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
she said. ‘Can I buy them?’
wife. ‘I’ll make some more shoes.’
‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker. ‘You see –‘
Then he went to bed. ‘Did you make them?’ The next morning he got up early. He had two slices of bread for breakfast. Then he went to his workbench. His piece of leather was not there. In its place were two beautiful pair of shoes.’ The shoemaker called his wife. She came into the room. ‘Oh what beautiful shoes!’ she said. ‘Did you make them?’
The young lady wanted the shoes very much. And she was very rich. ‘I’ll pay you fifty dollars,’ she said.
‘No,’ said the shoemaker. ‘Then where did they come from?’
‘But – ‘ ‘One hundred dollars!’ said the lady. ‘I want those shoes!’
‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker. ‘But tonight we’re going to find out.’ ‘They’re Elves’
‘Okay,’ said the shoemaker.
‘This money will pay the rent for our little house,’ said the shoemaker’s wife. ‘And I can buy some more leather,’ said the shoemaker. The shoemaker bought some more leather. That night he put the leather on the table. ‘Tomorrow, I’ll get up early,’ he told his
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That night the shoemaker and his wife did not go to bed. They hid behind the workbench and waited. At midnight the door opened and a group of tiny people came into the room. ‘They’re elves!’ whispered the shoemaker. ‘But they look so poor!’ said the shoemaker’s wife. ‘Look at their old clothes! And they don’t have shoes.’
The elves talked in very low voices. ‘I’m so cold!’ said one. ‘And my feet hurt!’ said another. ‘But we must help the shoemaker! We don’t want his shop to close.’ Two elves climbed onto the table. That night they make ten pairs of shoes for the shoemaker. Then they run out of the door. ‘Quick!’ the elves cried. ‘We must go before the shoemaker gets up.’ ‘We love the shoemaker’ The elves left the room. ‘The elves have no warm clothes,’ said the shoemaker to his wife. ‘We must try and help them.’ The next day the shoemaker made some tiny shoes for the elves. He made them warm clothes, too. That night he left the shoes and the clothes on the table. The elves found the shoes and the clothes. They danced for joy and sang a song. ‘We love the shoemaker,’ they sang. ‘And he loves us.’
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