The Shoemaker Once upon a time there lived a shoemaker. Every day he went to his small shop in the gloomy, deep forest near his home. There he made lovely leather shoes which he sold at the local market. He understood his customers needs and he knew all of the different types of shoes that everyone wanted. Since he was a careful workman he had plenty of customers and made a decent living to support his family. For a long time he was quite happy and content, and asked for nothing better than what he had. In the forest in which the shoemaker kept his shop, dwelt a spirit. Every now and then it appeared before people, and helped them in many ways to become rich ...view middle of the document...
So he picked up his tools and went home; for he did not feel too inclined to do any more work that day. But when he reached the little, pitiful house where he lived, he stood still with amazement. Instead of his wooden hut was a grand palace filled with splendid furniture, and most splendid of all was the bed, in every respect like the one he had envied. The bed was gigantic! It had silk sheets (just like he wanted) and tassels hanging off the end. There were six pillows and on the center one was a bowl of fruit with the most magnificent fruits the shoemaker had ever seen. He was nearly beside himself with joy, and in his new, good, life the old one was soon forgotten. It was now the beginning of summer, and each day the sun blazed more fiercely. One morning the heat was so great that the shoemaker could scarcely breathe, the hot air was suffocating him and he soon finished his work for the day. He decided he would finish his work later and headed home. He was pacing and wondering around his home trying to think of what to do. He was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a little carriage passed by, drawn by servants dressed in blue and silver. In the carriage sat a prince, and over his head a golden umbrella shielded him from the sun's rays. His shiny shoes and robes made from gold thread were simply astonishing. The prince seemed to glow like a star in the blistering sun. "Oh, if only I were a prince!" said the shoemaker to himself, as the carriage disappeared around the corner. "Oh, if I were only a prince, and could go in such a carriage, have shiny shoes and have a golden umbrella held over me, how happy I could be! I would never wish for anything again." Within a blink of an eye he became a prince. Before his carriage rode one company of men and another behind it; servants dressed in maroon and gold bore him along; the coveted umbrella was held over his head and he looked just like a gentleman. Everything his heart could desire was his. But yet it was not enough. The prince looked around still for something to wish for even though he promised he would not make anymore wishes. Then when he saw that in spite of the water he poured on the grass the rays of the sun scorched it, and that in spite of the umbrella held over his head each day his face grew browner and browner, he cried in his anger: "The sun is mightier than I, its not fair; oh, if only I were the sun! This is the last wish I shall ever make." And the forest spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; the sun you shall be." Soon enough the prince became a sun, and felt proud of his power....