The Elves and the Shoemaker
A shoemaker, through no fault of his own, had become so poor that he had only enough leather left for one pair of shoes. In the evening, he cut out the leather, commended himself to God, and went to bed. The next morning, he found the shoes perfectly finished on his table. Amazed, he sold them for a good price, which allowed him to buy leather for two pairs. This pattern repeated: each night he cut leather, and each morning he found exquisite shoes ready. Soon, he prospered.
One evening before Christmas, curious about the mysterious helper, he and his wife hid. At midnight, two tiny, naked men appeared and expertly crafted the shoes. The next day, the wife suggested making clothes for them to show gratitude. They prepared little shirts, coats, trousers, stockings, and shoes, and left them on the worktable.
That night, the little men arrived, found the clothes instead of leather, and were delighted. They dressed quickly, sang, "Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?" They danced joyfully and never returned. The shoemaker and his wife continued to live happily and prosper.