Old Grimm's Cobbler

Once upon a time, there lived a cobbler. He made the best shoes in town. But times got hard when competition struck. Soon, he was replaced by the big brands with their machine-made shoes. He became poorer by the day. Finally one evening, he was left with enough leather to make just his last pair of shoes. He cut out his leather and went to bed.

The next morning, he was astonished to find that the leather had disappeared. Instead, on his desk, was a fine pair of shoes. He closely examined the shoes and couldn't find even a single wrong stitch. They were made with perfection. That evening, he sold that pair and bought more leather for two sets of shoes. As usual, he cut the leather and went to bed. The following morning, he found that the shoes had already been made. This went on for a month and the cobbler began to regain his name, fame and glory. One evening, he suggested to his wife that they should try to find out who was helping them every night. So they stayed up the whole night, waiting for their secret benefactor. But they waited in wain, for, nobody showed up. There were no new pairs of shoes for them the next day.

However, the cobbler's wife suggested that they should leave a small present for their well-wisher, as a show of good-will and gratitude. The cobbler agreed and the two of them put together a set of clothes and shoes for their unknown friend. They assumed that he was a male, roughly the size and fit of the cobbler. That night, instead of leather, they laid out the clothes and the new pair of shoes for their guest.

The next morning, much to her surprise, the cobbler's wife found her husband still in bed when she woke up. And to her further astonishment, he was dressed in the very clothes that they had left for their secret helper. He was still as a stone with a smile stitched across his wrinkled face.


The End.