About
The Catch
Chapter 1 – The Catch
There once was a fisherman who lived by the sea with his wife in a small, broken hut. Each day he went out in his little boat, casting his line into the gray water.
One morning, as dawn broke and the air was still, something pulled his line so hard the boat swayed. He drew it up — and there in the water shimmered a great fish, its scales gleaming faintly like metal under the light.
“Please,” said the fish, “let me live. I am not truly a fish, but an enchanted prince.”
The fisherman, astonished, said softly:
“Go then.”
And he lowered the creature back into the water. It vanished with a silver streak, leaving ripples that glowed and faded in the calm sea.
Chapter 2 – The Cottage
That evening, the fisherman told his wife what had happened. She looked around their damp little hut and said:
"You should have asked the fish for something — anything better than this."
So the fisherman returned to the shore. The sea was no longer gray but tinged green and yellow beneath the clouds. He called out:
"Man of the sea,
Hearken to me,
My wife, Ilsabill,
Has sent me
to beg a boon of thee."
Hearken to me,
My wife, Ilsabill,
Has sent me
to beg a boon of thee."
And the fish rose again, its voice soft and distant.
"Go home," it said. "Your wife is already in the cottage."
When the fisherman returned, their old hut was gone. In its place stood a small, neat cottage with white walls and a smoking chimney, the sea wind carrying the scent of warm air and earth.
Chapter 3 – The Castle
For a while, they lived happily.
But soon, the wife grew restless again.
“This cottage is far too small,” she said. “Go back — tell the fish I want a castle.”
The fisherman’s heart grew heavy, but he went. The sea was darker now, rolling with a low hum.
“Man of the sea,
Hearken to me,
My wife, Ilsabill,
Will have her own will,
And has sent me
to beg a boon of thee.”
Hearken to me,
My wife, Ilsabill,
Will have her own will,
And has sent me
to beg a boon of thee.”
“Go home,” said the fish. “She is standing at the gate already.”
And there it was — a towering castle by the shore, its windows glinting like wet stone. The fisherman walked through its vast halls, the echo of the waves following behind him.
Chapter 4 – The Emperor
Days passed, and the wife’s eyes turned upward.
“The castle is not enough,” she said. “I will be emperor.”
The fisherman went to the sea again. It was black now — the wind sharp, the sky heavy.
“Man of the sea,
Hearken to me,
My wife, Ilsabill,
Will have her own will,
And has sent me
to beg a boon of thee.”
Hearken to me,
My wife, Ilsabill,
Will have her own will,
And has sent me
to beg a boon of thee.”
The fish’s voice came from beneath the roar of the waves.
“Go home,” it said. “She is emperor already.”
And when he returned, the fisherman saw his wife in grand robes, standing before her throne. Lightning flashed outside the tall windows. Power sat uneasily on her face — and the sea rumbled beyond the walls.
Chapter 5 – The Pope
Even as emperor, she was unsatisfied.
“I will be pope,” she declared.
The fisherman trembled as he walked to the shore. The waves rose like mountains; the air was filled with spray. Thunder rolled over him as he called again to the sea.
“Go home,” said the fish. “She is pope already.”
And there she sat — high upon a throne that touched the ceiling, wrapped in light and shadow, with fire burning in her eyes. The fisherman fell to his knees, whispering:
“Wife, can you not be content?”
But she only looked beyond him, toward the window and the endless sky.
Chapter 6 – The Return
That night, she could not sleep.
When dawn came, she said:
“The sun and moon rise without my command. Go to the fish — tell him I must rule over them too.”
The fisherman begged her to stop, but she would not listen.
So he went once more.
The wind screamed, the clouds twisted, and the waves rose higher than the cliffs.
“Man of the sea,
Hearken to me…”
Hearken to me…”
But before he could finish, the sea crashed upward, swallowing his voice.
When he awoke, the storm had passed.
The sky was pale, the air still.
He stood before his old hut — the same as before, its roof sagging, its walls damp with salt.
And the sea lay calm, silent, as if it had never spoken at all.
The Fisherman
& His Wife
A digital reinterpretation of the classic German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. This interactive experience explores the timeless themes of greed, nature, and consequence through atmospheric illustration and sound.