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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. |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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? |
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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.
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