Red Fish, Blue Fish

Summary

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Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest: “Red Fish, Blue Fish”

Host: Adam Gidwitz
Guests: Sana Ali Mohammad, classroom of children
Date: October 23, 2025
Spookiness Rating: Grimm (not too scary, but features a “threatening and frightening dude”)

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Episode Overview

In this uniquely playful and interactive episode, host Adam Gidwitz is joined by guest storyteller Sana Ali Mohammad and a group of curious kids to retell a classic tale from 1001 Nights, reimagined as “Red Fish, Blue Fish, One Fish, Three Fish” (with some tongue-in-cheek legal disclaimers about not copying Dr. Seuss!). This isn’t your typical Grimm Brothers fare—Adam and Sana bring a vibrant, global twist, inviting lively jokes, predictions, and commentary from the kids at every turn. The episode weaves a tale of a down-on-his-luck fisherman, an ill-tempered Djinn, and magical fish, with humor and heart at every step, all backed by enthusiastic kid participation.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Setting the Stage: A New Kind of Tale

• [01:19 - 03:07]
  Adam introduces Sana, explaining this episode's story comes not from the German Grimm tradition but from 1001 Nights, with roots in Middle Eastern, Indian, and African oral traditions.
• Sana explains the 1001 Nights frame tale: a king who keeps killing his wives until clever Scheherazade starts telling endless cliffhanger stories to keep herself alive—“She tells story after story after story, and this is one of those stories.” (Sana Ali Mohammad, 05:48)

2. Beginning the Fisherman’s Story

• [06:48 - 11:14]
  The fisherman can only cast his net three times a day—cue kids theorizing why (curse, environmentalism, “tired after three throws”). The group notes there’s “no reason” for it, it’s just fairy tale logic.
• First cast: Pulls out a dead donkey (“Not a fish!”)
• Second cast: Hauls up a toilet—lively bathroom humor ensues.
• Third cast: Finds a weird pickle-shaped copper jar. Inside, at first, seems to be… nothing.

3. The Djinn Appears!

• [11:14 - 16:01]
  Black smoke billows out, forming a gigantic, terrifying Djinn.
• Sana explains “djinn” is the original word for what Disney calls a "genie." (Sana Ali Mohammad, 11:38)
• Rather than three wishes, the Djinn offers the fisherman “the gift of deciding how you die” as a thank you—a twist that shocks everyone:
  • “Because for freeing me, my friend, you get the gift of deciding how you die.” — Djinn (12:43)
• The Djinn, comically grumpy after 500 years in a jar, explains: if the fisherman had freed him earlier, he’d have gotten riches or many wishes; now, only a (gruesome) choice.

4. Outsmarting the Djinn

• [15:09 - 17:03]
  Channeling fairy-tale trickery, the fisherman flatters the Djinn, questioning how such a huge being fit in a small jar. The Djinn, eager to prove his powers, demonstrates—whoosh!—and the fisherman slams the lid shut.
• The kids immediately see what’s coming and cheer on the fisherman’s cleverness.
• The Djinn pleads, squeaking comically from inside the jar—a hilarious voice shift commended by the kids.

5. Deal-Making and Hilarious Bargains

• [17:18 - 18:19]
  The group debates: Should the fisherman release the Djinn? Some propose flushing the jar in the context of the earlier toilet gag.
• The fisherman proposes a deal: “I let you out in exchange for some fish.”
• The Djinn agrees, the fisherman opens the jar, and chaos resumes as the Djinn tosses the pickle jar (and toilet!) into the lake.
• “As he looked up at the stacked jinn...this ain't good. And he peed himself.” — Adam Gidwitz (18:44)
• Sana clarifies: this detail is in the original—“he piddled in his clothes and said to himself, ‘this promised badly.’” (18:53)

6. Magical Fish, New Riches

• [19:27 - 21:14]
  The Djinn teleports them to a better lake. Now, the fisherman can cast as much as he likes:
  • Pulls up a red fish (splat in face)
  • Blue fish (again, splat)
  • Golden fish (hits the Djinn “between the legs”)
  • “That was awesome.” — Djinn (20:56)
• The Djinn insists: “You must give them to the sultan in exchange for riches.”

