Dragon Hoard

The dragon was in a very bad mood. Sparks of indignation, rage, dissatisfaction, and fear flew from her nostrils on a daily basis. She treated herself and everyone around her badly. She had even stopped getting her beautiful claws polished. The once glittery golden claws were black and jagged and did not work very well anymore.

The dragon was bored. She was bored with her company, bored with her hoard, and was even starting to be bored with herself.

Her jester was at a loss. Juggling baubles stolen from faraway crowns did not interest her anymore. When he read her a story she would yawn and turn her green scaly back on him. She was just never in the mood to explore her own kingdom, much less faraway lands anymore.

Finally one day her magician announced to the dispirited retinue that he had a solution. A new magic book had come onto the market that had never been seen before. The title was “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” By Marie Kondo. After reading it, the magician knew exactly what to do.

“Ready the catapults!,” ordered the magician as he knocked on the door to the dragon’s lair.

“Come in!” the dragon hissed, “…if you can,” she added quietly.

The magician lifted the heavy bronze latch and slowly opened the carved mahogany door. A hoard of treasures lay all around the floor in an untidy heap. The magician felt the urge to flee, but he knew that the dragon’s breath would catch him, no matter how fast he tried to run. He gathered his courage and stood, steadying himself by holding onto a magnificent scepter that was leaning against the stone wall. He tried to breathe, but the air was dank and heavy. As he gripped the scepter an amethyst the size of walnut began to glow from its silver filigree setting in the top.

The dragon had been lying in the midst of the expensive chaos with her massive shoulders hunched and her toes tucked under her gnarly feet. As the amethyst started to twinkle, the tip of her tail began a slight twitch. The amethyst responded by brightening more. The dragons tail moved more. Bit by bit, the dragon realized the unusual feeling in her tail was joy! She hadn’t felt joy in a long while and didn’t quite trust it yet. But yes, it was unmistakable now.

“You may speak,” said the dragon.

The amethyst’s glow had restored the magician’s courage as well. He bowed and took a long breath before speaking.

“A new magic book has recently appeared. I think its spells and potions may have some validity. May I have your permission to enact some of the magic?”

“Boring! Books are boring. All my treasures are boring. Why should I acquiesce?”

“I notice there is one possession that is not boring. This magnificent specter sparks joy, does it not?” The amethyst glowed and the dragon had to agree.

She nodded. “You may continue.”

“You have had a splendid career amassing treasure upon treasure. Acquiring the rarest jewels and finest artwork in the world used to be fun. But now all that accumulation has you stuck, and your life is no longer fun. My proposal is to keep what sparks joy and catapult the rest. That will leave room in your lair for more treasures.”

“You may have a point. But what will happen to the treasures that are catapulted?”

“That remains to be seen. They are not doing any good here. Maybe they can bless your subjects and find new meaning for themselves as well.”

“This is overwhelming. How do I even start?”

The magician handed the dragon the scepter. “Your scepter can help you decide what stays and what goes. Simply point it at an object. If it lights up, keep it. If it stays dark, to the catapult it goes.”

The dragon gazed at the scepter. It had been a gift from her grandfather, one of the most powerful and wisest of all the dragons in the land. Slowly she began to remember his lessons. He had told her that what she gave away would come back to her tenfold. If she gave grimaces, grimaces would return tenfold. If she gave a golden ring away, in time, ten golden rings would return to her. At the time, she had thought they were just sentimental musings from an old worn-out dragon and paid him no heed. After all, if she gave her grand piano away, where would she put the ten grand pianos that would surely turn up the next day?

But that was not the most ridiculous thing he had told her. He had said that she should always be grateful no matter what. That is easy when good things happen to you. You pause to thank the apple tree and the baker before you eat the apple pie. But not so easy when obstacles clutter your path. Why be grateful when bad luck or bad people get in your way? When she asked her grandfather dragon why, he said. “Because, dearest granddaughter, setbacks help you grow in strength and character. And a fine character is the most precious treasure you can own”

The dragon lifted the scepter and pointed at an ornate silver gravy boat. It was tarnished and small. The scepter did not flicker. The magician darted over and picked up the gravy boat and put it inside pocket of his cloak before the dragon had a chance to change her mind.

