Not so long ago, in a small, cozy workshop, lived a shoemaker. He was a good man and worked very hard, but times were tough. One evening, he looked at his workbench. He only had enough leather left to make one last pair of shoes. "Oh dear," he sighed to his wife. "What will we do?" He carefully cut out the leather pieces, ready to sew them in the morning, and went to bed feeling quite worried.

The next morning, when the sun peeked through the window, the shoemaker went to his bench. And what did he see? Instead of the leather pieces, there stood a perfectly finished pair of shoes! They were so neat, so well-stitched, he couldn't have made them better himself. He was amazed!

Soon, a customer came in and loved the shoes so much he paid extra for them. With that money, the shoemaker bought enough leather for two pairs of shoes. That evening, he cut out the leather for two pairs and left them on his bench.

And guess what? The next morning, two beautiful pairs of shoes were waiting for him! He sold them quickly and bought leather for four pairs. This went on for many nights. Every morning, whatever leather he had cut out was turned into wonderful shoes. The shoemaker and his wife were no longer poor; they were doing very well!

One evening, just before Christmas, the shoemaker said to his wife, "We should find out who is helping us. Let's stay awake tonight and see!"
So, they hid behind a curtain in the workshop, leaving a little light on.

As the clock struck midnight, in tiptoed two tiny little elves! They had no clothes on, just their bare skin, and they hopped onto the workbench. Zip, zap, zoom! Their little fingers flew, stitching and hammering so fast the shoemaker and his wife could hardly believe their eyes. The elves didn't stop until all the shoes were perfectly made. Then, quick as a flash, they scampered away.

The shoemaker's wife said, "Those dear little elves have made us rich! We must thank them. They have no clothes, they must be cold."
"You're right!" said the shoemaker. "I'll make them tiny shoes, and you can make them little shirts and trousers."

So, they set to work. The wife sewed two tiny shirts, two tiny pairs of trousers, and two little hats. The shoemaker made two teeny-weeny pairs of shoes with the finest leather.
That night, instead of leaving out cut leather, they placed the little clothes and shoes on the workbench. Then they hid again.

At midnight, in came the elves, ready to work. But when they saw the tiny clothes and shoes, their eyes grew wide with delight! They quickly put them on. The clothes fit perfectly! The elves clapped their hands, danced around the workbench, and sang, "Now we are boys so fine to see, no longer shoemakers we'll be!"
They danced right out the door and were never seen again.

But the shoemaker and his wife continued to have good luck in everything they did, and they lived happily for the rest of their days.

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