7. The Sultan and the Fish’s Secret

• [24:17 - 30:19]
  At the palace, the fisherman gives the three fish to the Sultan. Amidst gifts of peacocks and gold, his fish seem underwhelming.
• Each time the cook tries to fry a fish, a magical, regal woman—dressed in matching colors—emerges from a crack in the wall, asks the fish a riddle about keeping their promises, and whisks the fish away.
  • “Fish, if I keep my promise to you, will you keep your promise to me?” — Mysterious Woman (multiple)
  • Each fish replies: “If I am thrown back in the lake, I will keep my promise to you.”
• When all three fish are returned to the lake, the water churns, the ground shakes, and a sleeping kingdom awakens—thousands freed, a spell broken.

8. Resolution and Last Laughs

• [30:55 - 32:06]
  The grateful Sultan offers the fisherman a castle on the condition that he simply invite him to dinner.
• “I have to tell you how I want to die?” — Fisherman (31:14)
  “What? No. I’m starving. Just invite me in for dinner.” — Sultan (31:18)
• The fisherman and his family move in (bringing the toilet for the “throne room”), and the Djinn visits from time to time, joking about the choice the fisherman made.
  • “You could have chosen how to die!” — Djinn
  • “Yes, but instead I chose how to live.” — Fisherman (32:03)
• The story closes with “happily ever after,” followed by a “farty party”—kids laughing, “I just farted three times!”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Story Origins:
  • “This story comes from a collection of stories called the 1001 Nights...stories were told orally...in India, the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt.” — Sana Ali Mohammad (05:03)
• On Cleverness and Trickery:
  • “What he's doing — he's trying to trick the Djinn...so he can put the lid back on.” — Child (15:49)
• On Choices:
  • “Yes, but instead I chose how to live.” — Fisherman (32:03)
• On Humor:
  • “This is so funny. I’m farting. … I just farted three times.” — Child (32:21)
• On Wordplay:
  • “He also went and got the toilet and installed it in the throne room. Get it? Throne room. Because sometimes we call the toilet the throne.” — Co-Host (31:35)

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Important Timestamps

• Story begins: [06:48]
• Djinn appears: [11:14]
• “Gift of deciding how you die” revealed: [12:43]
• Fisherman tricks Djinn back into jar: [15:49]
• Fish-catch, splatting sequence: [20:05 - 20:34]
• Magical fish fry and kingdom awakening: [24:17 - 30:19]
• Castle gifted, “how to live” quote: [30:55 - 32:06]
• “Farty party”/kids’ laughter: [32:21 - 32:34]

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Tone & Style

• Interactive: Constant questions and reactions from kids, with Adam and Sana validating, playing along, and riffing comedically.
• Playful and educational: The hosts blend fairy-tale logic, cultural context, and silly kid humor seamlessly.
• Respectful of tradition, but irreverent in delivery: Combines the timeless magic of oral storytelling with a wink to modern audiences.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The episode is a delightful reweaving of a classic tale with a multicultural twist, chock-full of kid-powered commentary and humor.
• The story encourages outsmarting dangers, making clever choices, and opting to “choose how to live.”
• There’s a throughline of playful irreverence: magical donkeys, toilets, pickle jars, and a kingdom under a fishy enchantment, ending in a celebration of bodily humor (“farty party”).
• Great for families—especially those wanting a taste of stories from beyond the Brothers Grimm.

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Summary prepared from audio and transcript, with original voices preserved.

Transcript

[Child Listener]

Pinna.

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[Trusty Narrator]

Hi trustynarrator here telling you about the funniest podcast you'll ever hear. It's called who's Smarted? And yes, I know what that sounds like. When you listen to WhoSmarted, not only will you laugh, you'll also learn as we use jokes, crazy characters, funny sound effects, and interactive games to teach you fun facts, science and history about everything from your pet cat to the cereal you had for breakfast. Trust me, the trusty narrator and check out who's Smarted the most fun you'll ever have. Getting Smarter Pinna.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Hi, my name is Adam Gidwitz.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I'm an author.

