The Dog, the Cat, and the Magic Stone

Once upon a time, a poor fisherman lived very frugally as he was not skilled at all in fishing. He had virtually no money to spare. Yet even though he was poor, he kept a faithful dog and cat and made sure neither ever went hungry. Both pets loved their master immensely and helped him as much as they could. In those olden days, dogs and cats used to be good friends and never quarrelled with each other at all. The only thing they could never agree on in the world was which of them was the better companion for the fisherman.

One day, the fisherman had not caught a single fish from the lake. As the sun sank lower in the sky, gloom clouded the fisherman’s face. “What are we going to eat today?” he sighed, heavily. “I can get by somehow, but what about my poor pets?”

Suddenly, as if by a miracle, a carp suddenly splashed into his net. The fisherman had never seen a fish so huge in his life. Taking it into his hands for a better look, he saw the carp shedding tears. The fisherman’s good heart made him take pity on the poor carp and he threw it back in the lake. Thus, he went home empty-handed.

The next morning, as the fisherman was heading back to the lake, he saw in the distance a lone figure standing by his boat. It was a little boy he had never seen before.

The boy bowed. “Thank you, noble fisherman, for helping me yesterday.”

“When did I help you?” replied the puzzled fisherman. “You must’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“No mistake, sir,” the boy explained. “Do you remember the carp you put back in the water yesterday?”

The…