The Elves and the Shoemaker

In the morning, he went to his workbench and—wonder of wonders! The shoes were already made! He took them in his hand; the stitches were so fine, not one was wrong. It was a masterpiece. A customer came in and liked them so much he paid double the price. Now the shoemaker could buy leather for two pairs!

He cut them out at night, and next morning, there they were—finished! This went on for weeks. Whatever he prepared in the evening was finished by morning. The shoemaker became a wealthy man. On Christmas Eve, he said to his wife, 'Let us stay up tonight and see who is helping us.' They hid behind a curtain.

At midnight, two cute little elves came skipping in! They were naked and cold. They sat at the bench, stitched and hammered with tiny fingers so quickly that the shoemaker was amazed. When the work was done, they ran away. The wife said, 'They have made us rich; we must give them thanks. I will sew them little shirts, coats, and trousers.'

On Christmas Eve, instead of leather, they laid out the tiny clothes. The elves came in, saw the gifts, and laughed with joy! They dressed themselves in the fine clothes and danced around the room. 'Now we are fine gentlemen! No more cobbling for us!' They danced out the door and were never seen again, but everything went well with the shoemaker for the rest of his life.