Translation:The High Mountains/19

When the children arrived, the village was very calm. Many villagers were in the fields.

“There are so few people here, said Andreas, and they argue! What sort of community is that!” And they went towards the place called “the shops”. In reality there was only one shop.

Three villagers were having a drink inside. Outside, chickens pecked the ground, and an ash-coloured ass stood immobile as if he were fake. The cobbler punched the air with a shoe on his knees.

“ Hey! There's the cobbler! cried the children. Those who've got no nails in their shoes should have them put in. Here, without nails, you end up barefoot.”

Several came up, took off their shoes and asked him to hammer in some nails. “Grandpa, can you nail our shoes?”

The cobbler started to laugh with his three teeth, took his hammer and began to tap the nails in their shoes.

Nearby the old man appeared they'd met on the road, and he welcomed them. He told them that he was the head of the community and asked them the reason for their visit, and where they came from.

—We have come to make some purchases, said Andreas. We have settled in high up there, in the Green Wood, and we need some chickens, eggs and vegetables.

—With pleasure, serve yourselves, said the old man. We have lots of chickens.

—And some pickaxes and spades, could you lend us some for a job?

—If you need them, we'll give you them, said the old man.

—We need them because our community hasn't even got a path. We want to open some up.

—Really? You have a community?

—We are in the last class at college, but now that we have come to the forest and we live all together in the same place, we call our group a community. We have everything in common.

—And how many of you are going to work with the tools?

—Several of us or all together, it comes to the same thing. It's just to get the job done.

—Ho Ho! Shame on us! said the old man. The children make us feel ashamed!.

center|450px|thumb|“Grandpa, can you nail our shoes?”