Dad: As a child I remember being absolutely fascinated with volcanoes and I would pester my parents with questions about them. To shut me up they had to make up a story.
Daughter: Really? Tell me, tell me, tell me.
Dad: Well here it goes. A long, long time ago lived a fire-breathing dragon who terrorized a tiny village. The dragon would circle the sky as an indication that he was hungry and then swoop down rapidly and grab humans for his meal. Everybody was scared of him and nobody dared to put up a fight against him.
There was, however, one brave woman who wanted to put an end to this to save the village and her toddlers from his terror. There was a cursed cave in the village that nobody dared enter because nobody ever came out of it. The woman felt strongly that she would find a way to conquer the dragon inside that mysterious cave. Despite strong protests from her family and other villagers the woman entered the cave in search for an answer. Days and weeks and months passed but the woman did not come out of the cave. Everyone assumed that she fell victim to the cave’s traps.
But they were all wrong. She did come out of the cave holding a powerful, shiny sword. She claimed that it will help her slay the beast. Everyone cheered at the sight of her and hoped that her claim would come true.
That afternoon as the dragon circled the sky she stood in the middle of an open field with the sword in her hand while all the other villagers took shelter in their homes and bunkers where they could safely watch the contest unfold.
And indeed they were not let down. When the dragon swooped down to grab the woman, she wielded her sword and slayed the fire-breathing beast. The village burst in celebrations but the woman stood still. She explained that there was still plenty of work to be done and that she needed the whole village’s help.
She explained that the dragon had the power to revive himself and the only way that this could be avoided is if the dragon was cut up and his parts deposited in various corners of the world. And so it was agreed. The woman cut the dragon up with her sword and the villagers deposited the parts in various mountain around the world.
Daughter: And that’s how volcanoes came to be.
Dad: You are absolutely right. It is said that if a person manages to collect the lava from all the volcanoes and put them in a pot then the dragon will be revived
Daughter: Great! I have so many questions.
Dad: Not now, my girl. Now’s your sleeping time.
(To be continued)
Frank Solanki 