A fisherman and his wife, who lived alone, longed for a child of their own, but their wish was not granted. One evening, when the fisherman was (36) out his nets to dry on the beach after a hard day of fishing in the (37) , he heard a soft crying. He looked around and (38) that the crying was coming from a farther place along the (39) . He knew that there were few children who lived nearby, so he was very (40) as to whose child it could be. He walked toward the crying.
On the (41) between the rocks, he saw a baby seal without its mother, crying like a (42) baby. The poor creature would die soon if someone did not feed it.
He began to (43) up and down the beach for the mother seal. (44) . So he wrapped the baby seal up in his jacket and took it home to his wife, who was waiting at the cottage door.
"Look, wife, what I found on the seashore ! (45) . We must feed it so it does not die!"
His wife stared at the baby seal, which was slowly starting to take the form of a baby girl! (46) .
"Oh, husband, "she gasped, "she must be a fairy!"
The couple stared at each other in disbelief.