A Fairy-tale about Mr Ryba and His Bass

There is a kingdom where most things can be obtained for money, and only very little actually goes from the heart.
Living in that kingdom and playing the bass is Mr Ryba.
He has a patient wife called Martina, a good son by the name of Jakub, a sweetly cheeky little daughter, Terezka,
and he also has little money.
Moreover, he has fellow-musicians who are of the same mould.
They, too, feel altenately up and down, and are pretty close to penniless.
When Mr Ryba happens to be feeling down, it´s deep down indeed.
But then, when he happens to be up, it´s up in the skies.
Usually the two moods tend to overlap, each of them being invariably taken in real earnest.
For its part, his bass is just like that as well: melancholy at one moment,
only to cheer up to sunny mood at the next - and all of that right from the heart.
Halleluja!
Yes, yes - No, no,
his bass exclaims with joy and with pain.
Mr Ryba plays it as if playing for his life.
Mr Ryba lives, and plays.
Yes, yes - No, no.
Halleluja!
It once happened that Mr Ryba came upon a fisherman; and the latter had on him a gold fish that would make all
one´s wishes come true.
Eager to please Mr Ryba, for he played his bass so nicely and, living in that kingdom,
got nothing for it in reward, the fisherman said:
"Tell me your most cherished wish, and my fish here will make your wish come true."
Wondering what to wish, Mr Ryba gripped his bass and set out to play,
thereby straightening up his mindset.
He played on and on, until he lost all thought of the fisherman and his gold fish,
and just kept playing on.
And he has been playing ever since:
"Yes, yes - No, no."
Halleluja!

PhDr. Blanka Altova