[Adam Gidwitz]

I'm also a storyteller.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I like telling all kinds of stories.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But I especially like telling grim fairy tales. You may think you know Grimm fairy tales and you may think that they are sweet and boring, but listen, those tales you heard were the cute, happy little kid bedtime versions of the Grimm tales. The original Grimm fairy tales aren't like that at all. They're weird and sometimes gross and often scary. In other words, they're grim. And I'm about to walk into a classroom and tell one of the original grim grim tales to a bunch of kids. Do you want to join me? Do you want to hear a grim fairy tale? Let me help you decide on a scale of grim, Grimmer and Grimmest. This episode is grim. Nothing too scary happens. But there is a very threatening and frightening dude. If I get to a part of the story and you start to feel scared or uncomfortable, this is what you could do. You could turn down the volume and count to five.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Then turn the volume back up. If it still seems like a part.

[Adam Gidwitz]

You don't want to hear, just turn the volume down and count to five again. You know how much weird and gross and scary you're ready for? You know what you need?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Okay, I'm at the classroom door now.

[Adam Gidwitz]

There are kids inside waiting to hear a grim fairy tale.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

So are you coming in.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Grim Grimmer Grimace? We are doing something special today, just a little bit different. Not very different. We'll still be telling a weird, sometimes scary fairy tale.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

But today I have another grown up here with me. Her name is Sana Ali Mohammad. Hi, Sana.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Hi.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

And she also likes telling stories to kids. She also likes teaching kids, making audio shows, curricula, other stuff for young people. What a curricula.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

It's like what you teach, you know, when you learn things.

[Child Listener]

Like curriculum.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Exactly like curriculum. Curricula is the plural.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

And where are the schools where you are doing these curricula? It's in Kenya, which is in. Where's Kenya?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Yeah.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

In East Africa. Right. Okay. And now if you listen to the episodes of Grim Grimmer Grimace closely, if.

[Adam Gidwitz]

You listen to the credits, you know.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Some of the stories I write with another storyteller. Her name is Allie, Allie Horne. So she helped me write the Crabman's daughter. Ten thumbs. And the story you guys heard last week, 12 Tortoises, was written by me and Ali Horne.

[Child Listener]

You wrote that story?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

So Franz Xava von Schoenverth wrote it originally. Then Ali and I talked about how to change it. Then Ali wrote a draft of it, and then I wrote another draft of it, revising her draft. So together we wrote that story. Yeah.

[Child Listener]

So you did add to it?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I definitely added to it and changed things. So the story we're telling today, Sanne and I wrote together, she found it, we worked on how to adapt it together. Then she wrote it, and I revised it. And while all the other stories I've told on Grim Grimmer Grimaced have come from the German tradition, Brothers Grimm, mostly Franz Xaber von Schoenvert, this story comes from a different tradition, one that Sanne grew up with. Can you tell us a little bit about where the story comes from?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Sure. So this story comes from a collection of stories called the 1001 Nights. And these stories were told orally, which means using your mouth to share the stories in India, the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt. And the main story is that there's this king who keeps having to have wives. You know why? Because he keeps killing them off.

[Djinn Character]

What?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

And he finally gets this wife named Scheherazade. And Scheherazade has an idea. So every single night, she tells a story, but she doesn't finish it. So the king lets her live so he can find out what happens next.

[Child Listener]

Oh, that's smart.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

That is smart. So she tells story after story after story, and this is one of those stories.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

All right, we're about to start the.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Story, but go ahead.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Do you know something about that?

[Child Listener]

No, but I actually My mom and dad came from Turkey. No way.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I wonder if they might have known this story when they were kiddos. We call this story Red Fish, Blue Fish. One Fish, Three Fish.

[Child Listener]

I don't like it.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I know that you've heard that before, right? Where have you heard something like that? Anyone? Do you remember where you've heard that?

[Child Listener]

Dr. Seuss.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Dr. Seuss. But what does he say? His story is called One Fish, Two Fish, Redfish, Blue Fish.

[Child Listener]

Right, but you don't want to get sued by Dr. Seuss, so we gotta.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Call it three fish.

