The Goblins and the Shoemaker

 The Goblins and the Shoemaker

One cold winter evening, a shoemaker sat quietly at his workbench. His little shop was neat, but the shelves were almost empty. For many days, no one had come to buy his shoes.

The shoemaker looked at the small piece of leather on his table.

“Oh dear,” he said. “I have enough leather to make only one pair of shoes. I do not know what to do.”

His kind wife smiled at him.

“Do not worry,” she said. “Let us sleep now. Tomorrow may bring a new idea.”

The shoemaker cut the leather and placed the pieces carefully on the workbench. Then he and his wife went to bed.

That night, the shoemaker could not sleep. At midnight, he heard tiny footsteps near the door.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

“Who could that be?” he whispered.

He quietly looked through a small crack in the door. To his surprise, two little goblins came into the shop. They had no shoes on their feet and no warm coats on their backs.

But they had clever hands!

One goblin picked up the leather. He cut it quickly and neatly. The other goblin took a needle and thread. He stitched the pieces together.

Snip! Stitch! Tap!

The goblins worked very fast. Before long, they had made a beautiful pair of shoes. The shoes were shiny, neat, and perfect.

Then the little goblins slipped out into the night.

In the morning, the shoemaker hurried to his workbench. He could not believe his eyes.

“Look!” he called to his wife. “Someone has made these lovely shoes!”

Just then, a customer came into the shop.

“What beautiful shoes!” the customer said. “I would like to buy them.”

The customer paid a good price for the shoes. With the money, the shoemaker bought more leather.

That night, he cut the leather and placed it on the workbench again.

At midnight, the two little goblins returned. They cut, stitched, and tapped until another lovely pair of shoes was ready.

Each day, people came to buy the beautiful shoes. Soon the shoemaker had enough money to buy food, leather, and warm clothes for himself and his wife.

The shoemaker was very thankful.

“One day,” he said to his wife, “we must find a way to thank those kind little goblins.”

His wife agreed. “They have helped us so much. But they have no shoes and no warm clothes.”

So the shoemaker made two tiny pairs of shiny boots. His wife made two little coats, two hats, and two pairs of trousers.

They placed the gifts on the workbench. Then they hid nearby and waited.

At midnight, the goblins came back.

But this time, they did not find leather to cut.

They found tiny boots, warm coats, hats, and trousers!

“Oh!” cried one goblin. “These are for us!”

“They are beautiful!” said the other goblin.

The goblins put on their new clothes and shiny boots. They were warm, happy, and proud.

Then they began to dance.

Tap! Tap! Twirl! Twirl!

They danced around the workbench, across the floor, and out through the door into the snowy night.

The shoemaker and his wife never saw the goblins again.

But they always remembered the little helpers with grateful hearts.

The End