The Three Fishes
Three fish friends go to a town but get caught in a net, yet they are saved by Very-Thoughtful fish, and express gratitude.
There was a time when three fish friends lived in a far-off river. Their names were Thoughtful, Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless. One day, they decided to leave their calm home and swim towards a busy town nearby.
Very-Thoughtful was worried. He told his friends, "This place isn't safe. There are fishermen here who can catch us. We should go back to our safe and quiet home."
But Thoughtful and Thoughtless were too lazy to swim back. They also enjoyed the easy food they found near the town. They kept saying, "We'll go back tomorrow." But they never did.
Then one day, while Thoughtful and Thoughtless were swimming ahead of Very-Thoughtful, they went straight into a fisherman's net. They didn't see the net and got trapped!
Very-Thoughtful saw what happened. He thought, "I need to help them." He had a smart plan. He swam around the net, first at the front and then at the back. He splashed the water like a fish who had escaped the net.
The fisherman saw this. He thought the fish had escaped his net and swam away. So, he pulled one corner of his net to check. This made a gap in the net, and Thoughtful and Thoughtless swam out and escaped.
When they were safe, they thanked Very-Thoughtful. They said, "You saved us, Very-Thoughtful, we now understand the value of your advice. Let's return to our safe home in the wild."
So, all three fish swam back to their old, quiet home. They were happy and safe again. From then on, they remembered this lesson and stayed far away from danger.
Audio available for B1 version
Once upon a time, three fish friends lived in a quiet river far away.
Their names were Thoughtful, Very-Thoughtful, and Thoughtless.
One day, they decided to leave their calm river and swim to a busy town nearby.
Very-Thoughtful felt worried.
He told his friends, "This place is not safe.
There are fishermen here who can catch us.
We should go back to our safe home."
But Thoughtful and Thoughtless didn’t want to swim back.
They liked the easy food they found near the town.
They kept saying, "We’ll go back tomorrow."
But tomorrow never came.
One day, while Thoughtful and Thoughtless were swimming in front of Very-Thoughtful, they swam right into a fisherman's net.
They didn’t see it and got caught!
Very-Thoughtful saw what happened.
He thought, "I need to help them."
He had a smart plan.
He swam around the net, first in front and then behind it.
He splashed in the water like a fish that had escaped.
The fisherman saw this.
He thought the fish had escaped and swum away.
So, he pulled part of his net to check.
This made a hole, and Thoughtful and Thoughtless quickly swam out.
When they were safe, they thanked Very-Thoughtful.
They said, "You saved us, Very-Thoughtful.
Now we understand how smart your advice was.
Let’s go back to our safe home."
So, all three fish swam back to their quiet river.
They were happy and safe again.
From then on, they stayed far away from danger.
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Reflection Questions
- Why do you think Very-Thoughtful was concerned about staying near the town, while Thoughtful and Thoughtless wanted to stay?
- How did Very-Thoughtful help Thoughtful and Thoughtless escape from the fisherman's net?
- Can you think of a time when you didn't listen to a warning and found yourself in a tricky situation?
- What lesson did Thoughtful and Thoughtless learn from their experience in the fisherman's net?
- How can we apply the lesson from this story in our lives to make better decisions and avoid dangers?
Fable Quotes
Choice can lead to either safety or danger; it's the decisions we make that shape our fate.
True friendship means helping each other in times of trouble.
When we don't listen to warnings because of ignorance, troubles can surprise us.