a bad sign," said the husband. "There's going to be a storm."

"Oh, don't think about it," replied the wife.

Matt lay down, and soon got up again.

"The weather vane is squeaking," he said.

"Don't think about it! Go to sleep," she replied.The old man tried to fall asleep.

For the third time, he jumped from the boat.

"Oh, the weathervane is screaming like it's on fire! There's going to be a storm, and I've got to get the net back."

Both husband and wife got up.The night was as dark as October, the weather vane creaked, and the storm was howling from every side.When they went out, they saw the sea was white, and the waves were hitting the hut.Matt had never experienced a night like this in his life.It is simply unthinkable to push a boat into the sea to collect fishing nets.The fisherman and his wife stood at the door, holding the doorpost tightly, and let the foam splash on their faces, dumbfounded.

"Didn't I tell you it's bad luck to fish on Sunday?" Matt said sullenly.His wife was so petrified that she didn't even think about Atti's cow once.

Nothing could be done, so they had to go back to the house.Their eyelids were heavy from lack of sleep, and they fell asleep, as if there had never been a sea roaring about their solitary cabins.When they awoke, the sun was already high in the sky, the storm had subsided, and only the sea surged up, forming silver crests, beating against the red rocks.

"What could that be?" asked the old woman, peeping through the crack of the door.

"Looks like a big seal," Matt replied.

"I'm sure it's a cow!" cried May.Indeed, it was a cow, a handsome red bull, fat and strong, as if it had grown on spinach.The cows walked back and forth on the beach quietly, not looking at the handfuls of grass, as if they dismissed such forage.

Matt couldn't believe his eyes.But it seemed to be a cow, and yes, it was a cow, and when the old woman began to milk her, all the pots and pans, and even the buckets, were quickly filled with the most delicious milk.

The old man couldn't figure out where the cow came from, so he ran to find the lost fishing net.He hadn't gone far when he saw that the net was lying on the shore, full of fish, and not a single mesh was empty.

"It's nice to have a cow," Matt said as he cleaned the fish, "but what are we going to feed her?"

"We'll figure it out," replied the wife.The cow has found a way by herself.She ran to the beach, where there were abundant aquatic plants, and she grazed there, growing fat.Everyone but the Prince thought the Cow was very clever, but the Prince barked at her, because now he had an enemy.

From that day on, Red Reef has no shortage of fresh milk and cheese, and every net is full of fish.The good days not only made Matt and May fatter, but also richer day by day.She made a lot of butter, and he hired two men to help him fish.The sea in front of him was like a big fish pond, and he could catch as many fish as he wanted, and the cows continued to forage for themselves.In the fall, Matt and May returned to the land, and the cows returned to the sea. When spring came, the couple returned to the reef, where the cows were already waiting.

"We need a better house," May said the next summer. "The old house is too small for us and our servants."

"Right." Matt replied.So he built a big house and put real locks on it, and he built a storeroom in which to keep the fish.He and his men caught lots and lots of fish, selling tons of salmon, herring, and cod to Russia and Sweden.

"I can't keep up with so many people," May said. "I should find a girl to help me."

"Then find one," said the husband.So they hired a girl.

May said again: "We don't have enough milk for so many people. I already have a servant who can take care of three cows without much effort."

"Okay," the husband said provocatively, "then you can sing a song for the gods."

This annoyed May, but she rowed out to sea on Sunday night and sang as before:
O bearded Ati,

Live in the deep blue sea.

You own a thousand cows,

Please give me three of them.

The next morning, instead of one, there were three cows on the island.The three cows all ate water and grass, fending for themselves like the first one.

"Are you satisfied now?" Matt asked his wife.

"If I have two servants, and some good clothes, I shall be satisfied," replied the wife, "and don't you know that I dress like a rich lady!"

"I know, I know." The husband replied.So Mei had several servants and clothes suitable for a lady.

“It would be perfect to have a nicer place to live in the summer. You could build us a two-story building and bring in some soil for a garden. Then you could build a gazebo in there where we could look out over the ocean. We could also hire a violinist to play for us in the evenings, and a steamboat to take us to church in rainy weather."

"Anything else?" Matt asked, but he complied with his wife's wishes and did everything.Both Atala Island and May turned out to be very pretty, enthralling sea urchins and herring.Even princes end up as round as butter crocks from eating steak and brioche scones.

"Are you satisfied now?" Matt asked.

"If I had thirty cows," answered May, "I'd be satisfied. That's the minimum for a large family like this."

"Then go find a fairy," Matt said.

His wife went out to sea in a new steamship and sang to the Sea King.The next morning, thirty cows appeared on the beach, all foraging for themselves.

"You know what, man? We're so crowded on this island, where am I going to find room for so many cows?"

"There is no other way but to drain the seawater."

"Nonsense!" retorted the wife. "Who can drain the sea?"

"Try it with your new steam turbine. There's a water pump on it."

May knew very well that her husband was only joking, but she kept thinking about it. "I'll never be able to drain the sea," she thought to herself, "but if I build a dam, I can fill it up. I can pile up sand and rocks and make our island big again .”

So Mei loaded the boat with stones and set out to sea.She took the violinist with her, and the violinist played so well that Atti and Vilamos and all the daughters of the sea floated to the surface to hear the music.

"What's so bright in the waves?" May asked.

"That's sea foam shining in the sun," replied the violinist.

"Stones!" May ordered.

Plop, plop, the men in the boat threw stones into the foam from left and right.One of the stones smashed the nose of Vilamos' maid, another cut the queen's face, and a third fell into the sea as it wiped Atti's head and ripped off half of the sea king's beard.There was chaos in the sea, and the waves were like boiling water in a pot, bubbling.

"Where does the wind come from?" May asked.While she was speaking, the sea opened its mouth and swallowed the steamship.Mei sank to the bottom of the sea like a stone.Struggling with all fours, she floated to the surface again, found the violinist's violin, and was afloat by the violin.Just then, she saw Atti's horrible head beside him with only half of his beard left!
"Why did you stone me?" Sea King asked angrily.

"Oh, my lord, it was a mistake! Put some bear oil on your beard, and it will grow back in no time."

"Woman, didn't I give you all you asked for?—no, more than you asked for!"

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your cow."

"Well, what about the gold of the sun and the silver of the moon that you promised me?"

"Ah, Your Majesty, except on cloudy days, they are sprinkled on the sea day and night." Mei argued sophistry.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson!" Sea King roared.He blew on the violin and sent the old woman to the island like a rocket.The prince was as thin as ever, gnawing on a dead crow.Matt sat alone on the steps of the old house in his tattered gray jacket, mending his fishing nets.

"My God, old man," he asked, "where did you come from in such a hurry? How did you get all wet?"

May looked around in confusion and asked, "Where is our two-story building?"

"What building?" asked the husband.

"Our big house, with its gardens, and the servants and maids, and thirty cows, and the steamboat, and everything else?"

"You're talking nonsense, old man," he said. "The students are driving you crazy. You sang some stupid songs while rowing last night, and then you couldn't sleep until the wee hours of the morning. There was a storm last night, wait for the storm to pass Finally, I didn’t want to wake you up, so I rowed alone to collect the fishing nets.”

"But I saw Artie," argued May.

"You've been lying in bed, dreaming stupid dreams, man, and then in your sleep, you walked into the water."

"But the violin is still there," said May.

"What a violin! It's just a piece of rotten wood. No, no, ma'am, we'll be more careful next time. No luck fishing on Sunday."

(End of this chapter)