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Once upon a time, there was a vain and silly Emperor
who ruled the land
. The Emperor
loved clothing more than anything else. He ignored the duties of ruling the country and spent most of his time buying new suits
of clothes
, trying them on, and having official parades in which he showed off his clothes
.
The Emperor's
vanity was known far and wide across the land. Two scoundrels from a distant town
heard about the silly Emperor
and devised a clever plan to fool him. The scoundrels made a loom from wood
and went to the Emperor
pretending to be weavers and tailors.
The scoundrels told the Emperor
, "We know a secret way to make a magical
, golden
cloth
that is the most beautiful cloth
ever created. The patterns are so intricate that they will make you swoon with disbelief. And the fabric
is as light a feather
. But, this incredible cloth
is only visible
to people
who are wise and worthy; it is fit only for rulers who are worthy of their office -- fools
cannot even see
this magical
cloth
. If you would like, Sire, we could weave you some of this magical
cloth
and make you a suit
of clothes
that is suitable for a man
of your distinction. It will take us a week."
The Emperor
said, "Yes, of course I want a suit
made from this magical
cloth
. You must begin at once." The Emperor
ran off and began planning a parade to show off the new outfit he would soon have. Soon the whole town
was excited about the Emperor's
new magical
suit
of clothes
.
The crooks gave the Emperor's
men

a list of supplies they would need, including many chests full of gold
and spools of fine silk thread
. After the gold
and silk arrived, the scoundrels set up their loom in a room in the castle
and pretended to weave, using make-believe invisible thread
.
After a few days
, the Emperor
sent his Prime Minister
to check on the progress of the weavers. The Prime Minister
entered the room but couldn't see
any magical
thread
or magical
cloth
. The scoundrels were busy measuring
and cutting
and sewing
the invisible cloth
. The Prime Minister
was very upset about this, and was afraid that he must be a fool
and unworthy of his office because he couldn't see
the magical
cloth
. When he reported back to the Emperor
, he lied and said that the magical
fabric
had a pattern so beautiful that no words that could describe it and that the colors were brighter than a rainbow
. The Emperor
was very happy and could hardly wait for his new suit
.
In a few more days
, the Emperor's
new suit
was finished. The Emperor
and his men

happily entered the room. Neither the Emperor
nor his men

could see
the magical
clothing
. But each person was afraid to admit it because that would mean he was foolish and unworthy of his position. So everyone said that the clothes
were beautiful and amazing, even though no one could see a thing.
The scoundrels told the Emperor
to undress
, and he did. Then the crooks pretended to dress him in the magical
clothes
. They carefully dressed the Emperor in the invisible pants
, shirt
, and cloak. When they were done, each of the Emperor's men

congratulated him on his beautiful new suit
, and the Emperor
nodded in agreement -- but the Emperor
was only wearing his underwear
.
The Emperor
and his men

left the castle
and headed the parade that was walking through the town
. He was very proud of his new, magical
suit
. At first, people
gasped when they saw a nearly-naked Emperor
walking through the town
. Then they remembered that only fools
couldn't see
these magical
clothes
, so they began cheering and congratulating the Emperor
on a magnificent suit
of clothes
.
Suddenly, one small child
spoke the truth. She pointed
at the Emperor
and said, "The Emperor
is only wearing his underwear."
Everyone in the crowd
gasped. They knew it was true, and all cried out, "The Emperor
is only wearing his underwear."
The Emperor
turned red with embarrassment but wouldn't admit that he had been fooled. He continued with the silly parade and eventually went back to his castle,
where he put on some clothes
.

The moral of the story: Think for yourself. Don't be pressured or scared into going along with things that you know aren't right. |
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