Once upon a time, in a grand castle hidden deep in the forest, lived a young wizard named Edwin. Unlike other wizards, Edwin was kind-hearted and hated the idea of keeping magical creatures as servants. His family owned a house-elf named Pippa, who had served them for generations.
Pippa was small, with big round eyes and ears that twitched when she was nervous. She worked day and night, cleaning and cooking, but never complained. One evening, Edwin noticed her sighing as she polished an old silver cup. "Pippa," he asked softly, "are you unhappy here?"
The elf jumped, nearly dropping the cup. "Oh no, Master Edwin! Pippa lives to serve!" But her voice trembled, and Edwin saw tears in her eyes. That night, he couldn’t sleep. He remembered stories about elves gaining freedom if given clothes—a tradition his family called foolish.
The next morning, Edwin took his warmest sock and placed it on Pippa’s tiny chair. When she found it, her eyes widened. "Master Edwin... this is..." She touched the sock gently, then burst into tears—but this time, they were tears of joy. "Pippa is free?" she whispered.
Edwin smiled. "Yes, Pippa. You can go wherever you wish." To his surprise, the elf hugged him tightly. "Pippa will stay—but as a friend, not a servant." From that day on, Pippa wore the sock proudly, and the castle became brighter, filled with laughter and equality.
Читать с переводом, озвучкой →