This Week's Story

Broadcast: August 10, 2003

THE DRAGON AT THE EDGE OF THE VILLAGE

    A thousand years ago, when things were much different and the land was ruled by kings and dragons, there was a small village at the edge of a mighty forest. The people of this village were free to live their lives as they saw fit for no king sent soldiers to this place. No armies would bother entering the village because just beyond the last hut, where the shadows of the mighty forest closed in overhead, lived a dragon.
    As was the case with most dragons, this one was meaner than a hot summer day and twice as long. But there was something unusual about him.
    "Good sir," a traveler asked one day as he was passing through the village, "where does that path lead?"
    "Oh, that path?" the villager asked. "Well, sire, that path leads into the Mighty Forest. But gauging by the sun, my good friend, you don’t want to travel that road at this time of the day."
    "Really?"
    "Oh yes, sire, for you see, we have a dragon living just beyond our little village. That’s why you’ll never see any of the king’s soldiers around here. Why, we got ourselves a real fire-breathing dragon just down the road. Soldiers don’t like creatures like that. Funny thing, though."
    "Oh, tell me more," the traveler said. "Do tell."
    "Funny thing, though," the villager continued, "you travel that road in broad daylight, friend, and you ain’t gonna see no dragon, no sir."
    "So let me see if I have this correct, friend," the traveler said. "If I go down that path at noon, or thereabouts, no problem. But this time of day, towards evening, I’ll see a dragon."
    "Almost, sire, for you see it’s a dragon that only comes out at night. He is afraid of the light."
    "Afraid of the light, is he? That is the most amazing tale I’ve ever heard. A dragon just beyond your village, afraid of the daylight. I must be in Simple Town. Why this is a village after my own heart."
    "Why do you say that?"
    "Because I am a fool, too. Seriously, a fool! Better known as a court jester for His Majesty, the King. But your tale, now that is something amazing. And do tell me, folks believe this story, do they?"
    "Why, yessir, they do."
    "And with good reason!" a kindly woman exclaimed.
    "And who are you?"
    "I’m the wife of this fine man, sire," the woman explained. "He’s a clever and funny fellow, but I overhead you say you’re a court jester. Is that right?"
    "At your service, ma’am," the traveler said.
    "Oh, wow, wonderful! A court jester here in our little village. Husband, could we have a performance? If this jester can make the King laugh, why, he could work miracles in our little village!"
    "Well, now," the villager said, "hadn’t thought of that. We love to laugh, sire, and you could entertain us for your dinner and a place to sleep tonight. We usually charge three gold pieces for that."
    "Providing I am going to spend the night, yes?" the traveler asked.
    "You’d be a fool not to," the woman added.
    "Ah, yes, a fool! I would certainly be a fool, wouldn’t I? Then put me down for a performance, my dear, simple villagers. Yes, yes. I shall entertain you merely for the honor of seeing this vicious dragon at the edge of your village."
    And so preparations were made for the traveler to entertain the members of the village. It had been a long time since any one of such importance had strolled the dirt paths of the village. Word spread quickly and before the sun had set, a large crowd had gathered and the court jester began his evening’s entertainment.
    "Hear ye, hear ye!" he called out. "On order of the king and request of the fair maiden of the village, I shall entertain you with certain antics and foolishness along with several magic tricks known only to myself and a select number of other entertainers in residence within the King’s walls. And in exchange, I shall prove to you that traveling at night is just as safe as traveling during the day. I shall prove to you that not all fools entertain the King. Some of them believe in dragons, right here in this back water village."
    No one laughed at that.
    "Oh, come on," the jester said. "Surely you can laugh at yourselves. I’m laughing at you! And the King will laugh at you when he hears about this dragon foolishness. For the King knows a fool when he sees one!"
    Again no one laughed.
    "Well, how about some magic," the jester suggested. "Magic always brings the crowd around."
    "I don’t think there’s much reason," the villager said. "You haven’t entertained us. You’ve made fun of us. You’ve insulted us."
    "Call it what you wish. For my first magic trick, I am going to walk down that path at the edge of your village—right into the Mighty Forest. Perhaps, just perhaps, I’ll see your terrible dragon."
    Despite the cries of the crowd, the court jester set off ignoring them all.
    "Come back," someone called. "Your jokes weren’t that bad!"
    With that, the crowd finally laughed.
    By now, it was dark and the shadows along the edge of the forest were deep and thick. The last rays of the sun were fading into twilight but the court jester, on his way to his next stop, paid no attention. He walked with his head high in the air, looking neither right nor left.
    With a frightful suddenness, the jester felt something grab him and pull him into the darkness. An instant later, the whole forest was lit up with the fiery breath of a creature longer than a house and taller than a tree. On its head was a terrifying set of horns, teeth longer than bananas and claws capable of ripping a man in two.
    Back in the village, the people saw the flames coming from the Mighty Forest. They stood in silence for a moment and tried not to think about the fate of that court jester. Finally one of the villagers spoke.
    "You know," he said slowly, "we could go out in the forest one day, on a bright sunny afternoon, and take care of that dragon for good. He’s a big critter but there are lots of us. I suspect the Mighty Forest would be a safer place."
    "It would, but a dragon at the edge of our village is sometimes a blessing, if you know what I mean. I don’t figure that court jester fella will be coming back here again. And it sure keeps the King out of our hair. Maybe someday, friend, but for now, I’d vote to keep our dragon right where he is."
    The people of the village never heard from the court jester again and no one was sure if he escaped from the dragon. It was a good reminder for everyone to respect the dragon at the edge of the village.