The Elves and the Shoemaker

Part One · Shoes by Morning

Once there was a shoemaker who worked very hard. But times were hard too, and he grew poorer and poorer. At last he had only enough leather left for one more pair of shoes. That evening he cut out the pieces carefully and laid them on his workbench. "I will sew them in the morning," he said, and he went up to bed.

When he came down the next morning, he rubbed his eyes. There on the bench stood a pair of shoes, already finished! Every stitch was tiny and neat. There was not one wrong stitch anywhere. The shoemaker picked them up and turned them over and over. "Who could have done this?" he whispered.

Soon a customer came into the shop. He tried on the shoes, and they fit perfectly. "These are the finest shoes I have ever worn!" he said, and he paid extra money for them. With that money, the shoemaker bought enough leather for two pairs of shoes. That night he cut them out and left them on the bench.

In the morning, there were two pairs of shoes, finished and shining. They sold quickly, and he bought leather for four pairs. The next morning, there were four pairs! And so it went on, night after night. Whatever he cut out in the evening was sewn by the morning. People came from all over town to buy his shoes.

Part Two · Who Is Helping?

Before long, the shoemaker and his wife had plenty of food and a warm fire. Then one evening near Christmas, the shoemaker said to his wife, "Let us stay up tonight and see who is helping us." His wife agreed. So they lit a candle and hid behind some coats hanging in the corner.

At midnight, the door creaked open. In came two little elves, no taller than a teacup! Their clothes were thin, old rags, and their feet were bare. They hopped up onto the bench and picked up the leather. Then their little fingers began to fly. Stitch, stitch, tap, tap, tap!

The shoemaker and his wife could hardly believe their eyes. The elves sewed and hammered so fast that it was hard to see their hands. They did not stop until every pair of shoes was done. Then they jumped down and ran out the door, just before the sun came up.

Part Three · A Gift for the Elves

The next morning, the shoemaker's wife said, "Those little elves have made us so happy. We must thank them somehow. Did you see their thin rags? They must be freezing! I will make them some clothes. And you can make them each a pair of tiny shoes." The shoemaker thought that was a wonderful idea.

So the wife sewed two little shirts and two pairs of trousers. She knitted two tiny coats and two pairs of woolly socks. The shoemaker made two pairs of shoes, no bigger than his thumb. On Christmas Eve, they laid the presents on the bench instead of leather. Then they hid behind the coats once more.

At midnight, in came the elves. They hopped up to start work, but there was no leather. Instead there were the little clothes! At first they stared. Then they laughed with joy. They pulled on the shirts and trousers and coats, and they buttoned them up. They put on the socks and the tiny shoes.

The elves danced around the bench and sang, "Now we are dressed so fine and neat, why should we make shoes for other feet?" They skipped over the chairs and jumped across the table. Then they danced right out the door into the snowy night.

The elves never came back again. But from that night on, everything went well for the shoemaker and his wife. He made fine shoes, and he sold them all, and they were never poor again. And every Christmas Eve, they left a little something on the bench, just in case.