Once upon a time there was an emperor who loved clothes more than anything else in the whole world. He spent all his time choosing new coats, hats, and shoes. He had a different outfit for every hour of the day! He did not think much about his people or his kingdom. He only wanted to look wonderful and have everyone admire his beautiful clothes. His closets were full of silk robes, velvet capes, and golden crowns. But the emperor always wanted more. 'I must have the finest clothes anyone has ever seen!' he would say every morning while looking in his mirror.
One day two clever tricksters came to the city. They told everyone they were special weavers who could make the most beautiful cloth in the world. But that was not all! They said their cloth had a magic power. 'Only people who are smart and good at their jobs can see our cloth,' they explained. 'Anyone who is foolish will see nothing at all!' The emperor was very excited when he heard this. 'If I wear such clothes,' he thought, 'I can discover who in my kingdom is clever and who is not!' So he gave the tricksters bags full of gold coins and asked them to start weaving right away.
The tricksters set up two big looms in a room in the palace. But they did not weave anything at all! They asked for the finest silk and shiny gold thread, but they kept it all hidden for themselves. Still, they pretended to weave from morning to night, moving their hands back and forth over the empty looms. After some days, the emperor sent his old and trusted minister to see the cloth. When the minister entered the room, he opened his eyes wide. He saw nothing at all, because there was nothing to see! But he was afraid. 'What if this means I am not good at my job?' he worried. So he smiled and said, 'It is beautiful! The colors are lovely!' The tricksters smiled and asked for more gold.
At last the emperor himself went to see the wonderful cloth. The tricksters pretended to weave as fast as they could. But the looms were completely empty. The emperor looked and looked. He saw nothing! He felt scared inside. 'Am I foolish?' he wondered. 'Am I not fit to be emperor?' But he did not want anyone to know what he saw—or did not see. So he nodded his head and said, 'It is wonderful! The pattern is perfect!' All his courtiers agreed loudly. 'Yes, yes! The colors are magnificent!' they cried. No one wanted to seem foolish, so everyone pretended to see the beautiful cloth.
The emperor decided he would wear his new suit in a grand parade through the city. All night long, the tricksters pretended to cut the cloth, sew it, and press it with care. They worked very hard, but only on empty air! In the morning they said, 'Your new suit is ready, Your Majesty!' They held out their arms as if carrying the finest clothes. The emperor took off his real clothes, and the tricksters pretended to help him dress in the new suit. 'How light it feels!' said the emperor, even though he felt the cold air on his skin. The courtiers all praised the outfit that did not exist. 'Magnificent! Splendid!' they exclaimed.
Then the grand parade began. Servants pretended to hold the long train of the emperor's invisible cloak. The emperor walked proudly through the streets wearing nothing at all! Everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped. 'What beautiful clothes!' they called out, not wanting to seem foolish. But then a small child looked at the emperor and said in a clear voice, 'But he has nothing on!' The child's father whispered the same words, and soon the whole crowd was calling out, 'He has nothing on! The emperor has no clothes!' The emperor felt very embarrassed, but he held his head high and kept walking. That day he learned an important lesson: it is always better to tell the truth, even when it is hard. And he promised himself to listen more carefully to honest words, especially from children.
