One evening, the cobbler laid out shoe leather for the last pair of shoes he could afford to assemble, then settled into his recliner and scanned aimlessly through the television channels, which soon lulled him into a deep sleep. The next morning, a new pair of tasseled loafers stood in place of the leather. Before he had time to question the strange appearance, a customer entered his shop and bought the shoes on the spot. The cobbler was able to charge a substantial price because of the fine quality, enabling him to afford the material to make two new pairs of shoes. Again, he laid out the leather and dozed off in front of his television.

The next morning he found a beautiful hand-stitched pair of boots and an elegant pair of high heels. The first couple through the door paid for the shoes handsomely, so the cobbler immediately bought more shoe-making supplies.

The following night, the cobbler set out the materials and snored in his chair while he kept one eye open to watch his store. As his eyelids grew heavy, he saw a shimmering band of gold followed by the appearance of two tiny men with pointed ears. The cobbler sat awestruck as the elves produced hammers and worked at blinding speed until the leather was transformed into a wide array of finely crafted footwear.

The cobbler could not control his excitement at this wonder, and he blurted out his appreciation to the industrious pixies. He told them that he was a failure as a cobbler and begged them to continue to help him. The elves felt obligated, because the cobbler was obviously needy, so they agreed.

The orders poured in, making the cobbler very wealthy and his newfound elfin workers very tired. However, before many weeks passed, the cobbler felt himself growing bitter toward the elves, and he stopped complimenting their work. He was jealous that his shoe work was never up to their standard of quality. He made casual "just joking" remarks about their height and their pointed ears, but there was always a tinge of anger in his sarcasm. He lost respect for the elves because they allowed themselves to be used by him.

Likewise, the elves had grown tired of their caretaking situation. The cobbler was draining their energy without so much as a "thank you." They feared confronting the cobbler, because they knew that he would manipulate the conversation to make them feel guilty.

On Saint Patrick's Day, the elves took a vacation to hang out with some of their leprechaun buddies. During their absence, one of the cobbler's wealthy regular customers entered the store and asked the cobbler to make him a tailor-made pair of alligator skin loafers. The man told the cobbler that money was no object as long as the shoes were made that same day. Hesitating for a moment, the cobbler agreed to the offer.

Although the cobbler spent the entire morning wrestling with a decidedly inhospitable alligator, he felt surprisingly energized after the ordeal. It had been a long time since he felt useful. As he made the loafers, he paid close attention to the double stitching and measured the eyelets carefully. The result was a pair of loafers that would not "sit around all day." The cobbler felt an overwhelming surge of confidence when his customer complimented his work.

When the elves returned, the cobbler told them of his success. He asked them to teach him their craft, and they patiently spent time going over the finer points of tongues and soles. He graciously rewarded them with a new cherry pastry he had perfected. The elves thought it was delicious, so, in an effort to repay their kindness, the cobbler offered to teach them his baking secrets. When they asked what the pastry was called, the old man replied that he had named it cherry cobbler, after himself.

The cobbler elves later used the shoemaker's baking secrets to create a vast cookie production company, which they ran out of the hollow tree in which they lived.

Sue Gallehugh is a national speaker on creative caregiving. Dr. Gallehugh has been a marriage and family therapist for the past 17 years.

Allen Gallehugh is a writer with a degree in psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University.

Together, they are the authors of Bedtime Stories for Grown-ups, available at Barnes & Nobles or Amazon.com.

Reprinted by permission. ©1995 Health Communications, Inc. (800/441-5569)