[Child Listener]

If you said that she kept telling the story so she wouldn't die, does this have. Does it have a cliffhanger? No.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

This one we ended. Great question.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yeah. Are we ready?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Once upon a time, there was a fisherman. Like most fishermen in fairy tales, he was poor. However, unlike most fishermen in fairy tales, he could only cast his fishing net three times a day.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Does anyone have a theory as to why he could only cast his fishing net three times a day?

[Child Listener]

This three is an easy number to.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Remember for very telling.

[Child Listener]

Or maybe there's just four. Not too many fish. So he just. Oh, okay. I guess I don't want you to go extinct. I live off of you.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Oh, yeah. Maybe he's trying to conserve the fish.

[Child Listener]

Maybe they're going. Maybe he's under a curse.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Maybe he's cursed.

[Child Listener]

Maybe he's just really weak. So then he, like, tears a muscle after he pulls up three fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

You know, I'm getting a little older, and if I threw it more than three times.

[Djinn Character]

Oh, my God.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Totally threw out his back. I think that's a good theory.

[Child Listener]

Maybe someone's only letting him rent the net. I guess with gold doubloons or something medieval.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I like the idea that it's like a rented net.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Three times a day.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

That's it. All right, Sonnet. What is the actual reason why he can only throw it three times a day?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Are you ready? We have no idea.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

No clue. That's what it says in the story. So that's what it is.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Like most days, the fisherman cast his net into the lake. Unlike most days, it got stuck. So he pulled and tugged and strained and whoosh, out came maybe a fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Maybe a fish.

[Child Listener]

Yes, maybe three fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Maybe three fish.

[Child Listener]

A red fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

A red fish, or a blue.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Maybe it was actually a giant fish that was made from a million common goldfish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Maybe one giant fish made of a million little fish.

[Child Listener]

I'm maybe guessing a big fat rock.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

A big fat rock. Actually, you're the closest out came A dead donkey.

[Child Listener]

What?

[Trusty Narrator]

What?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yeah. Not a fish. The fisherman proclaimed. And he threw it back in the lake.

[Child Listener]

A donkey.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yeah, it was a dead donkey. You love donkeys. You're always talking about donkeys.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Yeah, yeah.

[Child Listener]

Or like when I talked about when that guy was. And I said, he's a big fat donkey. Remember in one of those stories?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yeah. And you know what he should have done with that big fat donkey? Throwing him back in the lake, obviously.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Right?

[Child Listener]

Yeah.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman cast his net into the lake again, and again it got stuck. So he pulled and tugged and strained and bang.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Out came a toilet.

[Child Listener]

I feel like there's some water in it.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Not a fish. The fisherman said he left the toilet on the bank in case he would.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Need it later.

[Sultan Character]

Maybe.

[Child Listener]

It's gonna be a long time until he catches a fish, and he'll get so tired he'll need to take a poo.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Poo.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

That's what I was thinking. Yeah, exactly.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman looked at the lake. He had only one toss left. If it wasn't a fish, his family would go hungry that night. He said, oh, come on.

[Fisherman Character]

Lucky number three.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And he threw his net for the third and final time, and it got stuck.

[Fisherman Character]

This time, it better be a fish.

[Adam Gidwitz]

He pulled and tugged and strained and bam. Out came a copper jar.

[Child Listener]

What is that?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Like a jar made of copper? What is copper?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Have you ever seen a penny? Yeah, it's like that material.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yeah, it was long and thin. And also, this jar was kind of shaped like a pickle.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But maybe jars shaped like pickles were all the rage at the market. He could sell it. Not to mention it looked like something was inside, maybe a pickle. So he grabbed the lid and pulled and tugged and strained and pop. Out came nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Well, at least I got that toilet, he said.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But suddenly, out from the jar poured a thick black smoke.

[Child Listener]

Yes, you know, it's that, like, genie type of thing. And he's like, you can have three wishes.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The smoke surrounded him and turned into.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

A huge gin, which is a genie. Can you explain genie versus gin sana?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

It's just one of those words that gin is used often in the Middle east and India, whereas when Disney took it over, they used the word genie.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The djinn's head was as wide as an oxcart, and the black hair on top of it touched the clouds while his feet were still on the ground. The djinn's hands were like pitchforks, his mouth as big as a cave. His teeth were like large stones, his nostrils like water jugs, and his eyes like Two lamps. Frankly, he was terrifying.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

The fisherman shook his teeth, chattered. His spit dried up.

