english story with pictures-THE GNOMES AND THE TAILOR

THE GNOMES AND THE TAILOR

 Once, a long long time ago, there was a tailor who was considered an expert in his job and was in great demand. But, as luck would have it, his customers began losing interest in him. They began calling his designs outdated. The tailor began having less and less orders; and a time came when he had no orders.
“I wonder what has happened to you. Your customers have lost their interest in you totally," said the tailor's wife irritably.
"What can I do? I am doing my best. Well! I think I should try on some new design of the jackets that I prepare. The problem with me now is that I have no money to invest. I have got only one piece of cloth left to make just one jacket," said the tailor scratching his bald-head.

 He cut out the cloth in a new design in the evening, and thinking that he would sew the jacket together in the next morning, went to sleep. But next morning, when he sat down to work after finishing his breakfast, he noticed that the cut out cloth had already been sewn into a nice piece of jacket.
"How amazing!" said the tailor to his wife, “I am pleasantly surprised to see the quality of your work. I never knew that," saying this the tailor kissed his wife on her forehead.
"I don't understand a word you say. Tell me what makes you praise me so much." said the tailor's wife a little surprised.
"Why? Wasn't it you who sewed the jacket together in the night when I was asleep?" asked the tailor in disbelief.
"No, certainly not! What makes you think so?” I amn't half as good as you are in tailoring," said the wife.
"But then who else could have done it?" asked the surprised tailor.
They were talking thus when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

 There was a customer who wanted to buy a jacket. He liked the jacket so much that he paid handsomely for it. Encouraged by it he brought two pieces of cloth to prepare two jackets and saved a little for daily expenses. He again cut out the material in the night, only to be sewn in the next morning.
Next morning when he woke up, again there was a miracle. The cut out cloth had mysteriously transformed into two pieces of nicely stitched jackets.
Again there were two customers standing at his door. They looked at the jackets with admiration and paid heavily for it.
"We would like to have five more of such jackets. When do you
The tailor looked at his wife. His wife said, “Sir! We shall work day and night and I think it will take us two days to make five jackets available to you."

The customers returned satisfied.
The tailor went to the market and brought five pieces of cloth for five jackets. Again the same thing happened.
The customers came two days later and willingly paid a very heavy price for the jackets. This went on for a long time, and the tailor was no more the same poor tailor. He had earned a lot and accumulated a lot of wealth.
One night the tailor and his wife decided to unravel the mystery and see for themselves as to who are the ones who are being so kind to them. So instead of going to sleep in their beds, they hid themselves behind a curtain in a corner of their room.
It was hardly past midnight when they saw five little gnomes appearing suddenly from nowhere. First they danced for a while holding each other's hands and then they sat down to stitch the jackets together from the cut out material.

The tailor and his wife found it hard to believe their eyes tailor had cut out cloth for ten jackets in the night, and the anon took hardly any time to sew them together; and that too with such precision and perfection.
The gnomes, after having finished their work, began dancing and singing-
'Go and tell the tailor,
 I am very-very happy,
 God has blessed me with a son,
tell him to sew me a nappy.
I am very-very happy…’
 The tailor's wife was so moved to hear them sing thus that she immediately decided to sew a nappy for their child and some nice sets of clothes for them too.

 They sang and danced and disappeared.
It took the tailor and his wife the whole day to sew a few nappies for the baby gnome, and some waistcoats, jackets, trousers, socks, and shirts for the gnomes.
It was again past midnight when the tailor and his wife saw the five gnomes appearing from nowhere.
They began dancing holding each other's hands; and after they had finished dancing, they began searching for cut out cloth for sewing, but instead, they saw a few nappies and a few beautiful looking nicely stitched set of clothes. They immediately knew it was for them. They quickly put on the clothes and began posing before a mirror from different angles.
"I knew that the tailor and his wife are very nice and kind hearted. See what nice nappies they have swen for our baby gnome," said one gnome.

"Yes! I agree! Our clothes are also very beautiful. Nowy throw away our rags," said the other one.
"I wish we could make friends with them,” said the third one.
 "Yes! But only if they could keep a secret of it,” said the fourth one.
And before the fifth one could say anything, the tailor and his wife came out from behind the curtain.
The gnomes began fidgeting nervously.
The tailor's wife said, “Please don't get nervous. We have done all this to express our gratitude; but this is nothing as compared to what you have done for us. We are indeed indebted to you all »
The oldest gnome stepped forward and said, “You two are very nice and kind-hearted. And we like such people. I saw your honesty and poverty and we decided to make your life easy."

 "Thank you very much for everything. It is this kind act of yours that has made me wealthy. I don't know how to repay," said the tailor.
"Oh don't worry about that. Just be kind to others, and that's enough,” said the fifth gnome who had all along been silent.
"There is a request," said the tailor's wife,“ Could we see the baby gnome?"
"Oh yes! Why not? We shall bring him tomorrow along with his mother," said the baby gnome's father.
And next night the tailor and his wife didn't have to hide behind curtains. They were sitting and waiting for their little guests. The little guests appeared at the right hour. They were seven; because they had included the baby gnome and his mother also in the team.
The tailor's wife took the chubby looking baby gnome in her lap and was overwhelmed to see the baby gnome giving a cute smile.

 This time the tailor and his wife also danced with the gnomes holding each other's hands. And while they were about to leave, they gave nice gifts and some very nice set of clothes to baby gnome's mother also.
"Don't be afraid! Come and see us whenever you feel like. You can trust us; we promise to keep a secret of it," said the tailor's wife.
The gnomes parted singing-
'Call us at the time of need,
 we shall come here indeed!’