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Story: New Clothes for Emperor Forti

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Emperor Forti
Stories from the Forticlub

A long time ago there lived an Emperor Forti, who did nothing but spend all his money on new clothes. He had clothes for every hour of every day. The city where the Emperor Forti lived was very busy and happy. Tailors arrived every day from all over the world to sew the most marvellous clothes for the Emperor Forti. One day, two crooks arrived pretending to be tailors, telling everyone that they could make the most beautiful cloths with original colours and designs. The Emperor Forti was fascinated and immediately gave the two crooks a lot of money so that they could get to work straight away.

The crooks set up a loom and pretended to be working. Meanwhile, the finest silk and the best quality gold was supplied to them. But the Emperor Forti was anxious to see the cloth and sent his old and dignified minister to the room where the two supposed weavers were working. The minister had a shock when he walked into the room “My goodness! I don’t see anything!". But he didn’t say a word. The two crooks invited him closer and asked him if he thought that the colours and designs were magnificent. They showed him the empty loom and the poor man’s eyes widened, without seeing anything. But the crooks insisted: “What do you think about the weaving?”

The man was frightened and in the end he said that he thought that everything was beautiful, marvellous and that he would tell the Emperor Forti that he had liked everything. And this is what he did. The swindlers asked for more money, more gold, and they were given it.

Later, the Emperor Forti sent another minister to inspect the work of the two criminals. And the same thing happened to him as to the first one. But he also left the room convinced that there was something, that the work was wonderful. The Emperor Forti wanted to see the wonder with his own eyes. Followed by his retinue, he entered the house of the criminals. He saw nothing when he entered. The crooks asked him about the wonderful work and the Emperor Forti though: What! I don`t see anything. This is terrible. Am I stupid or maybe not good enough to be Emperor? That would be awful". Fearful of loosing his throne, the Emperor Forti said: - Ah, yes, it is very beautiful. I like it a lot. I approve.

His whole retinue looked at him and looked again. And they didn’t understand Emperor Forti, who didn’t tire of complimenting the clothes and materials. And he suggested that he would wear the clothes for the first time in the next procession. The Emperor Forti decorated both of the swindlers and named them imperial weavers. Without seeing anything, the Emperor Forti tried the clothes on in front of the mirror. He tried them again and again, without seeing anything. And everyone exclaimed: “How well it fits him! They are beautiful clothes!”.

The procession waited for him outside. And the Emperor Forti went outside and paraded around the streets of the town without wearing any clothes. Nobody wanted to admit that they couldn’t see anything because they didn’t want to be labelled incapable or stupid, until a child suddenly exclaimed:

- But he has nothing on!
- My goodness, listen to the voice of innocence! Said his father; and everyone started to repeat what they had just heard the little boy say.
- He’s got no clothes on; a little boy says that he has got no clothes on!
- But he has nothing on! - he shouted, the whole town found out in the end. This made the Emperor Forti uncomfortable, because he suspected that the people were right; but he though: I must hold on until the end". And he carried on, more arrogantly than before; and the servants continued to carry the non-existent train.

THE END (based on the story "The Emperor’s New Clothes")