The Shoemaker and the Elves

Once there was an old shoemaker. He lived with his wife, and they were very poor. His shop was small and did not make much money. The shoemaker had only one last piece of leather left. He said, "I can make one last pair of shoes with this leather." But he was very tired. His wife told him, "Leave it for tomorrow. Make them in the morning." So, he put the leather on the table and went to bed. He did not know that something magical was about to happen that night.

In the morning, the shoemaker and his wife came downstairs. They were surprised. On the table, there was a pair of beautiful shoes! "Look!" cried the shoemaker. "Magic! These are not my shoes, but they are perfect!" He put the shoes in the window of his shop. A lady passed by and saw them. "Oh, what beautiful shoes!" she said. She went inside and bought the shoes at once. She gave the shoemaker three gold coins. With this money, the shoemaker bought more leather.

That night, the shoemaker left the leather on the table again. In the morning, he and his wife saw something amazing. This time, there were two pairs of shoes on the table! "More magic!" he said happily. He put them in the window. A man came and bought them. He gave the shoemaker six gold coins. The shoemaker bought more leather again. The same thing happened the next day, and then again. Each morning, there were more shoes. People came and bought them, and soon the shoemaker had many coins.

The shoemaker became curious. "Who makes all these shoes?" he asked. One night, he and his wife hid behind the door. At midnight, two little elves ran into the shop. "Here’s the leather! Let’s work!" they said. The elves jumped onto the table and worked all night. They cut, sewed, and made the most beautiful shoes. The shoemaker and his wife watched quietly. In the morning, the elves left quickly. "Now we know," whispered the shoemaker. "Two little elves are helping us. But how can we thank them?"

The shoemaker had an idea. "Let’s make some clothes for the elves," he said. His wife agreed. They made two tiny shirts, trousers, and shoes. At night, they left the little clothes on the table and hid. At midnight, the elves ran in. "What’s this? Clothes for us?" they cried with joy. They put on the clothes and danced around the room. Then they sang, "Now it’s time for us to go, because they know!" The elves left and never came back. But the shoemaker’s shop was now full of customers. He worked hard and was happy forever.