Tom Thumb

An old man and an old woman lived in a village and dreamed of having a helper. One day, while the old woman was preparing cabbage for pies, she heard a tiny…

An old man and an old woman lived in a village and dreamed of having a helper. One day, while the old woman was preparing cabbage for pies, she heard a tiny voice behind the stove. A boy no taller than her little finger stepped out of a crack, bowed, and called them Father and Mother. They were amazed and delighted, and they named him Tom Thumb.

The next morning, their tiny son went to the field with his father. So that he could be heard and seen, he settled beside the horse's ear and guided her calmly along the furrow. The horse walked steadily, the plough stayed on course, and his father rested in the shade. A passing merchant marvelled at the skilful helper and invited the boy to see the neighbouring villages. His father agreed after his son promised to return by evening.

Tom Thumb rode in a roomy breast pocket, but soon he heard three travellers arguing by the road. They were planning to take a bull from a wealthy farmyard without asking. The boy climbed out and suggested that they speak to the owner first. He slipped under the gate, woke the watchman, and explained that the travellers needed work and food, while the farmyard needed a sturdy fence.

The owner listened to everyone and offered an honest agreement instead of a quarrel. The travellers repaired the gate, cleared the cowshed, and helped move the hay; in return, they received supper and fair pay. The boy chose the right nails, passed rope through narrow gaps, and made sure the bull stayed in its stall. By nightfall, the strangers parted as good neighbours.

That evening, the parents saw a wolf by their gate with their tiny son sitting on its back. The boy explained that he had removed a splinter from the animal's paw, and the grateful wolf had helped him cross a washed-out road. A shepherd whom the boy had called ahead stood nearby, so no one was frightened. The parents gave their guest some water, and Mother dressed her son in a little blue caftan she had sewn while waiting for him to return.