“The poor dears,” the shoemaker’s wife said. “They must be freezing! Tomorrow, I’ll knit them both a wardrobe as a way of saying thank you.”

The next day, the eight new pairs of leather shoes sold even more quickly than the previous pairs. It would be a very long while before the shoemaker had to worry about poverty again.

That night, instead of laying out pieces of leather for the elves, the shoemaker’s wife laid out two tiny hats, two scarves, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, and two sweaters she had knitted during the day. The shoemaker even crafted two pairs of tiny boots for the elves to wear.

They hid in the doorway like before and waited for the elves to arrive. When the elves appeared on the worktable, the shoemaker and his wife couldn’t believe their eyes. However, the elves didn’t try on any of the clothes as expected. On the contrary, they tiptoed around the clothes as if they were afraid of them.

“Go on,” the shoemaker said. “We made them for you. We can’t thank you enough for helping us.”

The elves were startled to see that the shoemaker and his wife had been watching them.

“You mean it’s a gift?” the first elf asked.

“Of course it is,” the shoemaker’s wife said. “I don’t know anyone else they’d fit.”

“But to give an elf an article of clothing is to give him his freedom,” the second elf said. “We would never have to make another pair of shoes for you again.”

The shoemaker and his wife had no idea the gesture would imply so much, but since it was the right thing to do, they didn’t hesitate.

“You’ve done quite enough for us,” the old shoemaker said. “We’d be happy to give you freedom.”

The elves erupted into high-pitched cheers. They had been slaves to mankind all their lives and had never thought this day would come.

“Why did you start helping me in the first place?” the shoemaker asked the elves.

“We used to belong to another man in the village, one you had helped get back on his feet a long time ago,” the first elf said. “When he died, he told us to look after you.”

“My word,” the wife said. “Kindness certainly goes around, even if it doesn’t come back to you right away.”

The elves dressed in their new, warm clothes and left the shop. The shoemaker and his wife never saw them again.

Years later, the old shoemaker fell on hard times once more. He ran out of money and feared that he and his wife would be kicked out onto the street.

Even though his hands were crippled with arthritis, the old shoemaker cut leather pieces to make a pair of shoes with the last bit of material he had left. It was all his poor hands could handle for the night, so he retired early.

Miraculously, when the shoemaker awoke the next day, he found a pair of perfectly sewn shoes waiting for him. Even though they were freed, the elves were so thankful for the kindness of the shoemaker and his wife that they returned and offered him a helping hand whenever he needed one.

The elves enjoyed their freedom, and they made sure the shoemaker and his wife enjoyed a happily-ever-after.

The End