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Long, long ago there was a mystical mythical land, covered with every imaginable tree and plant and flower. In the center of this land was a beautiful little lake of crystal clear cold blue water. On either side of the lake lived a family. One was a family of people and the other a family of dragons. No one knows how it started, but the people and the dragons were enemies. The human children got goosebumps every time they heard the stories of the fire-breathing dragons who liked to carry children off and roast them for dinner! And if you wanted to make a dragon child squeal and belch fire, just tell him about the people who came and tried to steal them and make houses out of their hides! The dragons say the people started it and the people say the dragons started it but no one really remembered anything and just repeated what they had heard. The men in the people family all became knights, and rode beautiful horses covered with purple silk blankets dotted with sparkling diamonds with spun gold buckles. They carried lances made of steel and sharpened to a point that could pierce the toughest armor. Except for dragon scales, of course. They proudly went off to war for their kings, who protected the land from strangers and strange ideas. When they went off, their wives and children always asked them why. The answer was, "Because that’s what people do."

Sometimes the women and children watched the battles from a distance, always making sure the human children were close at hand so they would not be taken by dragons and roasted for dinner. Because that’s what dragons do.

 What the people didn’t have was a way to start fires, so they had to always keep a fire going, even on the hottest summer days. Unlike dragons, who barbecue their food with their breath, people needed fire to cook theirs.

The dragons had purple bodies and translucent scales with blue and pink swirls. Their teeth were made of diamonds and their toenails were made of gold. They liked to play and held mock battles and tournaments and athletic events as often as possible. Sometimes these events got very competitive and the male dragons got into fights over their team. When the dragon women and children asked them why, they said, "Because that’s what dragons do!

Now dragons love to have spectators at their events so the families usually came. The dragon mommies always kept the dragon children close, of course, to make sure no sneaky humans captured them and made walls out of their scales. Because that’s what people do.

The only weakness dragons have is that they tend to overheat, breathing fire and all. So they needed lots of water to keep them cool. Lake water was too cold and could give them brain freeze (yes, even dragons get brain freeze!) so they gathered water in rain barrels and swimming pools.

Most times the dragons and people did OK. The people men went out and fought each other because that’s what people do and the dragon men went out and fought each other because that’s what dragons do. But once in a while the fire would go out or the water would run dry. That’s when the REAL problems began.

When the fire went out the bravest of the people men would go out and pick a fight with the dragon men. When the people women and children asked them why, they said, "Because that’s what people do!" They carried torches that were lit with the dragon fire and brought home to the people. A few burns and bruises were worth the price of getting the fires started again.

 

When the dragon children asked why the people picked a fight with the dragons, their mommies answered the same thing, "That’s what people do!"

When the water ran out the dragon men would go and pick a fight with the human men. When the dragon women and children asked why, the answer was, "Because that’s what dragons do!" They breathed fire at the people and the people tried to put out the fire with water from their well. The dragons all carried buckets and caught the water with the buckets. Now dragons don’t have scales on their bellies so once in a while they got hurt by the people lances, but it was worth the price of getting the water.

When the people children asked why the dragons picked a fight with the people, their mommies answered the same thing, "That’s what dragons do!"

So this went on for years and years and years. Dragons would run out of water and pick a fight with people because that’s what dragons do. People’s fires would go out and they would pick a fight with dragons, because that’s what people do. But dragons and people are also smart, and didn’t stop at just getting water and fire. For, you see, each group had something else that the other wanted.

More than anything in the world, people love gold and diamonds. Dragon teeth, which are made of diamonds and dragon claws, which are made of gold, fell out easily and were replaced almost at once. While the dragon men and people men were fighting and paying no attention to them, the people women picked up the teeth and claws that fell out and brought them back home. They sewed the diamonds into the horse blankets and made buckles out of the gold.

 

More than anything in the world, dragons love watermelons. Breathing fire and all, there is nothing more soothing to a dragons tongue than an ice cold watermelon (watermelon brain freeze isn’t as bad as lake water brain freeze). While the people men and dragon men were fighting and paying no attention to them, the dragon women stole watermelons from the people windowsills. They served them at the athletic competitions.

This went on for years and years. Dragon men would pick fights with people men and dragon women would steal watermelons, because that’s what dragons do. People men would pick fights with dragon men and people women would steal diamonds and gold, because that’s what people do.

Until a people child with more curiosity than sense came along. One day, a horrible rain storm put out all the people fires so her daddy said he had to go pick a fight with a dragon. When she asked why he answered, "Because that’s what people do!"