[Adam Gidwitz]

What? Sana. His spit?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

What do you mean, his spit dried up?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

In the original story, it says his spittle dried up.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

That's weird.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The Djinn boomed.

[Djinn Character]

Oh, it's so very good to see you. Thank you, my new friend. I can imagine I've made you very happy.

[Child Listener]

How?

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman croaked.

[Djinn Character]

Because for freeing me, my friend, you get the gift of deciding how you die.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Oh.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

That'S exactly what the fisherman said.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman hadn't ever spoken to a Djinn before and wasn't sure if it was possible to say, friends don't ask friends how they want to die without getting skewered by a pitchfork hand. So he decided for a safer.

[Fisherman Character]

Um, no, thanks.

[Djinn Character]

But it's a gift. You can't say no.

[Fisherman Character]

Can I give it to someone else, or do you want it?

[Djinn Character]

No, you can't re. Gift. A Djinn's gift. That is super rude.

[Trusty Narrator]

Okay.

[Fisherman Character]

In that case, can I get a different gift? Like, a fishy gift? Like, you know, fish?

[Djinn Character]

No, no, no. If you'd freed me in the first hundred years I was trapped, I would have given you riches.

[Fisherman Character]

Oh, yes. I'd like that.

[Djinn Character]

And if you'd freed me in the second hundred years, I would have given you all the treasures in the world.

[Fisherman Character]

Is that more or less than the riches?

[Djinn Character]

And then, if you'd freed me in the third hundred years, I would have granted you three wishes.

[Fisherman Character]

Oh, now that sounds nice.

[Djinn Character]

But you didn't. It's been nearly 500 years. Can you imagine someone stacked like me, stuck in a teensy tiny jar for nearly 500 years after so many years? I'm grumpy, but I'm trying to be nice. So tell me how you want to die so I don't accidentally kill you in a way you don't want to die.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman had no idea how to handle a gargantuan gin tantrum, which this clearly was. But he did know how to handle other fishermen who liked to tell tall tales about catching fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Do you know how fishermen talk about catching fish and telling tall tales? What happens?

[Child Listener]

I just caught a fish the size of a boat, and everyone who saw it burst into applause.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Exactly.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

They tell tall tales about fish.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Fish tales. They say how you handle the fishermen who told tall tales was you played on their pride. And what the Djinn said gave the fisherman an idea. The fisherman said, you definitely are big and powerful.

[Djinn Character]

Yes, yes. Tell me something we don't know.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The Djinn flexed his Muscles. The fisherman continued.

[Fisherman Character]

So I can't imagine how could someone as big and powerful and stacked as.

[Adam Gidwitz]

You fit into such a teeny weeny jar.

[Child Listener]

What?

[Djinn Character]

You don't believe me? No, no, no, no.

[Fisherman Character]

It's not that I don't believe you. I just. I just can't imagine how the laws of nature make it possible for you to fit into this jar.

[Djinn Character]

Oh, you can't. I'll show you.

[Child Listener]

Oh, oh, oh. I know what he's doing. He's trying to trick the Djinn, even though he knows how he can fit in there. But he's trying to trick the Djinn so he can put the lid back on.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And this djinn, as tall as the clouds, whooshed himself back into the copper jar.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

The fisherman quickly put the lid back on and threw the jar into the toilet. Get me out of here. The Djinn squeaked. Because apparently when he's inside the jar, his voice totally changes.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Right.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I was giving you a gift and you do this?

[Adam Gidwitz]

How rude. The fisherman said, look, I don't want to die.

[Fisherman Character]

I have a family to feed and fish to catch and a net to throw. Exactly three times. I have a lot going on.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

You don't know how to take a joke. Squeaked the Djinn.

[Blue/Red/Gold Fish Characters]

I was just kidding.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Do you think he was just kidding?

[Adam Gidwitz]

No.

[Trusty Narrator]

Yeah.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Were you just kidding?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Well.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

No. Squeaked the gin.

