A kind woodcutter and his wife lived in a cozy little house, but they felt a little bit lonely. More than anything, they wished for a child. "Oh," sighed the wife one evening, "even if he were only as big as my thumb, we would love him so much!"

Guess what? Their wish came true! They had a baby boy, and he really *was* no bigger than a thumb! So, they called him Tom Thumb.

Now, Tom might have been tiny, but his brain was big and clever. He was a happy little fellow and always wanted to help his parents.

One day, his father needed to take the cart full of wood into the forest, but he didn't have anyone to help guide the horse. Tom piped up in his small voice, "I can help, Papa! Let me sit in the horse's ear, and I'll tell him where to go!"

His father chuckled but agreed to try. And it worked! Tom whispered "Go left!" and "Go right!" and "Whoa, horsey!" right into the horse's big ear, and the horse listened perfectly.

As they went along, two strangers walking by saw the amazing sight: a horse pulling a cart with no driver in sight! They peeked closer and saw tiny Tom whispering in the horse's ear. "Wow!" they said. "That tiny fellow is amazing! Sir, we'll give you lots of shiny gold coins for him! He could make us rich!"

Tom's father didn't want to sell his son, not at all! But Tom, quick as a flash, whispered up to him, "It's okay, Papa! Take the money. Don't worry, I'll find my way back home!" So, sadly, his father agreed, took the gold, and the men took Tom Thumb.

The men put Tom on the edge of one of their hats as they walked. But Tom was clever! When they stopped for a moment, quick as a wink, Tom slipped down and scurried into a tiny mouse hole beside the road. Poof! He was gone. The men searched and searched, but Tom was too small and too well hidden.

Tom looked for a safe place to sleep for the night. He found an empty snail shell – just his size! But just as he was drifting off, he heard voices. Two sneaky robbers were whispering nearby. They were planning to sneak into the rich parson's house and steal his treasure!

Tom, being brave and maybe a little bit mischievous, called out, "Hey! I can help you! I'm so small, I can slip through any keyhole or crack!"

The robbers were surprised but thought it was a great idea. They carried Tom to the parson's house and helped him squeeze through a tiny gap in the window. Once inside, Tom started shouting in his loudest tiny voice, "Do you want everything in the whole house? Should I hand it all out?"

A maid sleeping in the kitchen heard the noise. "Goodness me! Thieves!" she yelled, jumping out of bed.

The robbers outside got scared and ran away as fast as their legs could carry them, completely forgetting about little Tom inside!

Tom needed a new hiding place, and quick! He saw the barn nearby and climbed up into the soft, warm hay in the hayloft. He snuggled down and fell fast asleep, tired from his adventures.

Early the next morning, the maid came into the barn to feed the cow its breakfast. She scooped up a big armful of hay... oops! She scooped up Tom Thumb right along with it! She tossed the hay into the cow's manger, and the cow began to munch away.

Suddenly, Tom woke up. It was dark, warm, and very... squishy! He had been swallowed by the cow! "Help! Let me out!" he yelled from inside the cow's tummy. "Stop giving me hay!"

The maid heard the voice coming from the cow! "Mercy me!" she cried, dropping her milk pail. "The cow is talking! It must be bewitched!" She ran straight to the parson.

The parson came and listened. He heard the tiny voice too! Thinking the cow was indeed bewitched, they sadly decided the poor cow had to be killed.

So, the cow was killed, and the stomach, with poor Tom still trapped inside, was thrown out onto a big pile near the woods.

But the adventure wasn't over yet! A big, hungry wolf came sniffing around, looking for a snack. It smelled the cow's stomach and... GULP! It swallowed the whole thing in one bite, with Tom Thumb still inside!

Now Tom was inside the wolf's dark, smelly tummy! But even there, Tom didn't give up. He had another clever idea. "Mr. Wolf," he called out in his tiny voice, "I know where you can find a wonderful feast! Much better than this old stomach!"

The wolf's ears perked up. "Oh yeah? Where?" he growled.

"At my parents' house!" said Tom. "They have cake, and ham, and all sorts of delicious things in their pantry! I can guide you there!" Tom told the wolf exactly how to get to his parents' little cottage and how to sneak into the pantry through a small drain pipe in the wall.

The wolf, thinking only of the yummy food, trotted off and did just as Tom said. He squeezed through the drain pipe and into the pantry. Once the wolf was inside, Tom started shouting as loud as he could, "Papa! Mama! Help! The wolf is here! He's in the pantry eating all the food!"

His parents heard his tiny, familiar voice! They grabbed an axe and a scythe and rushed to the pantry. They saw the wolf and... WHACK! BONK! They bravely fought the wolf and saved the day!

Then, very carefully, they cut open the wolf. And who popped out, safe and sound? Little Tom Thumb!

Oh, how happy his parents were to have their clever, tiny son back home! They hugged him tight (gently, of course!) and promised never, ever to let him go away again, no matter how much gold anyone offered. And Tom Thumb was very happy to be home, ready for his next, maybe slightly smaller, adventure.

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