The boy’s uncle had a farm that bordered a great forest.
When visiting his uncle, they would often go for walks together around the farm, but when the weather was particularly good and the ground was dry they would hike together through the woodlands. These occasions were always a real treat for the boy because his home was in the city.
On this occasion the day was hot. They had been walking for some time and gone deep into the forest when they came across a clearing. It was a large, flat grassy area where nothing seemed to be growing.
They stood for a while gazing at the great empty space.
Before moving on, the man said, “There used to be a village here.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but a long time ago.”
“What happened to it?”
“The story goes that an old seer lived here, when it was a village I mean. She was often consulted about things that the normal folk didn’t understand, and they always listened to her. Well, not quite always it would seem. It was a hot summer that year and several villagers had spotted fire dragons roaming nearby. Fire dragons love the heat, you see. One day a young boy, no older than you, ran into the village holding a baby dragon by its tail. He was very proud of himself, saying he had clubbed it to death. Well, the people sang his praises then set about building a fire. They threw the carcass into the flames and celebrated.”
They came to the centre of it and once again looked around.
They walked on and he continued. “When the old oracle returned from visiting another village, she reprimanded them all, saying that you should never kill a fire dragon with fire. There were many that simply didn’t believe her. In fact, later that day, one of the elders decided to put the ashes to good use by spreading them across his small patch of garden, where he was growing vegetables. It was the middle of the night when somebody noticed an orange sparkling coming from the patch. There were more and more shouts as the whole thing grew brighter. Everybody came out to see what it was all about. When the old seer was told how this had come about with the casting of the ashes, she was very angry.”
Finding themselves at the far side of it, they both turned.
He went on. “She was so angry. She told them that nothing would stop the inferno and gave orders that all should flee the village. They gathered up what belongings they were able to carry and began making tracks to other nearby villages. By the time the last of them were ushered out by the old woman, the fire had taken hold, with several buildings being quickly consumed by the leaping flames. The fire raged for what remained of the night, leaving not a stick untouched. Those that returned the following morning found there was simply nothing left. In fact, it was so black and flattened that it was hard to imagine there had ever been a village there at all.”
The boy stood staring. “Wow! Is all that true?”
The man laughed. “No, of course not, it’s just a clearing.”