By Emigdi Subirats

– Once upon a time there lived a vain Emperor who wanted elegant clothes. He changed clothes every hour and loved to show them off to his people.       Two people heard of the Emperor's vanity and decided to trick him. They said they were two very good tailors and had invented an extraordinary method to weave a cloth so light and fine that it looked invisible. It was invisible for too stupid and incompetent people to appreciate its quality."

• The Emperor decided to see the two tailors.   “You will be invisible, your Highness, and we will create the colours especially for you." The emperor gave the two men a bag of gold coins and they started working on the clothes immediately.

•     The two men (scoundrels) asked for a silk, gold thread and pretended to begin working. The Emperor thought he was intelligent and his servants were ignorant and incompetent. A few days later, he called the old and intelligent prime minister.

• The Emperor told him about the project. The two men asked for more gold thread. Admire the colours! They said. The old man could not see any colour.   "I can't see anything," he thought. "If I see nothing, I'm stupid! Or, incompetent!"

• Then he said: "What a marvellous fabric. Finally, the two tailors went to see the Emperor. "Come in," the Emperor ordered. The two men (scoundrels) pretended to have a long roll of fabric.

•       "Here it is your Highness, the result of our work," they said. "We have worked night and day and the most beautiful fabric in the world is for you. Look at the colours.

• ." Of course, the Emperor did not see any colours. He panicked but nobody could know he was stupid and incompetent.

•       The farce continued. The two began cutting the air with scissors while sewing an invisible cloth.

•       "Your Highness, you'll have to take off your clothes to try on your new suit."

•       "Yes, this is a beautiful suit and it looks very good on me," the Emperor said. "You've done a very good job."

•       "Your Majesty," the prime minister said, " The people know about this extraordinary fabric and they want to see you in your new suit."

• The Emperor thought only ignorant and incompetent couldn’t see the colours.

• His carriage started a ceremonial parade. An applause welcomed the regal procession. Everyone wanted to know how stupid or incompetent his or her neighbour was but, as the Emperor passed, people were murmuring.

•       Everyone said: "Look at the Emperor's new clothes. They're beautiful!"

•       "What a marvellous suit!" •       "And the colours! The colours of that

beautiful fabric! What wonderful colours!

Nobody wanted to admit his stupidity and incompetence.

      A child said suddenly:       "The Emperor is naked, he has no

clothes "      "Silly!" his father said, running after him. "Don't say that!" and he took his child away. But the boy's words were repeated again until

everybody shouted:       "The boy is right! The Emperor is

naked! It's true!"

•       The Emperor was angry because the people were right, but he could not accept that. He continued the procession because he thought people who couldn't see his clothes were stupid or incompetent. He continued proud on his carriage, and a page held his imaginary suit

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