Once upon a time, there lived a fisherman boy named Elvin in a small village by the sea. After his father passed away, all the household responsibilities fell upon him. Every morning, before sunrise, he would go to the shore, launch his old boat into the water, and set out to fish.
Elvin never caught more fish than he needed. When there were small fish in his net, he would immediately release them back into the sea. The villagers would laugh at him, saying, "Why don't you keep what you catch, you fool?" Elvin would smile and reply, "Let the little fish grow, then the whole village will be fed."
One day, the sea was very rough. Elvin again pulled his boat to the shore and cast his net. Suddenly, a big wave shook the boat, and Elvin's most precious possession — the silver hook inherited from his father — fell into the water and was lost. The boy cried out in distress, "Oh no, my father's keepsake is gone! What will I fish with now?"
An old fish living at the bottom of the sea saw this incident. Knowing how Elvin had protected the small fish for years, the fish immediately swam to the Sea King. It told him the story and asked for permission to speak with humans. The Sea King thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "This boy has done much good for our people. Go, but first, test his heart."
When the old fish surfaced, it had a sparkling diamond hook in its mouth. It approached Elvin and asked, "Is this your hook?" Elvin shook his head and said, "No, my hook wasn't that expensive. This must belong to someone else."
The fish dived into the water again, and a little later, emerged this time with a shining golden hook. "Perhaps this is yours?" it asked. Elvin again denied, "No, my hook was made of ordinary iron, it was old, but it was very dear to me."
The fish dived into the water a third time and brought back that very old, rusty iron hook. Elvin's face lit up: "Here it is, this is mine! The only memory left from my father!" The fish extended the hook to him and said, "Because you are honest, the Sea King wants to reward you."
Then it dived into the water and brought out the previous diamond and golden hooks, giving them to Elvin: "These are yours too, because your heart is pure." Elvin thanked it and returned home. He sold the golden hook and used the money to buy new boats for the entire village, so everyone could fish more comfortably.
But he did not sell the diamond hook; he kept it — because it stood beside the precious memory of his father. Even when Elvin grew up, he never caught small fish and became the most respected fisherman in the village. It is said that the sea never left him hungry.
And so, this fairy tale ends here. Three apples fell from the sky: one for the storyteller, one for the listeners, and one for honest and kind children.
