Mabsoot

One day, not too long ago the people in a village were sad. It´s not that they were unhappy; not really. They had forgotten how to laugh. It´s as simple as that. They couldn´t find joy in little things anymore. In fact, they were so sad all the time that a dark fog had engulfed the whole village: and they didn´t even notice.

Then on another day, a little elf came to that village: the sweetest, cutest elf you could ever imagine. And guess what? He thought them how to laugh again. He showed them how to find joy in every day little things.

Little by little the fog over the village lifted and let the sun shone brightly through. The people started feeling better: they greeted each other when they met in the street, they were able to stop and marvel at their surroundings: they smiled again!

They insisted on the little elf staying with them. But you see: the little elf had blown in from the desert. He had kind of a nomadic soul. He loved his sand dunes where he would converse with genies and animals, big and tiny. However, after long debate the little elf decided to stay and make it his mission to see that the people in the village remained happy and didn´t fall back into their old ways.

The people built him a little house; the sweetest, cutest you could ever imagine. Little elf opened up an eating saloon and he really enjoyed himself. All morning he would make and bake the most delicious food. People couldn´t get enough of his colourful cabbage soup after a hard workday. Refresh themselves with rainbow milk and have banana pudding for dessert. They would talk to each other and help each other out when somebody needed help. On such days little elf would make chocolate salami because children especially loved that. On special holidays he would create 1001 tiramisus. It was a magical experience! It´s not that the food made them fly on a broom or something. But the delight of little elf´s food chased away even the darkest of thoughts!

Then, on yet another day at dusk the burgomaster came running into the saloon. Little elf was preparing spinach pancakes for breakfast:

- “´Morning mister Burgomaster.”

The Burgomaster seemed very upset; he didn´t even answer the little elf´s greeting. He was indeed very worried.

- “Oh my, mister Burgomaster you look white as a ghost´s sheet! What on earth is the matter? Please do sit down and let me get you some upside-down cake. It will make you feel better. Boy, oh boy: you look mighty upset!” said little elf.

But the Burgomaster kept huffing and puffing.

- “No! no… please.”

Little elf noticed that he stood shaking on his legs.

- “D… dr…. dragon!”

Little elf looked at the Burgomaster in wonder.

- “A dragon is here? That´s wonderful!” said little elf and he made a jump for joy.

- “I shall prepare a princely banquet to welcome him!”

The burgomaster started to shake his head violently:

- “No! have you lost your mind?”

The little elf furrowed his brows.

- “Why? You don´t like the dragon?” little elf asked. He gave the Burgomaster a glass of sweet water so he could catch his breath and regain his strength.

- “He came out of nowhere. He flew over spitting fire left and right!” cried the Burgomaster.

- “Calm yourself, good man! Let me get you some hedgehog cheesecake perhaps….”

- “No! No! No!” the burgomaster shouted, “We have to come up with a plan to kill this dragon!”

Now the little elf started crying: “Oh my! Kill? You can´t possibly be serious mister Burgomaster!”

- “Yes! Yes, I am! Profoundly serious!” the Burgomaster answered in a serious and very loud voice!

The little elf was really worried now.

- “No! No, mister Burgomaster!” he said in a firm voice. This puzzled the Burgomaster.

- “No killing! For all we know, the dragon is already gone. Come look and see mister Burgomaster. The sky is pink: isn´t that beautiful? I´m sure it will be such a lovely day today. Why spoil it?” little elf came from behind the counter and took the burgomaster to the window.

- “First you will eat, and then we can go look at that burned field, what do you say mister burgomaster?”

The Burgomaster found that he was indeed hungry, so he sat down and enjoyed the spiced chai tea, and some bacon cinnamon rolls little elf served him.

When everybody had their breakfast, they all went to look at the damage the dragon had caused together.

A wave of warm air blew towards them, and the smell of smoke filled their nostrils, but the dragon was nowhere to be seen. Maybe the dragon really had moved on. All the people started to tend to the burned field and then went on about their day.

The next morning: the burgomaster came running in again while little elf was putting some croissants in the oven. The dragon did it again! Something had to be done!

Little elf calmed the Burgomaster and promised that as soon as the croissants were done, he would set out to see if he could find this dragon and talk to him. Or her because there were lady dragons as well.

- “Talk to that bea st? You?” the burgomaster started biting his nails, he always did that when he was scared.

- “Why not?” said little elf, “I remember some of dragons tongue.”

- “What if he eats you?” Burgomaster cried.

- “He won´t!” replied little elf, “besides: I don´t think I taste that good.”

Little elf quickly prepared the breakfast plates for his regular customers and off he went, in search for the dragon. The people in the village kind of expected little elf never to come back again. They all got together in the saloon hoping for the best.

Little elf stopped by a cave at the top of a hill and peaked inside. A burning smell filled the air; so, he was sure he was on the right track. Before long he could hear snoring.

- “Oh boy, oh boy.” He thought, “I sure hope that dragon is friendly when I wake him up.”

- “Uhumm uhumm.” Little elf coughed when he found the sleeping dragon.

The dragon opened one eye.

-“Uhumm uhumm.” Little elf tried again.

Now the dragon opened his other eye. And no! he did not look friendly!

- “Good morning mister Dragon. I brought you some breakfast.” Said little elf. But the dragon didn´t respond too well and started spitting big flames.

- “Awchhhh!” cried little elf, “I didn´come here to be turned into shish kebab! Please don´t do that again! Look: I brought you something!”

The dragon gave little elf a truly angry look, but at least he stopped spitting fire.

- “I thought you might be hungry…” little elf had to cough because of the smoke that filled the cave.