Next the dragon pointed the scepter at a dirty pile of glass in the corner. The scepter gleamed its special purple light.

“Silly scepter, what do you mean? That is just trash over there in the corner, and you are shining? Why?”

The magician picked his way over the pile of glass. He slowly picked up a piece. It was attached to a delicate chain covered in dust. Then he picked up another and then another. All the glass shards were connected to fine chains. He wiped his purple handkerchief over one and a radiant prism appeared. “Now I remember! That was my first toy! It was hanging over my nest when I was hatched!. The magician cleaned and hung the prisms in the window. Dancing flecks of color kissed the room.

No longer bored, the dragon pointed the scepter at one item after another. The magician had to call for help to remove great piles of jewels, embroideries, books and trinkets from the dragon’s hoard. The real treasures that sparked joy stayed in the room and were arranged decoratively.

At last only one item remained. The dragon simply could not bring herself to point the scepter at her grand piano. She didn’t know where she would put ten pianos if the scepter didn’t like it, and it got catapulted.

The scribe inked flyers to be distributed throughout the kingdom. They read: Catapult Day! The dragon will be throwing her treasures over the wall. Come one and come all! Just bring a grateful heart and there will be a gift for every subject. In small print the flyer also said. “If you take more than you need, you will be thrown into the cooking pot.”

At the appointed day and time, subjects from all over the realm gathered at the castle wall. The first object came sailing into view. It was a tarnished silver gravy boat. A river rat stepped forward and bowed. “I would like that gravy boat. My wife and I will polish it till it gleams and open a ferry across the stream to allow small animals to cross safely.”

A small light came into the dragon’s dull eyes. ”See?,” the magician whispered into the dragon’s ear. “Giving things away can spark joy. You would never have time to ferry your tiniest subjects across the river. The rat is grateful. And that gratefulness will grow as he spreads safe rides across the river to other tiny subjects.”

Next, jewels, embroideries, and books came over the wall. They came faster and faster. Each item found a place in the kingdom where it could benefit or bless.

Unfortunately, not all the subjects were grateful. A greedy skarpa was among the subjects. She scurried around the crowd making up stories and tricking the fine subjects into giving her their treasures. She lied and said she was in greater need, that she was feeding twelve babies. The generous subjects gave her their gifts.

Finally, all of the unwanted treasures had been catapulted into the realm. The dragon was left with only what she truly loved around her. She was happy. The colors from her prisms danced around her as the court jester played jazz tunes on her grand piano.

But the next day, the joy in the realm was turned to dismay. The skarpa had cheated the subjects of their treasures. The skarpa had a great hoard of treasures and was charging exorbitant fees for the use of the books, jewels and embroideries.

The chef of the realm went to the magician to complain. “I was gifted the ‘Joy of Cooking.’” I gave it to the skarpa so she could cook for her children. I assumed she would let me use it. But now she says I need to pay four radishes to see one recipe! I need those radishes to feed the dragon’s retinue and my family.”

When the magician told the dragon about the misuse of her treasures, she summoned the judge.

“Judge, this is in your hands,” sighed the dragon. “I decree that this kingdom will be ruled under the laws of gratitude and reciprocity. Greed will not be tolerated.”

The skarpa was brought before the court. One by one, witnesses came forward and told how the skarpa had lied and tricked them into handing over their treasures.

“Skarpa, what do you have to say for yourself?” asked the judge.

“Those treasures are mine. I got them fair and square using my superior wit and cunning. I can do what I please with them. Because of the inconvenience this trial has caused me, I have raised the price of a recipe from four radishes to five radishes.”

The magician quietly entered the court and handed the judge a copy of the original flyer. The judge read it and stood to deliver the verdict.

“The law of the land states that if you take more than you need, you will be thrown into the cooking pot. I sentence, you, Skarpa, to the cooking pot.”

From that day to this, the dragon’s realm has prospered. The subjects take what they need and no more. When a subject gets greedy, he or she is relegated to the cooking pot. The dragon enjoys her lair and is now learning to play the piano herself. She is never bored.