The Elves and the Shoemaker

The Elves and the Shoe Maker – The Story

A shoe maker and his wife lived in a little house on the edge of a wood.

They were very, very poor and each day they grew poorer and poorer. At last there was nothing left in the house but leather for one pair of shoes.

“I will cut out this last pair of shoes, “the shoe maker said to his wife. “Tomorrow I will sew them and peg them”

The shoe maker cut out the leather and left it on his bench.

The next morning the shoe maker went into his workshop to finish the shoes.

What did he see?

A pair of shoes, all nicely made and ready to be placed on display in the window. The stitches were so fine and the shoes so well made that they were quickly sold.

With the money from the sale, the poor shoe maker brought leather for two pairs of shoes.

The shoe maker said to his wife, “I will cut out the leather for two pairs of shoes. Tomorrow I will sew them and peg them.”

So the shoe maker cut out the leather for the shoes and left it on the bench.
The next morning the shoe maker went into the workshop to make the shoes.

What did he find?

Yes, there were two pairs of shoes already made. The work was so well done that those shoe were also sold very quickly.

With the money the poor shoe maker brought enough leather for four pairs of shoes.

The shoe maker cut out the leather and left it on the bench once more.

The next morning the shoe maker found four pairs of beautifully made shoes.

And so it went on and on. Night after night the shoe maker would leave the cut leather in the workshop and in the morning he would come down the stairs to find the shoes magically finished and waiting on the bench. Instead of being a very poor shoe maker, he became a very rich shoe maker.

His shoes were so well made word spread across the land and even the Queen herself wore them.

At last the shoe maker said to his wife, “We must find out who makes the shoes.”

So one bright moonlight night they hid