A kind woodcutter and his wife lived in a little house near a big forest. They were happy, but they often said, "Oh, if only we had a child! Even a tiny one would bring us so much joy."

And guess what? Their wish came true! They had a baby boy, but he was so small, no bigger than a grown-up's thumb! So, they called him Tom Thumb.

Now, Tom Thumb might have been tiny, but he was very clever and brave. One day, his father needed to take the horse and cart to the forest to get wood. "I want to help!" said Tom.
"But you're so small," said his father.
"Don't worry!" chirped Tom. "I'll sit in the horse's ear and tell him where to go!"

So, Tom sat in the horse's ear, shouting, "Gee up, horsey! Turn left, horsey!" Two strangers walking by heard the voice but couldn't see anyone. "What magic is this?" they whispered. When they saw tiny Tom, they thought, "He could make us rich!"

They offered the woodcutter a lot of money for Tom. The woodcutter didn't want to sell his son, but Tom whispered, "It's okay, Father! I'll come back soon. Take the money, we need it." So, sadly, the father agreed.

The strangers put Tom on the brim of one of their hats. When they stopped to rest, Tom quickly slipped off and hid in a mouse hole. "Where did he go?" cried the men, but Tom was safe.

Night came, and Tom was looking for a place to sleep. He found an empty snail shell – a perfect tiny bed! But then, he overheard two robbers planning to steal from the rich parson's house. "I can help!" Tom thought, hoping to scare them away later.

The robbers were pleased to have such a small helper. Tom squeezed through a tiny crack in the parson's window. Once inside, he shouted, "Do you want everything that's in here?"
The cook, who was still awake, heard him. "What's that noise?" she wondered.

The robbers ran away, and Tom quickly hid in the hayloft. He was so tired, he fell fast asleep in a pile of sweet-smelling hay.

Early in the morning, the maid came to feed the cow. Oops! She scooped up the hay Tom was sleeping in, and the cow munched him right up along with it!
"Moooo! It's dark in here!" shouted Tom from inside the cow's tummy.

The maid heard the voice and thought the cow was bewitched! She ran to tell the parson. "We must get rid of this cow!" he declared. So, the cow was... well, let's just say it wasn't mooing anymore. And the part of its tummy with Tom inside was thrown onto a pile of yucky stuff.

Just then, a hungry wolf came by. Sniff, sniff! He gobbled up the tasty morsel, Tom and all!
"Oh no, not again!" thought Tom. "It's even darker in here!"

But Tom was clever. He shouted, "Mr. Wolf, I know where you can find a delicious feast! My father's house has a pantry full of cakes and sausages!"
The greedy wolf liked that idea. "Lead the way, little voice!" he growled.

Tom directed the wolf to his parents' house. "Squeeze through the drainpipe!" he suggested. The wolf got stuck!
Tom shouted, "Father! Mother! The wolf is here!"
His parents rushed out. The woodcutter dealt with the wolf, and then they carefully cut Tom out. Oh, how happy they were to have their tiny, brave son back! And Tom was very happy to be home, even if he was still no bigger than a thumb.

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