The Gnome in the Barn

High up in the snow-covered mountains, where the winters were long and dark, stood an old farm that had been standing for generations. The farm was surrounded by wide fields and deep forests, and in the barn lived a gnome who had been there for as long as anyone could remember. He was small in stature, with a red cap poking out from his grey beard, and he made sure everything on the farm went the way it should.

If the farmer took good care of the farm and the animals, the gnome helped protect the crops and keep the animals healthy. But if the farmer was lazy or forgot the gnome's one and only request — a bowl of Christmas porridge every Christmas Eve — the gnome could become quite offended indeed.

Getting Ready for Christmas

This particular Christmas Eve, the farm was extra busy. The family had gotten new animals in the barn, and the snow had fallen so heavily that it was hard to get around. The farmer and the children worked from morning to evening clearing snow and fetching firewood, while the farmer's wife baked cakes and made the Christmas meal.

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"Don't forget the gnome's porridge!" said the farmer's wife.

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"Of course not," the farmer replied. "But I need to get everything else in place first."

Amid all the bustle, time slipped by, and night settled over the farm. While the family gathered around the table to eat their Christmas dinner, the gnome sat in the barn and waited. He watched the animals calmly chewing their hay and listened for footsteps in the snow. No porridge. Not even a single spoonful.

The Gnome's Anger

When the clock struck midnight, the gnome's patience was gone.

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"How dare they forget me?" he muttered.

With quick steps, he began to cause chaos in the barn. He braided the cows' tails into big knots, put the hens up on the rafters, and moved the water bucket to the middle of the barn floor. Then he went out into the night and got the farmer's sled stuck in a snowdrift. He did all of this with a sly smile.

But when he glanced toward the house, he saw something that made the smile vanish. Through the window he could see the family sitting around the Christmas tree, singing and laughing. The children danced around the tree with stars in their eyes, and the farmer's wife held a small candle that she shone over each of them.

A Friendly Surprise

The gnome sat back down in the barn and tugged his cap down over his ears, listening to the singing. Just then he heard footsteps in the snow outside. The youngest of the children, a boy of maybe five, came carefully toward the barn door with a bowl of steaming porridge.

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"This is for you, gnome," the boy whispered, setting the bowl down.

The boy smiled into the darkness and ran back to the house. The gnome picked up the bowl and ate with great delight. The porridge was warm, sweet, and exactly how he liked it. Once he'd finished eating, he began to clean up the chaos he'd made. The cows' tails were untangled, the hens came down from the rafters, the water bucket went back to its corner, and the sled was pulled back to the shed.

A Peaceful Christmas

The next morning, when the family came to the barn, everything was back in place. The farmer looked around and smiled.

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"Looks like the gnome has forgiven us," he said.

And he had. In his little corner of the barn, the gnome sat watching the family feed the animals and decorate the barn with small Christmas wreaths. And as long as he got his porridge every Christmas, he would watch over it all.

The Moral of the Story

Care and kindness, even in small acts, can create joy and harmony.

— An original adaptation inspired by the traditional tale "The Gnome in the Barn."