[Fisherman Character]

Then why shouldn't I just throw you back in the lake like the dead donkey?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Because that's littering. Please get me out of this jar. I don't like it.

[Child Listener]

This voice is so funny.

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Yeah.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

The fisherman felt bad for the Djinn because hundreds of years trapped in not just a jar, but a pickle shaped.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Jar, just had to be one.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

The.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

And the fisherman could imagine that being in there like that would make the Djinn pretty grumpy.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So what should he do?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Should he let him out?

[Child Listener]

No.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

No.

[Child Listener]

Yeah. Throw him in the toilet. Yeah.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Keep him in the toilet.

[Child Listener]

Yeah. Until he dies to death.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Until he dies to death.

[Child Listener]

I think if he. I think he might get grumpy. And if he gets grumpy in the jar, maybe he might get too strong and he might explode the toilet and the jar. So maybe.

[Adam Gidwitz]

I think the fisherman said, okay, what.

[Fisherman Character]

If we make a deal? I let you out of this jar, and in exchange, you get me some fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

You sure you don't want the death thing?

[Fisherman Character]

I'm very sure I don't want the death thing.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Okay, fine. It's a deal.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman opened the bottle, and the ginormous Djinn burst Out. Once again, towering over the fishermen with his head touching the clouds, the djinn plucked the pickle shaped jar from the fisherman's hands and threw it into the lake.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

The fisherman shouted, hey.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Littering. And then, as he looked up at the stacked jinn, who was now totally free of the pickle jar and whose head was again scraping the clouds, and whose hands again looked like pitchforks, and whose mouth was again as big as a cave, the fisherman thought, this ain't good. And he peed himself.

[Child Listener]

I knew he will pee himself soon enough.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Sana, did we make up the thing about peeing? I mean, because like it was predicted, they predicted that he was gonna pee himself. So did I just make that up just now?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

Nope. In the original text, it says the fisherman piddled in his clothes and said to himself, this promised badly.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

So this promiseth badly means this ain't good. And it says, he pilled in his clothes, which means peed himself. Exactly right.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman and the djinn watched the pickle jar sink into the lake.

[Djinn Character]

I've been waiting a very long time to do that.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So he turned to the fisherman.

[Djinn Character]

Who wants some fish?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Poof. Suddenly, the fisherman and the djinn were in front of a different lake.

[Fisherman Character]

Hey, what was wrong with my lake?

[Djinn Character]

Didn't you say you pulled up a dead donkey and a toilet? That place is a garbage dump.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman conceded the point. The Djinn said, throw your net. The fisherman cast his net.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Now that's more than three times, right?

[Child Listener]

Mm. Maybe since he's with the genie, it might be okay. He might just get some fish.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I think you're probably right.

[Adam Gidwitz]

He pulled and he tugged and he strained and splat. A big red fish hit him in the face.

[Djinn Character]

Oh, finally.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Fish. The fisherman exclaimed. And he pulled and tugged and strained, and a big blue fish hit him in the face.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yes.

[Djinn Character]

More fish.

[Adam Gidwitz]

A third time. He pulled and tugged and strained and splat. A big golden fish hit the djinn. But not in the face, because that was way up near the clouds. It hit him between the legs. And the fisherman said.

[Djinn Character]

That was awesome.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The djinn didn't think so anyway. The fisherman was so happy.

[Djinn Character]

Oh, yeah.

[Fisherman Character]

Now this is what a fisherman does.

[Djinn Character]

Thank you, Jinn. I can't wait to eat them. Eat them.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The Djinn bellowed.

[Djinn Character]

No, no, no, no, no, my friend. You must give them to the Sultan in exchange for riches.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman thought for a moment. It had been a long day, and he was hungry. Okay.

[Fisherman Character]

Dinner or riches? Dinner or riches?

[Child Listener]

What are riches?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Riches means lots and lots of money. What would you choose dinner or lots and lots of money.

[Child Listener]

Lots and lots of money. Because you can technically get dinner.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

You can use the lots and lots of money to buy dinner. That makes perfect sense.

[Fisherman Character]

Dinner or riches. Dinner or riches.

