by Jessica
There was once a small peaceful little village
nestled in between two mountain peaks in the Yung mountain range in China.
There, on a small farm, two brothers lived. The older brother was quite
arrogant and also pessimistic. He despised working in the fields, always
complaining. But the younger brother worked hard and made the best of things.
Although they were different, they lived without any problems until a few
days after the harvest and before the big New Year Celebration.
The two brothers had just sat down to a breakfast of rice porridge when
they heard a constant pounding on the door. Hastily, the brothers raced
to the door. It flung open, and their neighbor stood in front of the brothers,
wide-eyed , and trying to catch his breath.
"A dragon ... is coming ... into the village. Someone saw it and said
it was headed here."
"A real dragon?" asked the older brother,
not wanting to believe the neighbor.
"Yes. With a ferocious appetite and breathing fire, too," the
neighbor replied.
"That could ruin our fields! Or the New Year Celebration! Well all
die," moaned the older brother. He stumbled over to his chair and plopped
down. "Nothing could be worse."
The most I can do is to wish you good luck, the neighbor said and left.
Our harvest will be ruined for sure. The Temple and the whole village, too.
Our house will be destroyed. And there is nothing we can do about it,"
the older brother complained.
"Well, maybe we could stop the dragon."
"Are you insane? This is a dragon were talking about!" interrupted
the older brother.
"Well, it won't help to complain, the younger brother pointed out."
"What else is there to do?"
The younger brother just shook his head and started outside. He headed toward
the village, and when he got there, discovered how much chaos the dragon
had caused even though it had not reached the village yet.
Everyone was ranting about the dragon and the horrible fate that they were
certain would befall them. I guess the village will soon be gone, some would
say, or Theres just nothing we can do to stop that dragon! The people were
resigned to the destruction and death that they knew was imminent. Many
made themselves a bowl of rice and a cup of tea and hid under their sleeping
mats, hoping the dragon wouldnt find them.
But the younger brother knew he couldnt just hide. He had to do something.
He knew he was much smaller than the dragon, but what if he could disguise
himself? Suddenly, an idea hit him. He didnt have much time . . .
Meanwhile, the dragon, his wings like two mammoth sails filled with wind,
flew into the village. His great size made a wide shadow under his monstrous
body like a mountain casts a shadow on a valley. His eyes were silver with
a glint of white, the color of death. He roared like a raging sea in a winter
storm, and he breathed fire the color of the orange sun, crumbling houses
like they were made of sand, whipping down bamboo stalks with his tail.
He could set a field on fire in one breath. But even worse, he was getting
closer and closer to the kites and lanterns, which had been stored for the
New Year Celebration soon to take place.
The younger brother hurried on and reached the place where all the kites
and lanterns were stored. He knew exactly what he wanted. Hastily, he found
some bamboo sticks filled with gunpowderfirecrackers, and a huge dragon
kite. Then hurrying through the empty village, the younger brother raced
home.
Before the younger brother arrived, the older brother was slumped in a chair,
his head in his hands. Well spend the whole New Year repairing all the houses,
and working the fields. That is - if we're even alive for the New Year,
complained the brother.
Suddenly, an ear-splitting crash interrupted
his curses. Half of the house crumbled in a heap, with a mere flick of the
dragons tail. Then two silver eyes stared at him menacingly, and a tongue
as black as coal, slurped him up. And it was then, as he approached his
home, that the younger brother heard a roar like thunder and knew it was
too late.
"I couldn't save my brother, but Ill save everyone else," he said
determinedly, and walked out into the field.
The dragon was still poking around the remains of the house, looking for
dessert, when he saw what looked like lightening. Angry, he roared, with
black smoke curling from a mouth gaping wide, and gazed up. And there before
him was a monstrous purple dragon.
"What are you doing here?" snorted the raging dragon.
"Why, this is my territory!" bellowed the younger brother, pretending
to be the dragon, which was actually the kite.
"Well, too bad. Youre going to have to make me leave, then!"
"I have mighty powers and will use them on you!" The brother threw
a lit firecracker at the dragon and it exploded into a brilliant shower
of emerald green and ear-splitting pops reverberated everywhere. The ferocious
dragon, frightened now, mumbled, I suppose youre right. Youre lucky you
have such powers, or I would own this land. Reluctantly, but not knowing
what else to do, the dragon left the village, never to be seen again.
There was a special ceremony for the older brother, and with help, the brothers
house was rebuilt. Thanks to the younger brother, the village was saved,
and the New Year Celebration went on as planned. Everyone agrees on one
thing, and that is that the celebration that year was certainly the best
ever.
It is better to light a candle than
to curse the darkness.