Her mother prepared to go and steal gold and diamonds but told her she needed to stay home so she wouldn’t be caught and barbecued and served for dinner. Because that’s what dragons do.

But she followed anyway. She watched the battle and the women sneaking to pick up the gold and diamonds. She saw what happened but still wondered why. So she waited until one day the people men went off to battle and the people women were watching them. She went across the lake and knocked on the dragon’s door. She politely asked to talk to a dragon, she had some questions she wanted answered.

Luckily the old, wise dragon grandfather answered the door (most everyone else was at a tournament) and was highly amused by the little girl with so much spunk. He sent out his youngest grandson to fight. Because of course she must be there to fight, as that’s what people do.

When the boy just stood there and looked at her, she asked him why he wasn’t trying to cook her and eat her for dinner. Because, of course, that’s what dragons do. He was amazed at the idea, and replied that dragons are vegetarians and HIS favorite food was not humans, but watermelons.

He then asked her why she wasn’t trying to capture and skin him and make a house out of his scales. Because, of course, that’s what humans do. She laughed and replied that you could see through dragon scales and no one wanted to make see-through house.

Both started to talk and once, saying, "Well what DO people do?" and "Well, what DO dragons do?"

Well, since they were at the dragon boy’s house they started with dragon things. He took her to the sulphur mine and showed her what the dragons do when they run low on fire. They merely eat sulphur on a stick. And if they want just a short burst of fire they strike the stick on a rough surface. (We call this lighting a match) These people had never heard of matches.

As amazed as she was with that, she was even more amazed when he took her to the trash pile, which was filled with diamonds and gold — dragon teeth and toenails. When she told him that the people women stole the teeth and toenails during the battles he laughed and told her that they could have all they wanted, why did they never ask?

After a while they got bored with dragon things so he took her on his back and they flew across the lake to his house. It was a very hot day and flying takes quite a bit out of dragons so he asked for water. He was amazed when she went to the well and pulled up a bucket of clear, fresh, non-brainfreezing water. Dragons had never heard of wells

But the BEST part of the day was when she asked him if he was hungry and brought him sixteen watermelons. He protested that he couldn’t accept such a valuable gift but she showed him the garden full of watermelons and said that there was plenty for all. He told her the story of how his mothers and aunts and sisters and cousins stole the watermelons during battles. She laughed and said that the dragons were welcome to all of the watermelons they wanted, why did they never ask?

By this time both had become fast friends. The dragon discovered that the human’s feet running across that itchy spot on his back really made it feel better. The human found that his scales were smooth and slippery and used him like a playground slide. They set up a garden hose and ran through it playing "car wash." He entertained her by blowing smoke rings and flying through them with her on his back. She entertained him by blowing bubbles in the colors of the scales on his back.

When the people men and people women came back they saw a little girl sliding down the back of a dragon who was blowing smoke animals in between bites of watermelon. The women screamed and the men drew their swords but the little girl yelled, "Stop!" and told them all about the wonders of dragons and how they didn’t cook little children but loved watermelons and had piles and piles of diamond teeth and gold claws just for the picking .

The people men and people women asked how she found out about these things and she said, "I asked, that’s what children do!"

Well, the people were so thrilled that they gathered up 348 watermelons and the plans to drill a well, hopped on the dragons back and flew home with him.

When the dragon family saw them, they panicked, thinking that the humans had come to take all of their hides to build houses with. The boy dragon explained that people didn’t make houses out of dragon scales but they did grow wonderful watermelons and drilled wells for water. They asked the boy dragon how he learned all the wonderful things about dragons and he answered, "I asked, that’s what children do!"

The people laughed and gave the watermelons and plans for a well to the dragons. The dragons laughed and gave the people diamonds and gold and taught them how to make matches. Ever since the dragons and the humans have lived in peace and harmony, because that’s what friends do.

.Now I wish I could say that the people and the dragons took the lessons they learned from each other and used them with their own kind, but they didn’t. People still go off to war, because that’s what people do. Dragons still get carried away at tournament and start fights, because that’s what dragons do. Maybe YOU can learn from my story and help people get along with each other just like our friends get along with dragons. Don’t be afraid of people who are different from you and ideas that are different from yours, just ask questions. Because that’s what children do.

 

This story is dedicated to my daughter Danielle, who loves dragons and dragon tales.
She named her dragon Little Norbert

   

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