The Emperor's New Clothes

Once upon a time there was an emperor who loved clothes. He changed his outfit every hour and spent the country's money on garments. One day two swindlers came to the city. "We weave the finest cloth in the world," they said. "And this cloth has a special quality: fools and those unfit for their office cannot see it."

The emperor was thrilled. "If I wear clothes made of this cloth, I'll know who is clever and who is a fool!" He gave the swindlers plenty of gold. They sat at empty looms and waved their hands about as if they were weaving.

After a while the emperor sent his old minister to look at the cloth. The minister looked at the loom and saw nothing. "Am I a fool? I must not tell anyone!" he thought, and reported to the emperor, "Magnificent! The colors, the patterns, wonderful!" Then another official went; he said the same. Finally the emperor went himself. He looked at the empty loom and saw nothing. "Am I a fool? Am I not fit to be emperor? No, impossible!" he thought, and cried: "Beautiful! I love it!"

The swindlers "sewed" invisible clothes from the invisible cloth and "dressed" the emperor in them. The emperor looked in the mirror, saw nothing, but everyone was saying, "How well it suits you!" A great procession was arranged. The emperor walked through the streets in his underwear. The people, with the same fear, shouted, "What wonderful clothes!" Nobody wanted to look like a fool.

Then, from the crowd, a small child called out: "But the emperor has nothing on!"

First there was silence. Then the child's father said, "He's right." Then someone else, and someone else... The whole crowd began to laugh: "He has nothing on!"

The emperor heard this, and he understood. But so that the procession would not be spoiled, he held his head high and kept walking. That day everyone learned something: a lie does not become true just because everyone tells it. And sometimes the courage of a single child is enough to tell the truth.