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A group of people lived together
in a village on top of a mountain believing (in an angel that protected them from all dangers) that they were protected by an Angel from all the dangers around them.
With time their numbers grew and they decided that there was not enough room to live on top of the mountain, so they descended to the valley and found a nice place to settle. It was very windy there, so they built a high wall around them as a shield.
The community thrived within the walls and after a few generations the Angel did not appear to be as necessary as he once did. However, they continued to believe, as told by their ancestors, that he still looked out for them from above.
So they were protected from the winds by their high walls and the Angel was there to allay their fear of any dangers.
If a crocodile approached, the Angel would barely draw his sword and the crocodile would run away.
If a pack of wolves attacked, the Angel need just glare at them and they would slink back to their lair.
To the townsfolk, he was a benevolent angel, but if you asked the crocodile or the wolves they would tell you otherwise.
One day, a shepherd came back in a hurry to the people within the walls. He said he had heard rumours that a dragon was on his way to devour them all and that even the Angel could not deal with this terrible danger, as the dragon was as big as a mountain.
This caused great anxiety, and the people within the walls decided that they must do all they could to help the Angel in his struggle against the approaching dragon.
They wrought metal and made weapons, then all went out to help ward off the dragon. They marched through the valley towards the mountains, but the dragon was nowhere to be seen. They marched on further but could not find him. Climbing to the highest peak, there was still no sign of a dragon.
One person thought perhaps the dragon was hiding behind a tree, but how can a dragon as big as a mountain hide behind a tree?
Another thought perhaps the dragon was in a cave, but how can a dragon as big as a mountain fit into a cave?
The dragon was nowhere to be found.
The people began to question that existence of a dragon, was it just a figment of their imagination built upon ancient anxieties?
They decided to tell the Angel that perhaps this dragon was just imaginary and he had no need to fear.
But they couldn’t find the Angel anywhere either.
Where was he? They called for him, but there was no answer, was he just a creation of their ancestors imagination?
They returned home realising that perhaps like the dragon, the Angel did not exist either.
What protected them from the crocodile and wolves were in fact the walls they had built around themselves against the wind and that their destiny had always been
in their own hands.
edited by Janet Cartlidge, copyright © 2010 Fabrice Schomberg
