“See, husband,” she said. “Isn’t this beautiful?” And with that they went inside together. There were many servants inside, and the walls were all white, and there were golden chairs and tables in the parlour, and outside the castle there was a garden and a forest a half mile long, and there were elk and deer and rabbits, and there were cow and horse stalls in the yard.
“Oh,” said the man, “now we can stay in this beautiful castle and be satisfied.”
“We’ll think about it,” said the woman. “Let’s sleep on it.” And with that they went to bed.
The next morning the woman awoke. It was daylight. She poked her husband in the side with her el¬bow and said, “Husband, get up. We should be king over all this land.”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, “why do you want to be king? I don’t want to be king.”
“Well, I want to be king.”
“Oh, wife,” said the man, “how can you be king? The flounder won’t want to do that.”
“Husband,” said the woman, “Go there immediately. I want to be king.”
So the man, saddened because his wife wanted to be king, went back. And when he arrived at the sea it was dark gray, and the water heaved up from below. He stood there and said:
Mandje! Mandje! Timpe Te!
Flounder, flounder, in the sea!
My wife, my wife Ilsebill,
Wants not, wants not, what I will.
“What does she want then,” said the flounder.
“Oh,” said the man, “my wife wants to be king.”
“Go home. She’s already king,” said the flounder.
To be continued…