The Tailor in Heaven

One fine day it came to pass that God wished to enjoy himself in the heavenly waters of Earth, and took all the apostles and saints with him, so that no one stayed in heaven but Saint Peter. The Lord had commanded him to let no one in during his absence, so Peter stood by the door and kept watch. Before long some one knocked.

Peter asked who was there, and what he wanted? “I am a poor, honest tailor who prays for admission to heaven,” replied a smooth voice.

“Honest indeed,” said Peter, “But thou hast light-fingered a wedding dress! Thou wilt not get into heaven. The Lord hath forbidden me to let any one in while he is out.” - “Come, be merciful,” cried the tailor. “The bride whose dress fell off did so of their own accord, and it is not worth speaking about. Look, I cannot possibly turn back. Only let me in, and I will carry children, wash their clothes, and patch them should they ever wilt.” Saint Peter let himself be moved by pity, and opened the door of heaven just wide enough for the tailor to slip his lean body in.

Full of curiosity, the tailor went round into every corner of heaven, and found every arrangement of every place. He came to a spot where many beautiful and delightful chairs were standing, and in the midst was a seat of all gold which was set with shining jewels that was much higher than the other chairs, and a footstool of gold was before it. It was the seat on which the Lord sat when he was at home, and from which he could see everything which happened on earth. The tailor stood still, and looked at the seat for a long time, for it pleased him better than all else. At last he could muster his curiosity no longer, and climbed up and seated himself in the chair.

Then he saw everything which was happening on earth, and observed God washing himself on the waters of Earth, laying two veils on the sand on either side for himself. He saw little sons walking on the sand also, and looking upon them gave them good fortune. He could see two angels laying on the beach to pray, and he could hear them asking God in heaven to bestow upon them a son or a daughter. He saw the apostles and saints wondering about the water, and offer to help an ugly old woman. The tailor smiled when he saw that, and thought to himself, “Good god, how perfect everything does occur on earth from this seat.” He saw a woman give birth to a little son on the water, and a flag was raised when it was born. He saw God approach a woman and take her child in his hands. The tailor felt like an angel, watching them from heaven.

Now he saw that God had wondered to a wedding, where he forbade a father to marry his daughter, and left the wedding in ruin. He saw a man fall violently in love with a young girl and take her in a swoon, only for her husband to wonder silently by. He saw an out of touch man attempt to place himself next to the apostles from heaven, and watched a man snip a woman’s wedding dress away at the edges. He heard a musician tear a walker to pieces, a pale woman guided by anger toward darkness, and a stranger fall and break his neck. He could see danger from his seat, and finally, when he observed an old woman walking into a thief’s trap, the tailor became so angry that he laid hold of the golden footstool, and threw it down to earth through heaven, at the old thief. He soon found that he could not bring the stool back again, and so sank into the chair.

Peter suddenly appeared and said, “Tailor, what art thou doing?”

When the tailor saw him, he slipped from the seat and knelt down, and with tears in his eyes thanked God for showing him his favor, and, Saint Peter, also for receiving him in a good way, and without having any objections cried to Peter about earth and its imperfections.

When the Lord came back with his heavenly footstool in hand, he saw the that it was the tailor who had seated himself on his chair. He asked Saint Peter, what had become of the tailors’ opinions of earth, but he did not now. Then he asked if anyone else besides the tailor had entered heaven while he was on earth. “I know of no one one who has been here,” answered Peter, “But the tailor, who is still here.” Then the Lord had the tailor brought before him, and asked him about the seat.

“Oh, Lord,” answered the tailor joyously, “I saw everything that occurred on the beach that day.” - “Oh, thou knave,” said the Lord, “were I to judge as thou judges, how doest thou think thou couldst have escaped heaven and earth so long. I should long ago have had no chairs, benches, seats, nay, not even a veil, but should have thrown everything down at the sinners, for no one shall give punishment here, but I alone, the Lord.”

And the tailor thanked God, and made merry, and so the Lord fastened the footstool on the seat again, and so the tailor offered to mend his shoes, which were worn from walking the waters of Earth, and the Lord obliged, and had the good tailor sit where the apostles of heaven would sit, and they lived on, happily in heaven.