Fritz, Franz, and Fredrick

                      A German Folktale inspired by the telling of Jackie Torrence, the Story Lady, who told me to take it and make it my own

Once upon a time very near Christmas in a little German town there lived a Cobbler and his three sons,  Fritz, Franz, and Fredrick.

Now the Cobbler, who was a very fine cobbler, worried this year because no one had bought enough shoes to provide enough money for him to buy Christmas presents for his sons.

And the Cobbler sat down one night and told his sons that this had been a very bad year. There would be no Christmas for the Cobbler's family this year.

Now Fredrick, who was the oldest boy, understood.

And Franz, who was the middle boy, understood.

But Fritz didn't understand at all, and he cried and cried and cried.

The Cobbler still tried to explain that perhaps, just on Christmas Eve, some very rich person would come along and buy a pair of shoes, or maybe two pairs of shoes, and it wouldn't be too late to buy some fruit and nuts. Maybe some very rich person would ...

Well, that seemed to settle little Fritz for a while.

But days passed, and no one came into the Cobbler's Shop.

Finally, on Christmas Eve the Cobbler knew he had to do something for his three sons, so he went to the stove and made some wheat cakes, three nice sized wheat cakes, and sprinkled sugar on the top of each of them. He couldn't help but drop a tear on each wheat cake, for he knew that this was a very, very poor gift for his sons, even if this was all he could do.

But just as he finished the cakes and placed them on top of the stove to cool, there was a knock upon the door. The Cobbler rushed to the door and opened it. Standing in the door was a Messenger.

"My Lady needs your services, Cobbler," said the Messenger. "She has lost the string of her dancing shoes and you must come and measure them and replace them quickly for the Nutcracker is playing at the Palace tonight! and the royal family will be there!"

Now, the Cobbler knew that replacing the strings of dancing shoes would at least bring him a few coppers. He might be able to buy fruit and nuts for his three sons. Oh, he hated to leave them on this Christmas eve but it was his job, so he knew he had to leave them to eat their wheat cakes alone and do what he had to do.  Turning to his sons, he kissed each of them upon the forehead and told them he had to be away for an hour or so.

"Eat your wheat cakes and get into bed. Be careful," he cautioned them, "and open the door for no one while I'm gone for I have heard there are wolves about!"

And with that, the Cobbler left with the Messenger.

The evening passed, and Fredrick and Franz decided it was time to go to bed so Fredrick handed each of his brothers a wheat cake their father had made. He had sprinkled them with sugar to add a little sweetness to their Christmas.

But suddenly, while they were eating, they heard a strange tapping at the door.

Tat, tat, tat.

Tat, tat, tat.

What is that? said Fritz. "Do you suppose that's the Wolf at the Door?"

"Good heavens, no!" Franz said, "Wolves don't knock."

Then, they each heard the tapping again and again - even louder!.

Tat, tat, tat!

Tat, tat, tat!

Fritz started to cry. "It's the Wolf," he cried. "It's the Wolf. I know it must be the Wolf at the Door."

"Stop crying," said Fredrick. "I will look out the window and see who it is."

And Fredrick ran to the window and looked out. Through the window, he could see, standing in front of their door, a very, very short Little Man with a long gray beard that brushed the ground. Upon the Little Man's head was a little pointed hat.

As Fredrick stood in the window, the Little Man looked up toward him and yelled in a strange little voice.

"Will you open this door! I am cold!"

Fredrick was so frightened he forgot all about his father's instructions to open for no one, and, before he knew it, he had opened the door.

And in rushed the Little Man with of whirl of sleet and snow. Oh, was he a strange one! He wore funny little pointed shoes and his eyes kind of glistened and his little fingers were long and pointed, and as he looked about the house, his little fingers just tinkled like little bells, and the little hat twirled around on the top of his head as he swung his wee small body from side to side shedding the sleet and snow on the floor.

"Why didn't you let me in sooner?" demanded the Little Man. "I told you I was cold."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Fredrick. "We didn't know who you were."

And poor little Fredrick still didn't know who the Little Man was, (but he seemed so cold and so old, Fredrick thought he had to let him in).

"Stand over by the stove," said Fredrick, "and get warm." So, the man rushed over and threw every stick into the fire! It was all the wood they had for a long winter's night, but the fire burned brightly.

"I am hungry!" demanded the Little Man. "Give me those wheat cakes."

Fredrick handed the Little Man what was left of his wheat cake, and the Little Man gobbled it all down. Then, without so much as a please or thankyou, he grabbed the cake from Franz and wolfed it down, too! But, when he took that cake from poor little Fritz - he cried and and cried!

So the Little Man looked at Fritz. "Hush crying," he commanded, "and go to bed!"

Fritz quickly ran toward the bed and jumped in and the Little Man watched as Fritz pulled the blankets over his head as if to hide.

"Hmmmmmm," the Little Man said to Fritz, "that bed looks comfortable. I think I'd like to sleep there." And with that the Little Man jumped into bed with Fritz and he twisted and turned and grabbed the blanket - all for himself!

"Hear-hear," the Little Man said, "it's cold in this bed. Come keep me warm! Franz! Fredrick! Come keep me warm!"

So Franz and Fredrick climbed into bed with Fritz and the Little Man, and all three boys cuddled and huddled with the strange little creature still clutching the blanket for himself..

"Oooooh," said the Little Man, "it's too crowded in here. You, Fredrick! You're the big one. You get out. Go over by the fireplace and stand on your head."

Fredrick, who was beginning to get a little tired of the Little Man's demands, walked slowly over to the fireplace and stood on his head. As he did, he heard something falling from his pockets. When he looked to the floor, there — all around him — were nuts and candies spread all over the floor walnuts and pecans,  gumdrops and lemon pops, candy canes and chocolate nougats!! They had fallen from his very own pockets!

"Aha! said the Little Man. "You boys are holding out on me. You, Franz Go stand on your head! You probably have something in your pocket, too."

As the second son stood on his head, he, too, heard something fall from his pockets. And there, all around him on the floor, were oranges and apples and plums and wonderful fruits.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh," cackled the Little Man. "You, too, had something hidden in your pockets. You, Fritz Get out of the bed! Stand on your head in the corner." But poor little Fritz was so little he could not stand on his head, and he was so frightened he was trembling. Finally, his brothers grabbed his legs and down went his head and up went his feet. As he stood on his head in the corner, as the Little Man told him to do, suddenly, from Fritz's pockets fell great big gold coins!  They fell... and fell... and fell! They scrambled across the floor to fill their pockets. but that's when the three boys realized the Little Man who had entered their humble home that night, must be... The Christmas Elf, so they turned to thank him...

But he was gone!

They looked all around and everywhere, but the Little Man with the long gray beard that touched the ground, and eyes that glistened, and fingers that tinkled like tiny bells was gone!

But oh! The nuts and candies, and fruits of the most wonderful kinds, and all the gold coins were still there, on the floor, just where they had fallen from the boys' pockets.

When their father came home, he couldn't believe his eyes. What miracle had taken place. Fredrick explained - "It was the Christmas Elf, father. He said he met you once when you fixed his shoes for free. He told you that your kindness would be rewarded a thousand fold!"

And that is what happened a long, long ago, when Fritz, Franz, and Fredrick (and the Cobbler himself) had the best Christmas they had ever known.

The End