Once upon a time, a little girl named Luna lived on the edge of a quiet village surrounded by fields and woods. Luna loved to walk in the fields and woods, especially in the evening when the sun began to set and the birds sang idyllically. Each evening she would look up to the sky and marvel at the first stars appearing. Every evening she noticed that there was one star that seemed to sparkle a little brighter than the others, and whenever she saw this star, she felt happy.
One day she asked an old woman who often sat at the edge of the village about this star.
“Why does the star shine so brightly?” asked Luna.
“Because that’s the star that hears your wishes,” answered the old woman. “If you want something very, very much, and if only you wish on that star, it will fulfil your wish.”
That night Luna looked joyfully at the bright star and wished she could see it closer, and suddenly a voice from the star cried:
“I hear your wish! Tomorrow morning sit down on the seashore and be patient. You’ll see what will happen!”
In the morning, Luna ran to the beach, sat down, and waited. As the sun began to sink below the sea and the evening began to fall, she suddenly heard a voice that cried:
“Luna, take courage; I’m coming!”
Luna looked around and startled: at her feet lay a large fish that sparkled and shone with all the colours of the rainbow. His back was like a tiled roof, and under his belly hung a silver bell.
“Don’t be frightened, I’m here to help you,” said the fish in a plaintive voice. “So say your wish again to me.”
Luna hesitated a moment, then said bashfully:
“I’d like to sit on your back for a moment and fish with you, as other children fish with a hook.”
As soon as the fish heard this wish, the bell under his belly began to ring and immediately a large cone-shaped metal hat jumped on his head. Then he sat up really well, jumped backward, plunged into the sea, and swam with all his might. And in the meanwhile, Luna looked closely around to see what was happening. It seemed to her as though something turned round and round her tree, slid through her hair, tinkled, and rang. When her head became clear again and all things were quiet, Luna saw that in her hands lay a fishing-rod with a huge hook. She was just about to want to leap into the sea when the fish sadly said:
“No, Luna, don’t do that yet! Still, be a little bit patient.”
Meanwhile a horrible tempest had begun, the clouds grew thicker and thicker, but suddenly it stopped, the sea became completely still, and the fishing rod in Luna’s hand began to tremble, her cap began to ring, and the ball of her rod began to turn at a marvellous speed. And in a few moments, ten children who looked just like little angels came flying through the air, untouched of the storm, and settled down on the fishing rod and the chimney-pot hat like a large, multicoloured flower. Immediately a lovely rainbow appeared and hung suspended over the sea.
And thus there they sat like a flower on the hat, like living props on a fishing rod, looked rustling and sparkling.
“But children are not at all fish!” whispered Luna to the fish sitting in the water below.
The fish nodded approvingly; then he put his little head halfway out of the waves, raised his voice, and said:
“You children who sit now on the fishing rod of pure gold, behold! Do you see the rainbow over Old Luna? On the other side of the rainbow lies the far, far away land where all the wishes become true. And to-day you’re going to shoot in express trains and boats as far as the rainbow will carry you. Quick now! Come, come with all your blessings to your friend Luna, who has wished you so patiently!”
No sooner was it asked than the children nodded amicably and immediately jumped in files down from the fishing rod on the sea and stood behind one another like soldiers, and cried:
“Don’t fear, Luna! I’ll immediately show you the way to the land of your desires!”
At once they stood motionlessly by the edge of the sea and formed with their arms the basin of a fountain, but the fish stood below and the whole water jumped into the faces of all people present. Loud were the uproars, and loud blew the trumpets. The sea was flying, and the fishes in the sea below laughed, and laughed loudly. Suddenly the fish cried:
“Jump in as fast as you can, rocket sprites! But don’t lose yourselves in the sea! The water pipes are so well made that they’re going to take care of you, but watch the water fountains, leap into them well, or otherwise swim back into the depths of the sea where it is warm!”
With these words they sunk lower; the little girls and the little boys nestled close together, clearly sobbing in the water.
“Be of good cheer! Be of good cheer! The fish is here, and we are going to swim away in a playful and agreeable way through the long and well-kept canals.”
Then the children vanished beneath the waves, and the fish sank deep down.
Luna waited, and waited, and waited, but never again did she see the fish, nor the children, nor the beautiful star that sparkled in the sky above her. But she believed in her wish with all her might.