The Elves and the Shoemaker

Once upon a time, in a little town with crooked roofs, there lived an old shoemaker named Tobias. He worked hard every day, tap-tap-tapping with his little hammer. But times were hard. One evening, he had only enough leather left for one last pair of shoes. "Well," he sighed, "I will cut it out tonight, and sew it in the morning." He laid the pieces neatly on his bench, blew out the candle, and went to bed.

In the morning, Tobias came down the stairs, rubbing his sleepy eyes. And what did he see? On the bench stood a pair of shoes, already finished! Every stitch was tiny and straight. The leather shone like a chestnut. "Wife, wife, come and look!" he called. His wife hurried in. "Who could have made them?" she whispered. Nobody knew. That very day, a gentleman came into the shop. He loved the shoes so much that he paid enough money for leather for two more pairs.

That evening, Tobias cut out two pairs of shoes and left them on the bench. In the morning, there they were, finished and gleaming! Two customers bought them, and Tobias bought leather for four pairs. In the morning, four pairs were ready. Then eight pairs. Then more! Soon the little shop was full of happy people trying on the finest shoes in town. Tobias and his wife had bread on the table and wood for the fire. But they still did not know who their helpers were.

One night, just before winter, Tobias said, "Wife, shall we stay awake and see who is helping us?" "Oh yes," said his wife. So they left a candle burning, and they hid behind the coats hanging in the corner. They waited, and waited, as quiet as two mice. The clock went tick, tock. The town fell asleep. And then, at midnight, they heard a tiny sound: pitter, patter, pitter, patter.

Two tiny elves came skipping across the floor! They climbed up onto the bench. They picked up the needles and the little hammers, and they began to work. Stitch, stitch, tap, tap! Their fingers flew so fast, the shoemaker could hardly see them. They hummed as they worked. But Tobias noticed something. The elves had no shoes on their feet, and their clothes were thin and full of holes. When the work was done, they jumped down and ran away into the night.

"Those dear little elves have helped us so much," said the wife the next morning. "But they must be cold. Let us make them something warm." "What a lovely idea," said Tobias. So the wife sewed two little shirts, two little coats, and two pairs of woolly stockings. And Tobias made two pairs of tiny boots, the smallest and softest boots he had ever made. That evening, instead of leather, they laid the presents on the bench. Then they hid again.

At midnight, pitter, patter, the elves came in. They climbed up to the bench to work, but they found the presents instead! Their eyes grew wide. They put on the shirts and the coats and the stockings and the boots. They looked at each other, and they laughed and laughed. Then they danced! They danced over the bench, over the chairs, and right out of the door, singing a happy little song about their warm new clothes.

The elves never came back to make shoes again. But that was all right. Tobias had learned their tricks, and his shop did well for the rest of his days. Every winter, when the snow fell softly, he and his wife sat by the fire and smiled. "I hope our little friends are warm tonight," they said. And somewhere, under the stars, two tiny elves in tiny boots were warm and cosy too. The end. Good night.