The Tailor in Heaven (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The tailor arrives at heavens gate and gains entry
On a beautiful day, God decided to enjoy himself in the heavenly garden and took all the apostles and saints with him, leaving only Saint Peter behind to guard heaven's entrance. The Lord commanded Peter to let no one enter during his absence, so Peter stood by the door keeping watch. Before long, someone knocked at the gate. When Peter asked who was there and what they wanted, a smooth voice replied that it was a poor, honest tailor praying for admission.
Honest indeed... like the thief on the gallows! Thou hast been light-fingered and hast snipped folks' clothes away. Thou wilt not get into heaven.
The tailor pleaded for mercy, explaining that little scraps falling from tables were not stolen and hardly worth mentioning. He described his lameness and blistered feet from the long journey, claiming he could not turn back. The tailor promised to do all the rough work in heaven - carrying children, washing their clothes, cleaning benches, and patching torn garments.
Forbidden curiosity leads to sitting on Gods throne
Saint Peter let himself be moved by pity, and opened the door of heaven just wide enough for the lame tailor to slip his lean body in.
Peter forced the tailor to sit quietly in a corner behind the door, warning him to stay there peacefully so the Lord would not notice him upon his return. The tailor obeyed initially, but when Saint Peter stepped outside, curiosity overcame him. He rose and explored every corner of heaven, inspecting the arrangement of each place. Eventually, he discovered an area with many beautiful chairs, and in their midst stood a magnificent golden seat set with shining jewels, much higher than the others, with a golden footstool before it. This was the Lord's throne, from which he could see everything happening on earth.
The tailor judges and punishes the thief
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 master his curiosity no longer, and climbed up.
Once seated on God's throne, the tailor could see everything happening on earth. He observed an ugly old woman standing by a stream, washing clothes while secretly laying two veils aside for herself.
The sight of this made the tailor so angry that he laid hold of the golden footstool, and threw it down to earth through heaven, at the old thief.
Unable to retrieve the footstool, the tailor quietly slipped out of the chair, returned to his place behind the door, and behaved as if he had never moved from the spot. When the Lord and his heavenly companions returned, he did not immediately notice the tailor, but when he seated himself on his throne, the footstool was missing.
The Lord asked Saint Peter what had become of the stool, but Peter claimed ignorance. When asked if anyone had been admitted, Peter replied that he knew of no one except a lame tailor still sitting behind the door.
Gods return, confrontation, and the tailors banishment
The Lord summoned the tailor and questioned him about the missing footstool. The tailor joyously confessed that he had thrown it down to earth in anger at an old woman he saw stealing two veils while washing.
Oh, thou knave... were I to judge as thou judgest, how dost thou think thou couldst have escaped so long? I should long ago have had no chairs, benches, seats.
The Lord explained that if he judged as harshly as the tailor, he would have thrown everything down at sinners long ago, leaving heaven without furniture. He declared that the tailor could no longer remain in heaven and must leave immediately.
Henceforth thou canst stay no longer in heaven, but must go outside the door again... No one shall give punishment here, but I alone, the Lord.
Saint Peter was obliged to escort the tailor out of heaven. With his torn shoes and blistered feet, the banished tailor took a stick in his hand and went to "Wait-a-bit," the place where good soldiers sit and make merry.