Patrick never did homework. "Too boring," he said. He played hockey and basketball and Nintendo instead. His teachers told him, "Patrick! Do your homework or you won't learn a thing." And it's true. Sometimes he did feel like an ignoramus. But what could he do? He hated homework.
帕特里克從來不做家庭作業。“做作業太無聊了”他總是這樣說。別人做作業的時候，他要么在打冰球，要么在打籃球，要么在打任天堂游戲。老師曾告誡他：“帕特里克！你不做家庭作業的話，什么也學不到！”這句話的確沒錯。有時候，他確實感覺自己像個不學無術的人。但他又有什么辦法呢？他就是討厭家庭作業。
Then one day he found his cat playing with a little doll and he grabbed it away. To his surprise it wasn't a doll at all, but a man of the tiniest size. He had a little woollen shirt with old-fashioned britches and a high tall hat much like a witch's. He yelled, "Save me! Don't give me back to that cat. I'll grant you a wish. I promise you that."
有一天，他發現家里的小貓正在玩一個小玩偶，就過去把那個玩偶搶了過來。令他驚訝的是，這并不是一個玩偶，而是一個個頭極小的男人。這個小男人，上身穿著一件短款羊毛襯衫，下身穿著一條老式馬褲，頭上戴著一頂很像女巫帽的高頂大禮帽。他大聲叫喊著：“救救我！別再把我交給那只貓。我會幫你實現一個愿望。我向你保證。”
Patrick couldn't believe how lucky he was! Here was the answer to all of his problems. So he said, "Only if you do all my homework till the end of the semester, that's 35 days. If you do a good enough job, I could even get A's."
帕特里克不敢相信自己有這么幸運！這下自己的一切難題都可以迎刃而解了。于是，他回答說：“你只要把我這學期余下的所有家庭作業都做了就行，也就是35天的家庭作業。如果你完成得足夠好，學期末我甚至可以得到A。”

The little man's face wrinkled like a dishcloth thrown in the hamper. He kicked his legs and doubled his fists and he grimaced and scowled and pursed his lips, "Oh, am I cursed! But I'll do it."
小男人的臉皺成一團，像一塊丟在籃子里抹布。他踢了腿，攥了攥拳，做了個鬼臉，皺起眉頭，噘著嘴說道：“哎呀，我怎么這么倒霉！不過我會照做的！”
And true to his word, that little elf began to do Patrick's homework. Except there was one glitch. The elf didn't always know what to do and he needed help. "Help me! Help me!" he'd say. And Patrick would have to help—in whatever way.
說到做到，這個小精靈開始做帕特里克的家庭作業。只是有這么一件事總是有些卡殼——小精靈在做家庭作業時偶爾會不知所措，需要人幫助。“幫幫我！幫幫我！”當他這樣說時，帕特里克就不得不千方百計地來幫忙。
I don't know this word," the elf squeaked while reading Patrick's homework. "Get me a dictionary. No, what's even better,look up the word and sound it out by each letter."
“我不認識這個單詞，”小精靈在閱讀帕特里克的家庭作業時尖叫道，“給我一本字典。不，最好你幫我查到這個單詞，并逐個字母念給我聽。”
When it came to maths, Patrick was out of luck. "What are times tables?" the elf shrieked. "We elves never need that. And addition and subtraction and division and fractions? Here, sit down beside me,you simply must guide me." Elves know nothing of human history. To them it's a mystery. So the little elf, already a shouter, just got louder. "Go to the library, I need books. More and more books. And you can help me read them too."
做數學作業時，帕特里克的運氣就更差了。“乘法表是什么東西？”小精靈尖叫起來，“我們精靈從來不需要這東西。還有，加法和減法，除法和分數，這些又是什么東西？快過來，坐我身旁，你必須指導我才行。”精靈對人類歷史一無所知。對他們來說，這些知識簡直神秘莫測。于是，小精靈變成了一個喜歡大喊大叫的家伙，而且嗓門還越來越大。“快去圖書館，我需要一些書，更多、更多的書，這樣你也可以幫我閱讀它們啦！”
As a matter of fact, every day in every way that little elf was a nag! Patrick was working harder than ever and was it a drag! He was staying up nights, had never felt so weary, was going to school with his eyes puffed and bleary.
實際上，每一天小精靈都是各種嘮嘮叨叨！帕特里克比以往任何時候都更加努力地在學習，這可真是無聊！這些日子里，他每一天都熬夜熬到很晚，從來沒有覺得如此疲憊過，每天上學都是睡眼惺忪的。
Patrick got his A's. His classmates were amazed. His teachers smiled and were full of praise. And his parents? They wondered what had happened to Patrick. He was now the model kid. Cleaned his room, did his chores, was cheerful, never rude, like he had developed a whole new attitude.
帕特里克得到了他想要的A。同學們都很驚訝。老師們臉上堆滿了笑容，對他取得的成績贊不絕口。他的父母呢？他們非常想知道帕特里克身上到底發生了什么。他現在是個模范孩子了。經常打掃自己的房間，愛做家務，性格變得開朗了許多，待人還很禮貌，好像他對生活有了一個全新的態度。
You see, in the end, Patrick still thought he'd made that tiny man do all his homework. But I'll share a secret just between you and me. It wasn't the elf. Patrick had done it himself!
你瞧，故事的最后，帕特里克仍然認為是他讓那個小男人做了自己的所有家庭作業。但，我必須告訴你一個小秘密。其實，這些作業并不是小精靈做的，而是帕特里克自己完成的！
Finally, the last day of school arrived and the elf was free to go. As for homework, there was no more, so he quietly and slyly slipped out the back door.
這學期的最后一天總算到來，小精靈終于獲得了自由。這學期不會再有家庭作業了，于是他悄悄地從后門溜走了。