'Toma and the sunken treasure'

Toma was a fisherman. Day after day, he spent the mornings and daylight hours casting his nets into the lake. He then brought his catch to his wife, who sold them in the town market. They had little more than each other in their small hut, but they were happy together. In the neighboring house lived a rich carpenter and his family. His craftsmanship was well known, and while Toma toiled every day, the carpenter rested three weeks out of four after completing his monthly piece. Toma envied his neighbor, but there was little he could do without means or time to learn a new trade. One summer afternoon Toma fell deep into thoughts of his future, when the warm rays of the sun and gentle rocking of the boat put him to sleep. When he awoke, he thought that it is dusk, and the water shone, reflecting the setting sun. The water indeed glowed golden yellow, but a crescent moon hung already above the lake. Suddenly clouds gathered and a terrible wind blew. Toma realized, that he will in minutes be in the middle of a lake during a storm. He started rowing with all his strength, but he knew his efforts will be futile against the waves, pushing him farther and farther from the shore. Then, he felt he boat scrape against something. The impact almost threw him overboard, but he fell on the floor instead. Terrified, he look over the side of the boat. He was now on a rocky island he never saw before. There were no islands on the lake, but here it stood. Toma left his boat and struggled against the whipping wind and waves of rain to the center of an island, where a large shape towered against a night sky. When he came closer, in the eerie light of the lake, he saw a large stone house. Its large doorway was wide open, lacking any actual door, and Toma tumbled inside. Thanking the fate, but still afraid for his life, Toma spend the next hour in the corner of the atrium. He heard nothing but the torrential rain outside, slowly seeping inside through the empty doorway and window. The house appeared empty. He finally gathered enough courage to explore. Outside of stone rubble strewn around the floor, he did not find anything. There was a basement, but it was completely flooded. There was an upper floor, but a large stone blocked the stairs. He returned to his corner, but realized the water was now creeping up his calves, instead of ankles. After a second, he realized that the house was sinking. He rushed to the door when something hit his foot. He looked down and saw a small hand mirror, swept by a wave of rain. Toma picked up the mirror and ran to his boat. It was still there, luckily wedged between rocks. He picked up the oars and did his best to stay afloat, fighting the weather. Behind him, the island sunk back into the lake, causing waves and whirlpools. After a long hour, the light of the lake dimmed and disappeared, and the storm with it. Toma was exhausted like never before, but alive. When he returned to his hut and worried wife, he slept through another day before he gathered his strength back.
Unsure how much of the terrible night was just a dream, he returned to his boat on the next day. There, tangled in the nets, he found the mirror. It was an elegant thing, thin and carved, light as a feather despite its marble appearance. Toma thought it would make an extraordinary gift for his wife, or possibly secure them a safe winter or even two if sold. But when he looked in the mirror itself, he was surprised to see not his face, but what was in front of him. He saw water of the lake being as clean air, with schools of fish flying through it like birds. They shone silvery against darkness of the unreachable depths. There were kinds Toma never saw. There were fish many times larger than what he ever caught. Toma threw his bait in new places that day, and through the mirror observed how fish enter his nets and when to pull them out.
When he showed the catch to his wife, he did not mention the mirror, said only that the lake now rewards him for surviving the storm. Their market stall was under constant siege now, as people marveled at the size and the variety of the fish. People started to follow Toma to the lake to find out his secrets, but he was able to keep the mirror to himself. He had it carefully wrapped in cloth, and only took it out on the lake. One day, however, he unwrapped it, curious what he’d see in the town. He looked towards his neighbor’s house and cursed with envy. He was able to see through walls, and although Toma and his wife now had new clothes and comfortable provisions for months to come, the carpenter had much more. Each of his daughters had thrice more jewelry then Toma’s wife. His plates were of thin ceramic, not wood. There was more than the fisherman thought he’d ever want, but what he now desired.
Frustrated, he went out to the lake. He tried to look for the sunken house with the mirror, but it was hidden in the dark depths. He then devised a plan and prepared. It took him a week, but one evening, a strange yellow glow started to shine in the waters again. Toma was already in the right place, clad in a heavy coat to protect himself from the weather. He rowed straight up to the house and threw an anchor through one of the windows, fastening it to the structure. Toma jumped out of the boat and ran straight to the basement. He thought that there would be more treasure there, but even with the help of a lantern and the mirror, he did not find anything until the water ran up to his chest. Then, a something like a small pebble hit him. It was a tiny whistle, shaped like a bird. Toma grabbed it and half ran-half swam back to his boat, pulled the anchor, and waited out the storm. It was risky, but now, with full belly and protected form the storm, he braved the glowing lake once again and landed on the shore with his new treasure.
Since it was shaped like a bird, Toma went into the forest and tried it out when he heard songbirds nearby. The birds fell immediately silent when they heard one note. The fisherman was disappointed, but before he tried again, he saw five birds land on a nearby branch. Then, a pair of rabbits stopped at his feet. Then another three birds appeared, and finally a deer walked into the clearing. All stared at him expectantly. Toma blew the whistle again and the animals scattered in panic. When he returned to the village, he told his wife he needs to buy a bow and arrows.
Toma’s workdays now became much shorter and much more profitable. He threw a net where he saw the biggest and rarest fish through the mirror, went to the forest and effortlessly hunted. He and his wife now had all the food they could wish for to savor and sell. Toma gained renown for being an expert fisherman and hunter but remained secretive about his methods. He bought a plot of land and arranged builders to help him make a new home when news struck the town. The carpenter’s daughters were being married off to a noble’s sons, once again multiplying his wealth. Toma, angry, decided to visit the sunken house once more.
Barely the lake glowed, and the house emerged, he was already throwing the anchor and running towards the stairs to the second floor. He brought a pickaxe, and smashed the boulder blocking his path again and again. When it crumbled, he ran upstairs and searched. He looked frantically through the debris, shining light on every stone, and looking for secrets with the mirror. When the water reached his knees, he decided to go back, only to remember that he was on the second floor. The stairs were now under water, but the windows were still open. Then, Toma realized his mistake. Even though the water was pouring in, the openings were much too small for him to go out. And nobody ever saw the house or the fisherman again.

Trivia

The story clearly refers to the lake Werd, the only lake in the Wyeh region where the story originated. It is unknown, whether the supernatural event persented refers to the phenomenon known as the Yellow storm.