The Elves and the Shoemaker
There once was a poor shoemaker. He worked hard very hard every day but he did not sell many shoes. Life was very hard for the shoemaker and his wife. They had no money and very little food. One night the shoemaker told his wife. ‘I only have enough leather to make one more pair of shoes.’ ‘But we only have one loaf of bread left. What are we going to eat?’ ‘I don’t know, said the shoemaker sadly. He put his last piece of leather on his workbench. ‘Tomorrow I’ll get up early,’ he told his wife. ‘I’ll make my last pair of shoes.’ Then he went to bed.
Then he went to his workbench and looked for his piece of leather. But it was not there. In its place was a beautiful pair of shoes. The shoemaker called his wife. She came into the room. ‘Where did these shoes come from?’ he asked her. The shoemaker’s wife picked up the shoes. ‘They’re beautiful,’ she said. ‘When did you make them? Did you get up in the night?’ ‘No,’ said the shoemaker. ‘I didn’t make those shoes. I never left my bed.’ ‘So what happened?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘I want those shoes.’
A beautiful pair of shoes
I want those shoes!
The next morning the shoemaker got up early. He had one slice of bread for breakfast.
That morning a pretty lady came into the shoemaker’s shop. ‘What beautiful shoes!’ eslreading.org