The quest. The next day, the sultan summoned Ali, handed him the pearl, and told him to find one exactly like it as the precondition for permission to marry the princess. That night, Ali told his friend everything and asked his advice. The friend said: “Your problem is no easy one. The sultan knows, no doubt, that such a pearl cannot be found in this country. My advice is, go tonight to the seashore. Who knows? You may see the wise fish again.”

Full of hope, Ali walked to the shore and sat down under the rock at a distance from the city. A terrible thunderstorm broke out, and rain poured down as if the sky was torn. Fortunately, Ali was sheltered by the rock, but for some time he saw nothing but water. In the middle of the storm he heard a familiar voice, but he could see neither scales nor tail nor fins. At last the sky cleared, and the stars blinked through the clouds. Only faintly visible, a person approached through the darkness, and Ali heard the same friendly voice: “My brother, what can I do for you?”

“Are you my friend, or are you the fish?” asked Ali, no longer sure.

“I was the fish, and I am your friend,” said the man. “You saved my life, and I decided to assume human form in order to help you. I can find that pearl for you, but its price is my life. Therefore, I have come to say good-bye.

“Now the time has come for me to tell you part of my life history. Do you remember the sea star that your little brother found on the beach last year? He wanted to destroy it, but you prevented him. I was that sea star.

“You picked me up very carefully and set me free in the sea where I belonged. That was the first time you saved my life. Then the king of the sea djinns changed me into a big fish. I let myself be caught by your father, for I trusted that you, with your kind heart, would save my life again. You did.

“Now it is time for me to repay these debts. The king of the djinns is in possession of that rare pearl you are looking for. Indeed, that is the only matching pearl on earth. He will give it to you in exchange for my life, and I have decided to sacrifice it for you. I have neither parents nor children, so no one will cry when I die.”

“No,” Ali exclaimed. “I will cry. Do you think I want to lose a friend?” But his friend replied: “Do you not wish to win a princess? I am prepared to die, and you will marry a royal bride.”