[Adam Gidwitz]

He thought of how poor his family was. He had three children who could eat either one meal with these fish now or eat a lifetime of meals with the riches. So he announced, I'll take the riches.

[Djinn Character]

Oh my K. You had to think about it. Human. Seriously. Anyway, take these to the salt. Where are you going? I'm off to a desert or a mountaintop or somewhere with no lakes. Enjoy the riches.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And poof, he was gone.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Hey, parents.

[Trusty Narrator]

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[Blue/Red/Gold Fish Characters]

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[Trusty Narrator]

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[Child Listener]

Patrick, let's go. The clue is floating away in a hot air balloon. Hey, sorry, this is kind of a bad time. Claire and I just found a major clue and now it's airborne. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the parents behind Law and Order have something brand new for families. Our podcast, Patrick Picklebottom Everyday Mysteries. Patrick, it's headed towards the water tower. Gotta go listen on Apple or wherever you get your podcast.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So the fishermen took the blue fish, the red fish, and the golden fish to the palace of the sultan.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

What is a sultan?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

A sultan is another word for king.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Why do we use that word instead of king?

[Sana Ali Mohammad]

It's one of those things that different areas use different words. You know, some people, like in the us, we call states states. In Canada, they call states provinces. This is real. So the sultan is just a king.

[Adam Gidwitz]

At the sultan's palace, the fishermen had to wait in a long line of people giving the sultan all sorts of wonderful gifts. There were peacocks and zebras and chests of gold. And the fisherman started to get rather worried, as all he had brought were these three fish. But when he got to the front of the line and presented his gift, the sultan was thrilled. The sultan said, haha.

[Sultan Character]

Finally. Do you know, I've been sitting here for hours and no one has offered me as much as a snack. Not a single sweet, not a fig, not a date, nothing. Let's go to the kitchen and fry those fish up right now. And if they are as delicious as they look, I'll give you riches to last the rest of your life.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Wow, thought the fisherman, that was easy. So they went to the kitchen and told the cook to throw the blue fish into the frying pan. But as the oil started to sizzle and the blue scales started to brown, they heard another sound. The kitchen walls were cracking open. The walls broke asunder, a giant crack running down their middle. And through the crack stepped a beautiful lady with golden hoop earrings and a pearl necklace and robed entirely in a blue as bright as the fish's scales. She carried a bejeweled walking stick. And she strode up to the frying pan and she said, fish, if I.

[Blue/Red/Gold Fish Characters]

Keep my promise to you, will you keep your promise to me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the bluefish that was frying in the pan, remember, spoke back.

[Fisherman Character]

If I am thrown back in the lake, I will keep my promise to you.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Very good, said the beautiful woman, enrobed in blue. She used her bejeweled walking stick to knock the frying pan off the stove, and the fish went spinning across the kitchen floor. Then she turned, and without another word, the beautiful woman walked back to the wall, stepped through the crack, and the wall closed behind her. And the sultan said, what the heck was that?

[Child Listener]

Oh my God.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

The fisherman had no idea, so he.

[Djinn Character]

Said, should we try the red one?

[Adam Gidwitz]

So they threw the red fish into the pan, and the oil started to sizzle and the red scales began to brown. And just then they heard another sound again. The kitchen walls cracked open and another beautiful lady stepped out with golden hoop earrings and a pearl necklace and robed entirely in red, as bright as the fish's scales. She carried a bejeweled walking stick, and she strode up to the frying pan.

[Blue/Red/Gold Fish Characters]

And said, fish, if I keep my promise to you, will you keep your promise to me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the redfish said, if I am thrown back in the lake, I will.

[Fisherman Character]

Keep my promise to you.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Very good, said the beautiful woman, and robed in red. And she knocked the pan off the stove, and the fish went spitting across the kitchen floor. And she went back into the wall, which closed behind her. And the sultan said, what kind of.

[Sultan Character]

Fish did you bring me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the fisherman responded to the sultan.

[Fisherman Character]

I mean, honestly, your majesty, I have no idea what kind of fish these are. Shall we try the last one?

[Adam Gidwitz]

So they did. They threw the golden fish into the frying pan, and again it sizzled and browned. And again the wall opened with a crack, and out came a beautiful lady enrobed in gold. Gold.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

That's right.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she said, fish, if I keep.

