Emperor's new suit

Αγαπητό μου χαμομηλάκι,

βρήκα ένα παραμύθι στα Αγγλικά το οποίο θα αρέσει στα μικρά χαμομηλάκια!

In a time that is now almost forgotten there was a great land that had an Emperor.
He was a very strange Emperor indeed! He was not at all interested in conquering new lands. He was not at all interested in seeing how well his soldiers paraded up and down the street in front of his palace. He was not at all interested in music, dance or even the theater.
The only thing that interested the emperor was buying and wearing new clothes. He would spend all the money that his tax collectors collected on clothes made of fine cloth.
The King's wardrobe grew as each year passed and everyone lived merrily in the capital where the King kept his clothes.

One day two strangers came to the capital. One of them was very large and wore a stunning yellow suit and the other was very short and wore a very handsome green suit. Both of them had magnificent hats made of rare feathers from distant lands. They introduced themselves to the most important people in the capital and told them of all the incredible creations they had made for dukes and duchesses, counts and countesses, princes and princesses, Kings and Queens and all sorts of very important people around the world. They even bragged that they used magic silk that would render the clothes invisible to anyone who did not have enough intelligence, education, and wisdom to be holding the position they did in the Kingdom.

It was not long after the arrival of these two tailors that the King heard of their skills and commanded that they be brought to the palace. He thought to himself that these clothes would be the best purchase he could ever make. He thought that he might catch every individual in a job that should not have the job. He would remove everyone who was foolish from his or her office. He called the head tax collector and told him to double the taxes and to take the money to the two tailors. He sent a message to tell them to create the finest suit ever made. The Emperor even had a studio built in the most beautiful wing of the palace and had the finest looms put at their disposal. The two weavers were very demanding and asked for dozens of things. They did not sit still at all during the day. They appeared to be working on the looms that the Emperor had provided and were often seen running up and down between them turning knobs and gears and yelling quite loudly at each other that all was going well.

Barely a month had passed by and the Emperor was beginning to grow anxious. He knew that it must take a fair amount of time to produce such a wonderful suit but he wanted to know if it was getting close to being finished. The Emperor was a bit nervous as he recalled the promises of the tailors. Only very wise and intelligent people would be able to see the cloth that they were weaving on the looms. Only those people that were fit for their jobs would be able to gaze upon the cloth. The Emperor thought that he didn't have anything to worry about but thought that it would be better if he sent someone in his place to see how his suit was progressing. After a few minutes of reflection he sent a servant to find the High Minister of the palace. "He will be able to tell me how the suite looks", the Emperor spoke to himself, and "he is a very wise man and looks after all the affairs of the palace."

The High Minister went to see how the suit was progressing and entered the large room where the tailors were hard at work. He heard the looms creaking and saw them running and yelling at each other to be careful with the fabric. The High Minister rubbed his eyes and was about to say: "What have you been doing here all this time. I see nothing on your looms." Before he let the words out of his mouth he bit his tongue. He did not say a word. The two tailors had seen the High Minister enter the room. They walked over to him and invited him to inspect the cloth and the intricate designs that they had woven. They walked between the looms pointing at the air, as there was nothing on them. "Is it possible", thought he "that I am too stupid to hold my office and that I am not as wise as I thought myself to be?" he walked beside the tailors and continued to nod his head and muttered that he had never seen such wonderful work.

"It will never do", said he "that I tell anyone in the Kingdom that I couldn't even see a thread."
"The patterns and designs are superb" the High Minister began "they are so intricate and lovely that the Emperor is sure to find them to be the finest in the land. I will go directly to the Emperor and tell him that your work is astonishing and that he should not be impatient as fine cloth such as this takes time to make." "We are very happy that you appreciate our work," said the two tailors. The tailors than asked that the High Minister bring them more jewels, silk, and gold so that they could complete their designs and patters. They pointed to the empty frames and explained where each piece must be placed. The High Minister listened with great attention and tried to remember every word they said so he could repeat their words verbatim to the Emperor.

In case you want to read what happens next, follow the link: Emperor's new suit