The Little Good Gnome
In old, old days there lived on the forest's edge and beside a pretty lake, a gnome called Teimko. He had a short plump body, bandy legs, and he dressed in the brightest of colours and sported a long pointed cap on his head, with a tiny flower dangling from its tip. Indeed, he thought himself to be very, very clever. He liked to spend his time in the nearby village and prided on being a great deal smarter than human beings. Teimko was particularly friendly with the miller named Polky, whom he tried to outwit whenever he got a chance to do so. One fine day, as both were strolling down the hilly meadow, the dwarf said to his friend, "You claim to have a very intelligent mind. Now, can you make me a bridge over the brook yonder? But neither wood, nor stone, nor metal can you use to build it." Polky thought for a while and scratched his head. He observed that the stream was quite narrow. So he lowered himself over it, face downwards, his feet on one bank and the hands-on the other. "Here's your bridge, Teimko, not of wood, nor stone, nor metal. Come on, just walk over it," said the miller looking up the corner of his eyes.