A long time ago, in a country far, far away... There was a kingdom whose king had conquered all his adversaries all around him. The people of this kingdom lived happily and enjoyed great prosperity. The land in which they lived consisted of rich, lush, green pastures and rolling hills. Bubbling brooks and streams flowed throughout it's vast reaches, huge trees produced the best fruit and nuts and berries anywhere in the world. Never before had any kingdom enjoyed such peace, prosperity, and safety, for the King had conquered all his enemies all around him. Except for one. There was one enemy which had managed to allude the king and all his valiant fighting men. One enemy they simply could not conquer. One enemy over which the people were powerless. This enemy was a dragon. For the most part the peopole dwelt in safety, but every once in a while, this dragon would appear out of nowhere. No one knew where the dragon lived or where he came from. Only that at certain times, over the years, the dragon would fly through the land- breathing fire; snatching up people; destroying houses, barns, fields and everything in it's path. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the dragon. The king in the land had one son, a prince, who stood to inherit this vast kingdom. The prince had proven himself at batlle, and in all matters of judgement concerning the kingdom. In all things that the prince set his hand to do, he had great success. Nothing that the prince had ever done had failed. In all manners he behaved and conducted himself, (as his father had before him) above reproach. All the king's subjects were loyal to him and his son, and loved them greatly, for they had achieved great success in all matters. The prince was accustomed to taking long walks alone throughout the royal gardens. He would stroll down the long, winding paths past flowing fountains; past row upon row of gardenias, roses, fruit trees; and past all kinds of beautiful blooming shrubs, foliage, and trees. One day, as the price walked, he heard a voice whisper from behind some azalea bushes: "PSST!" He turned. "PSST, Prince!" There it was again. He went to the bushes, parting them, and peered through the leaves... The Dragon. In a flash the prince drew his sword, preparing to strike his enemy. "Wait! Stop!" said the dragon. "I'm not bad! People just misunderstand me. Really! I promise... I'll prove it." The dragon spoke to the prince in soft, soothing tones. Slowly, the prince relaxed his stance, mesmerized by the beautiful words and appearance of the dragon, and let down his sword. "I can show you things you have never dreamed of before," said the dragon. "I could show you your kingdom from way up there..." The dragon pointed up into the sky. "Come on, it's OK." The prince thought "OK, this is my chance. I'll get on his back, take the ride, and cut his head off with my sword!" He got on. The dragon spread his wings, flapped them once or twice, and SWOOSH!, they were off! Up above the fountains and flowers of the garden. Above the trees and the fields, the brooks and streams and hills. Over and through clouds, along the coastlines and the Big Woods. They flew for what seemed like hours, surveying the entire kingdom, for miles and miles around. The prince felt a rush of adrenaline like he never had before. He gazed at the wonder of it all. He was exhilarated, he had never felt this way before, never dreamed he would ever experience anything like this. And he never drew his sword. To be continued... Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com |
