The Elves and the Shoemaker

Once upon a time, in a small, snowy village, lived a gentle Shoemaker and his wife. They were good, hardworking people, but times were very hard. They became so poor that the Shoemaker had no money left for food or wood. Finally, he had only enough leather left to make one single pair of shoes.

“Don’t worry, my dear,” he told his wife one cold evening. “God will help us.” He cut out the leather with his last sharp knife, shaping the pieces carefully. “I will sew them in the morning,” he thought. He left the cut leather on his workbench and went to bed.

The next morning, the sun shone through the frosted window. The Shoemaker walked to his bench to start work. He gasped. “Wife! Come quickly!” There, on the table, stood the shoes—finished! And they were not just ordinary shoes. The stitches were tiny and perfect. The leather was polished until it shone. They were a masterpiece. A customer came in that very morning. He loved the shoes so much that he paid double the price.

With the money, the Shoemaker bought enough leather for two pairs. That night, he cut out the two pairs and went to bed. The next morning—surprise! Two pairs of beautiful shoes stood finished on the bench. This happened night after night. The Shoemaker would cut the leather, and by morning, the shoes were done. Boots, slippers, sandals—all magical and perfect. Soon, the Shoemaker and his wife were no longer poor. They had a warm fire, good food, and plenty of happy customers.

One evening, just before Christmas, the Shoemaker said, “We must find out who is helping us.” So, instead of going to bed, they lit a small candle and hid behind the curtain. At the stroke of midnight… Ding! Dong! Two tiny Elves, no bigger than your hand, skipped into the room. They were naked and shivering in the cold air, but they were smiling. They hopped onto the bench and began to work. Stitch, stitch, stitch! Hammer, hammer, hammer! Their tiny fingers moved so fast you couldn’t see them. In no time, they finished all the shoes, lined them up, and vanished.

The Shoemaker’s wife wiped a tear from her eye. “Those poor little dears,” she whispered. “They have made us rich, but they are running around in the cold with no clothes! I must help them.” The next day, she worked hard. She sewed two tiny green shirts, two little pairs of trousers, and two knitted hats with red pompoms. The Shoemaker made two pairs of the tiniest leather boots you ever saw. On Christmas Eve, instead of leather, they laid out these little gifts on the bench. Then they hid.

At midnight, the Elves arrived. They bounded onto the table, ready to work. But instead of leather, they found the little clothes. They gasped in delight! “Look! A shirt for me!” cried one. “And boots for me!” squealed the other. They dressed themselves quickly. They looked so handsome and warm. They were so happy that they began to dance. They jumped over the stool and danced around the room, singing: “Now we are boys so fine, Why should we stitch and pine? No more cobbling for us today, We are gentlemen, hip-hip-hooray!”

Dancing and singing, they skipped out of the door and into the snowy night. The Elves never came back, but the Shoemaker and his wife didn’t mind. They had been given a fresh start. They continued to work hard, make beautiful shoes, and lived happily and comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Moral of the Story: Kindness is a circle. When you help others, goodness comes back to you.

Moral of the Story: Kindness and hard work are always rewarded.