“I made you some banana blue berry breakfast cookies.”

Little elf held them out to the dragon so he could smell them. The dragon sniffed and then: ate them all up in one go.

- “Is it okay if I sit down here mister dragon? I would love to talk to you. The dragon was licking up the last crumbs of the breakfast cookies and looked at the little elf.

- “You are scaring all the people in the village, mister dragon. That is not a very nice thing to do now, is it?”

Oh, oh… the dragon started to look angry again.

- “I hate humans!” he roared very loudly. “They kill dragons.” He roared again, only this time so loud the ground started shaking.

- “Please calm yourself.” Little elf begged, “I´m so sorry about that! I truly am. But you have to understand you scare them, and humans tend to destroy whatever scares them.”

- “Got any more of those cookies?” the dragon barked.

- “I´m sorry,” little elf shook his head “I can get you some more! I´m so glad you liked them.”

- “Yes!  They´re very tasty.” Said the dragon while he licked up last crumb.

- “What if I promise you that the people of this village will not harm you: will you stop burning their fields?”

The dragon just sat there staring at little elf.

- “What´s your name?” dragon finally asked.

- “Mabsoot, but everybody calls me little elf.”

- “I like Mabsoot better!” said the dragon, “It means happy!”

Little elf started to giggle: “Yes! It does!!

- “Are you happy?” dragon asked with a little sadness in his voice.

- “I try my best every day.” Said little elf.

- “How?”  growled the dragon. Little elf was startled.

- “Well… I smile a lot! And I try to make others smile as well! I walk a lot in the woods gathering ingredients; I like good food and I love to cook! And… I like to sleep as well.”

- “On the rare occasions where I am bored,” little elf continued “I go see my friends. But mostly they come to me.”

The dragon was listening with great interest:

- “You know dragon: happiness comes from within. When I wake up, I choose to be an optimist. I treat everybody like a friend.”

- “And that works for you?” the dragon interrupted.

- “It sure does. You should try it!”

- “Hmm groaned the dragon, “why don´t you start by giving me a few more cookies?”

- “Oh, my dragon, you ate them all. But… I´ll tell you what!”

The dragon was curious about what his new found friend was going to come up with, so he sat up and listened carefully.

- “I will go back to the village now and I will tell everybody what a nice dragon you are. That deep down you´re not so different from them. Not too long ago, they were just like you.”

- “Hmm? They can spit fire too? Dragon wondered.

- “Not exactly,” said little elf, “they forgot how to smile, they forgot how to appreciate the little things. They would brood all day and ignore all the beauty around them. They neglected each other because they had forgotten all about friendship.”

- “Hummm ….” Said the dragon again, “You think this is going to work? They won´t come cut my head off in the middle of the night?”

- “Dragon! There you go again; think a happy thought and try to be excited about all the new friends you´re going to make!” little elf stood up and continued:” I will arrange a welcoming party for you! Let´s say at sunset… I will put up torches everywhere and maybe you can light them up. You seem to do a good job with fire.” They both had to laugh.

-” Well, if you think so.” Said dragon.

- “I do!” little elf clapped his hands for joy. He hurried back to the village where an anxious Burgomaster was awaiting him. He told him everything the dragon had agreed to.

The Burgomaster was a little worried about this plan, but he was prepared to give little elf´s dragon a chance.

All afternoon little elf was busy in the kitchen. He needed sugar, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Green apples, blue berries, violet figs, and purple eggplant. Pink watermelons and dragon fruit of course! Oranges, grapes, pineapples, and mangos. Yellow bananas and pears and kiwis.

He made a whole lot of unicorn cupcakes and spring cake sickles for the children. And he brewed enough magic butterfly pea lemonade for everybody.

By the time the sun was starting to set, all the people had gathered in and around little elf´s saloon. They were waiting for the dragon and some of them were scared. But they trusted little elf and replaced their bad thoughts with positive ones.

Finally, they could hear the sound of flapping wings. Dragon landed on a spot especially designated to him. He looked a little suspicious at first. But then one by one the people started to bid hi m welcome, so he relaxed.

- “Friends!” shouted little elf, “let me introduce to you my new friend, who now wants to be your friend too!”

- “He´s no longer going to burn our field down?” a loud voice in the crowd yelled.

Little elf looked at dragon who was shaking his head in a very solemn manor.

- “Or eat our babies?” a woman asked.

Dragon kept shaking his head.

- “Dragon!” little elf called out,” do the honours please!”

The dragon took a position from where he could blow over the torches and they all lid up. This startled the people, but they all soon started to clap their hands.

Dragon especially loved the rainbow cake! Oh yes, he did! He had eighteen slices!

He played with the children all night, until he was so tired, he simply fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning his tummy was a little sore because of all the rainbow cake and other goodies he had the previous night. At first, he didn´t know where he was, but it came back to him soon. He stretched himself so that all sleep could fly from his limbs. And then he spat in the sky….

Aiaiai. He wasn´t supposed to do that anymore. He bowed his head in shame because he had forgotten his promise. Then he heard children laughing and clapping and pointing at the sky. His gaze followed the direction of their little fingers, and when he looked up at the sky, he saw the most radiant rainbow he had ever seen.

- “Such happy colours!” the dragon thought to himself. The children all wanted to hug the dragon at the same time.

Mabsoot looked at everything from his kitchen window, where he was already making the next rainbow cake.

A little kindness can be so beautiful. The world is such a beautiful palette and dragon became the village rainbow maker. Rainbows apologize for a lot of things!

Dragon would get his own rainbow cake and a glass of magical lemonade for many years to follow. And people from wide and far would come marvel at his arc of magnificent colours and hope!