THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM

There once was a very kind shoemaker who became very poor. Finally, he only had enough leather left to make one pair of shoes. That evening, he cut out the shoes so he could start to work on them the next day. In the morning when the shoemaker was getting ready to work, there was a finished pair of shoes sitting on his table in place of the leather. They were made perfectly! Very soon, a person came in to buy them; he was so happy with the shoes that he gave the shoemaker extra money! With the money, the shoemaker was able to buy enough leather for two pairs of shoes. Just as he did before, he cut out the shoes before he went to bed so that he could start the next day. Again, when he woke up, the shoes were already finished and beautifully made. Once again, the buyers paid extra for such beautiful shoes. Eventually, the shoemaker became very wealthy. The shoemaker and his wife were very thankful and wanted to know who was helping them. They stayed up all night and hid in the shop. At midnight, two tiny elves appeared and sat down to work at the shoemaker’s table. The tiny men wore no clothes, but they worked quickly and carefully. The shoemaker was astonished! As soon as the shoes were done, the elves disappeared. The shoemaker and his wife were very grateful for the help of the elves and wanted to give them something in return. The shoemaker’s wife made them little shirts, coats and trousers and knit them each a pair of stockings. The shoemaker made them each a pair of shoes. When everything was ready, the put the presents on the table and hid to watch. At midnight, the elves came again and they were very surprised! They danced around the room and sang. After that, the shoemaker and his wife never saw the elves again, but the shoemaker and his wife lived a long and prosperous life.