Imagine a bright, sunny day, perfect for a walk! And on such a day, a kind tailor and a rather proud goldsmith decided to travel together. The tailor was a cheerful fellow, always humming a tune. The goldsmith, well, he liked shiny things and thought he was very important.

As evening began to paint the sky with soft colors, they heard faint music and laughter coming from a nearby hill. "What could that be?" whispered the tailor. Curious, they tiptoed closer and peeked through some bushes.

There, in a clearing lit by glowing mushrooms, were tiny little folk with twinkling eyes and long, bushy beards! They were dwarfs, having a grand feast. They were dancing, singing, and sharing delicious-looking food.

One of the dwarfs, with a particularly sparkly hat, spotted them. "Hello there, travelers!" he called out. "Come join our fun!"

The tailor, always friendly, smiled and said, "That's very kind of you!" He sat down and politely ate a small piece of bread and a sweet berry, enjoying the merry songs.

The goldsmith, however, saw all the tiny, glittering cups and plates. He thought, "These dwarfs must have treasure!" He ate as much as he could, stuffing his mouth and even trying to sneak a tiny silver spoon into his pocket, though it was too small to be useful.

When it was time for the travelers to leave, the dwarf with the sparkly hat said, "Thank you for joining us! Here is a little something for your journey." He handed each of them a lump of what looked like ordinary black coal.

The tailor took his lump and said, "Thank you very much! It will keep us warm if we need a fire."
The goldsmith grumbled, "Coal? After all that food, just coal?" But he took it anyway, thinking it was a poor gift.

They found a cozy spot under a tree to sleep. The next morning, when the sun woke them up, the tailor reached for his lump of coal. But it wasn't coal anymore! It had turned into a big, shiny piece of pure gold! His eyes popped open wide!

The goldsmith woke up and saw the tailor's gold. He quickly checked his own lump. It was still just a dusty, black piece of coal. "That's not fair!" he cried. "Why did yours turn to gold?"

He remembered how much he had eaten and how he had tried to take things. The tailor had just been polite and thankful.

Greedily, the goldsmith thought, "I'll go back! I'll be extra nice, and they'll give me more, and it will all turn to gold!"

He hurried back to the clearing, putting on his biggest, fakest smile. The dwarfs were still there, tidying up. "Oh, wonderful dwarfs!" he said, much too loudly. "I loved your party so much! Could I perhaps have a little more of your... special coal?"

The dwarfs looked at each other and then at the goldsmith. The one with the sparkly hat smiled a knowing smile. "Of course," he said, and he gave the goldsmith not one, but three big lumps of coal.

The goldsmith snatched them up, thinking of all the gold he would have. He carried them all day, waiting for them to change. But when he woke up the next morning, they were still just heavy, black lumps of coal. And this time, because he had carried so many, his hands and clothes were all smudged with black soot.

And so, the kind tailor had a wonderful surprise, all because he was polite and thankful. The goldsmith? Well, he just had a lot of coal and a very sooty face, learning that being greedy doesn't bring good gifts.

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