The Elves and the Shoemaker

Once there was a shoemaker who lost all of his money. He was so poor that he only had enough leather to make one pair of shoes.

So, in the evening, he cut out shoes from the last pieces of leather he had. He intended on making the shoes the next morning. Then he went to bed.

In the morning, he was preparing to sit down to work, when he looked, and there were the shoes all finished on his table! He was so astonished that he did not know what to say.

He took the shoes in his hands and examined them inside and out. They were so neatly made that not a stitch was out of place. He knew they were made by someone with a master hand.

Very soon a customer came in. He noticed the shoes right away. He liked the shoes so much that he paid more than the regular price for them.

With this money, the shoemaker was able to purchase more leather and make two more pairs of shoes. He cut them out in the evening and then he went to bed.

The next day, he sat down to work at his table, but there was no need for him to work. The two pairs of shoes stood beautifully finished before him!

Again, more customers came. They paid him so well that he was able to buy leather for four more pairs of shoes. The following morning he found the four pairs finished. This continued every day. Whatever he cut in the evening was finished the next morning. Soon enough the shoemaker was no longer poor thanks to the money he made from the mysterious shoes.

One evening, not long before Christmas, the shoemaker said to his wife, "What do you think of staying up tonight to see who is lending us a helping hand?" His wife liked the idea, so they lit a candle and hid themselves in a corner of the room.

At midnight, in came two little men only wearing shorts. They sat down at the shoemaker's table and set to work on the leather pieces. They stitched and they sewed, they hammered and polished. The Shoemaker could not believe his own eyes! When they were all done, they ran quickly away back into the cold night air.

The next day the wife said to her husband, "These little men have made us rich. We must show them how grateful we are. They must be freezing only in their shorts in the cold winter air! I will make them little shirts, coats, vests and pants for them to wear. I will knit them socks and sweaters too, and you can make them each a pair of shoes!"

The shoemaker was pleased with this plan. So on Christmas Eve, when everything was ready, they laid out the clothes as presents for the little men. The table was full of gifts instead of the leather pieces for shoes. The little men came in. When they saw the clothes instead of leather to mend, they were surprised and delighted.

With the greatest speed, they put on the lovely clothes and sang: "Now we are boys so fine to see, no longer cobblers should we be!" They danced and they skipped and leaped over chairs. At last, they danced right out the door.

From this time on the little cobblers no longer came, but the shoemaker prospered as long as he lived. He made shoes for many more customers all thanks to the kind little men.