[Blue/Red/Gold Fish Characters]

My promise to you, will you keep your promise to me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the golden fish said, if I am thrown back in the lake, I will keep my promise to you.

[Blue/Red/Gold Fish Characters]

Very good.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So she tossed the pan on the floor and walked back through the crack. And the wall magically closed up behind her. The sultan turned on the fisherman.

[Sultan Character]

Okay, one question. Where did you get these fish?

[Adam Gidwitz]

So the fisherman took the sultan back to the lake where he'd caught them. And the sultan brought the fish along in a basket. The sultan said, I don't like being.

[Sultan Character]

On the wrong side of beautiful women who can walk through walls, so let's help these fish fulfil their promise, shall we?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And he threw the fish into the lake. Nothing happened. The fisherman said to the sultan, I don't know how to tell you this.

[Fisherman Character]

Your majesty, but as a fisherman, can I just say that we don't usually put cooked fish in a lake. We take uncooked fish out of a lake, and then we cook them and.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But just then, the lake began to whirl. It churned and rose in enormous waves. A thick fog covered the area, and the earth shook until up and out of the water rose A All around the castle, people enrobed in blues and reds and golds, woke up as if from a long sleep. What is this?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

What's happening? Who has an explanation for what's going on right now?

[Child Listener]

The fists were actually. Were actually the key to a kingdom?

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Yes. And these people wearing gold and blue and red. Who can explain that?

[Child Listener]

I feel like all this time there were like thousands of people just stuck in the water as fish. And then, like the moment one of them got rescued or something, the whole kingdom just rose up. And then everybody were awakened.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The sultan turned to the fisherman and.

[Sultan Character]

Said, do you want it?

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman said, what?

[Fisherman Character]

This castle?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the sultan said, yes, I have one already.

[Sultan Character]

I will give it to you on one condition.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The fisherman winced.

[Fisherman Character]

I have to tell you how I want to die.

[Sultan Character]

What? No. I'm starving. Just invite me in for dinner.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So the fisherman and the sultan went in and. And had dinner. And then the fisherman went and got his family. He also went and got the toilet and installed it in the throne room.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

Get it? Throne room. Because sometimes we call the toilet the throne.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Anyway, so the fisherman and his family lived there. And every now and then, the Djinn would take a break from his adventures and come and visit. And the fisherman and the djinn would laugh and laugh about the time they met by that lake. And the djinn would say, hey, you.

[Djinn Character]

Know, you could have chosen how to die.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the fisherman would respond, yes, but.

[Fisherman Character]

Instead I chose how to live.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And he and his family did live. They lived for a good long time. Happily ever after. The end.

[Child Listener]

This is so funny. I'm farting.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

It's so funny. You're farting.

[Child Listener]

Okay, I just farted three times.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

You just farted three times.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Okay, great.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

We have a farting party going on. It's a farty party.

[Child Listener]

You said fart.

[Co-Host / Storyteller]

I sure did.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Introducing A is for Alfie. The first picture book from the award winning Pinna series, Quentin and Alfie's ABC Adventures. Alfie thinks his name is a little weird, but with his babysitter Quentin, he discovers that every letter holds endless possibilities. From A is for Acrobat to E is for Electrician. Written by award winning author Randy Duberck and illustrated by Derek Brooks, this heartwarming, diverse read aloud is perfect for kids 3 to 6. Guiding them through letters while helping them love who they are. Pick up A is for Alfie wherever books are sold and start your ABC adventure on the page.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Grim Grimmer Grimmest is a Penna original production created, written and narrated by me, Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark and Grim, Produced and edited by Kaelyn West Associate producer Rebecca Cunningham. Field recording by Julie Martin. Casting and voice direction by Rebecca Cunningham. Sound design and mixing by Kalyn West. Executive produced by Molly Barton and Carly Milyori. Production support by Devin Shepherd. Characters voiced by Laith walshleger, Zadran Wali and Rojin Rashidan. Special thanks to all the kids who joined us in Staten island and Brooklyn for our storytelling session. You guys are awesome.