The Little Folks’ Presents

A tailor and a goldsmith were traveling together. One evening, when the sun had set behind the mountains, they heard distant music. It sounded strange but so pleasant that they forgot how tired they were and walked faster.

The moon had already risen when they reached a hill where they saw many tiny men and women holding hands and dancing in a circle. They sang beautifully, and that was the music the travelers had heard. In the middle sat an old man who was a bit taller than the rest.

He wore a colorful coat, and his gray beard hung down to his chest. The two travelers stood still in wonder and watched the dance. The old man motioned for them to come closer, and the little folks opened their circle.

The goldsmith, who had a hump on his back and was brave like many hunchbacks, stepped in. The tailor was a bit scared at first and held back, but when he saw how merry it was, he plucked up his courage and followed.

The circle closed again, and the little folks kept singing and dancing wildly. The old man took a large knife from his belt, sharpened it, and when it was ready, he looked at the strangers.

They were terrified, but before they could think, the old man grabbed the goldsmith and quickly shaved all the hair off his head. Then he did the same to the tailor. But their fear disappeared when the old man patted them both on the shoulder in a friendly way, as if to say they had done well to let it happen without a struggle.

He pointed to a pile of coals and signaled for them to fill their pockets. They obeyed, even though they didn't know why they would need coals. Then they went on their way to find a place to sleep.

When they reached the valley, the clock of a nearby monastery struck midnight, and the singing stopped. In an instant, everything vanished, and the hill lay alone in the moonlight. The two travelers found an inn and covered themselves with their coats on straw beds.

They were so tired that they forgot to take the coals out of their pockets. A heavy weight on their bodies woke them earlier than usual. They felt in their pockets and couldn't believe their eyes when they saw not coals but pure gold!

And their hair and beards had grown back as thick as before. Now they were rich. But the goldsmith, who was greedy, had filled his pockets more and was twice as rich as the tailor. Even so, he wanted more.

He suggested they wait another day and go back to the hill to get even greater treasures. The tailor refused, saying, "I have enough and am content. Now I will become a master tailor and marry my sweetheart. I am a happy man." But he stayed another day to please the goldsmith.

In the evening, the goldsmith hung a couple of bags over his shoulders so he could carry a lot, and went to the hill. He found the little folks again, singing and dancing. The old man shaved him again and signaled him to take coals.

He quickly stuffed as many as he could into his bags, went back delighted, and covered himself with his coat. "Even if the gold is heavy," he said, "I'll gladly bear it." He fell asleep dreaming of waking up enormously rich.

When he opened his eyes, he jumped up to check his pockets. But how amazed he was to find only black coals! He thought the gold from the first night was still there, but when he brought it out, it had turned into coal too.

He struck his forehead with his dusty black hand and felt that his head was bald and smooth, as was his chin where his beard had been. But worse, he noticed a second hump on his chest, as big as the one on his back.

Then he realized this was punishment for his greed and began to weep loudly. The good tailor was woken by this and comforted the unhappy goldsmith as best he could. He said, "You have been my companion on the road; stay with me and share my wealth." He kept his word, but the poor goldsmith had to carry the two humps for the rest of his life and cover his bald head with a cap.