An old tree stood on a very old hill inside which lived the elves with the elf king. But this great secret was known only to the creatures near the tree.
One day, some lizards heard some noises from inside the hill. One of the lizards said, “An earthworm told me that the elves are going to have a ball. All the young elves will be present to dance and everyone is busy preparing for it. They are even polishing their gold treasure for display!”
Suddenly with a loud CRACK! the elf hill split open and a little old elf lady, who was the palace housekeeper, emerged with a bag. She went up to a raven sitting on a tree stump near by and gave him the bag of invitations to deliver. The raven flew off to obey.
That evening, the elf king’s palace shone with moonshine that had been used for scrubbing floors. The walls were magical. Fragrant smells came from the kitchen. The elf king was resplendent in a cloak made of starlight.
The king told his daughters, “The goblin king from Norway has many castles and a huge gold mine. He is bringing his two sons who are looking for wives. Perhaps he may select one of you. That’s why I’m holding a ball.”
Soon the goblin king arrived with his sons. The goblin princes were rude and badly behaved. Their father warned them time and again to be careful or people would be angry with them.
The elf king welcomed them. The ballroom was crowded with guests. Imps, dwarfs, goblins and mermaids jostled with elves. The goblin princes continued to behave badly and their father repeatedly scolded them.
The goblin king told everyone the stories of the rocks and waterfalls in Norway, of the Water-god and the winter nights, of skating and sleigh rides. Meanwhile, the guests danced and made merry.
The elf king asked each of his daughters to show her special skill. The eldest daughter put a white pebble in her mouth and vanished immediately. The elder goblin prince said he didn’t want a disappearing wife.
The second princess magically created a shadow figure of herself. “What will I do with two wives?” exclaimed the younger goblin prince.
The third daughter made puddings decorated with tasty glow-worms. But the princes didn’t like her either.
The fourth princess played a magical harp which forced people to do whatever she wanted. The princes thought this too dangerous, so they went out.
The youngest princess said she could tell stories on any topic. The goblin king asked her to tell a story about each of his five fingers. She began and soon the goblin king was rocking with laughter. When she reached the fourth finger, he presented her a ring and said she would be his wife, not his sons’.
His sons were found playing outside and were brought back. But suddenly, a cock crowed. It was dawn and the hill had to be closed, or the elves would be scorched by the sun.
The elf hill closed with a CRACK! No one knows what happened after that!
