The Dragon and the Rainbow Goblin
Once upon a
time, a baby dragon hatched from a very large speckled egg. He was named Zephyr, after the warm west winds that whistled past his family's large
cavern on the day he was born.
Zephyr grew
incredibly fast, to become a gigantic and beautiful water dragon. He had a long undulating body, punctuated by
hundreds of pointy, multi-colored scales that poked out of the water when he
swam. His colorful armor reflected the rays of sunlight that shone down through
the afternoon waters, as he glided effortlessly through the underwater world in
which he spent most of his time. All
other water creatures skirted out of his way whenever he passed, because water
dragons were considered the largest, the most powerful, and one of the few
magical creatures in the world.
One day, as
young Zephyr lazily sunbathed on the shore of the Great Sea, a large shadow
flew over him. He looked up to see a mighty
eagle flying by overhead. She looked
down at him and screeched happily as she passed. He waived back, and looked in awe at her
broad wings that flapped rhythmically in the sky. He looked at his own shoulders, and wondered
why he didn’t have the wings to fly like the majestic eagles.
“Oh, how
wonderful it would be to soar through the boundless skies! If only I had the wings to do it,” he said
dreamily. “I would give anything to be
able to fly!”
Zephyr
spent the next few days questioning his elder dragons about how he could obtain
wings to fly. All of them laughed at
such an absurd ambition. After all,
water dragons were… well, water dragons!
Frustrated
and determined, the young dragon decided to go on a special quest to find the
secret of flight. So Zephyr set out to ask the one being that would have the most answers in the
dragon realm- The Moon, for The Moon was
the controller of the sea and all things water related. But first, he had to climb to the distant
mountaintop of Mount Luna in order to get close enough to be heard.
Day and
night, Zephyr trekked through forests and swam across rivers. He climbed treacherous cliffs and steep
ravines, until finally he reached the beautiful broad plateau of Mount
Luna. He peered over the edge of the
mountain, and saw the spectacular view of green tree tops and dazzling blue
waters, and in the faint distance, the tiny spec that was his sea cavern.
It was
still daylight, so he decided to take a nap and wait for the Moon to come
out. “Soon I will find out the secret of
flight, and maybe I’ll even have wings to fly home!” he said excitedly to
himself.
“So you
want to fly, do you?” said a high-pitched cackling voice. Zephyr was stunned to find a little greenish,
wrinkly-faced goblin peering at him with little black eyes and big pointy ears. Before Zephyr could answer, the little goblin
changed to a pale pink.
“You don’t
need wings to fly- all you have to do is come to me. For I have the magic that can make things
happen!” he said sweetly.
Zephyr
looked at the creature incredulously. He
knew goblins were very powerful, but could be greedy and conniving as well. “I’m sorry, sir, but I have no gold to pay
you.”
“Oh no,
young dragon. It is not gold I seek,”
said the goblin, as he peered at Zephyr with his unblinking eyes. “You see, I’m a rainbow goblin, and I feast on the colors of the rainbows.” The goblin stood proudly as he turned a dazzling
royal blue.
“But The
Moon doesn’t like to share the rainbows, and would much rather horde all the
delicious colors and distribute them at his will. Those lowly plants and animals don’t deserve
the colors as much as a powerful and magical being as myself! … and, uh… you,
of course!”
Zephyr
looked down at his own multi-colored armor.
“But what do the rainbow colors have to do with flying?” he asked.
The goblin
danced excitedly, and explained his plan to distract The Moon and seize the
next great rainbow, which was to be born after the next great rain. In the distance, there was a clap of thunder
and a flash of lightning, as the skies grew dark for the impending storm.
“I will
give you the power of flight, but you must fly up and divert The Moon’s
attention. When I get my rainbow, I will
make your power permanent!”
So excited
was Zephyr at the prospect of flying, that he agreed impetuously to help the
goblin. And so they waited for the
storm, and for the small window of time, when The Moon used the rays of the
morning sun to form a rainbow.
The heavy
rains pounded the mountain all night and felt heavenly to the water
dragon. The rains finally subsided to a
light drizzle, as the heavy clouds parted and dawn broke to shed an early
morning light.
The Moon
descended through the haze, a large softly glowing sphere, and as the arms of
the sun’s morning rays reached out to illuminate the sky, a brilliant rainbow
arched over the land. “Now is the time!”
yelled the rainbow goblin, as he raised his arms. “Fly, dragon, fly!”
Zephyr felt
his insides churn, as if his body was being filled with air. Suddenly, he started to float upwards, like a
large writhing balloon. “I’m flying!”
screamed Zephyr in astonishment.
“Yes, yes,”
screeched the goblin. “Now remember our
agreement!”
Zephyr nodded
and soared upwards towards the moon. He
felt the wind rushing through his scales and the exhilaration of pure
power. The Moon grew ever larger as
Zephyr approached, and soon the flying dragon caught The Moon’s eye.
“What is
this?” asked The Moon in a booming voice.
“I’ve never seen such as sight! How
does a water dragon fly without wings?”
Zephyr
looked upon The Moon in awe for a moment.
“Good morning, your highness,” said the dragon timidly. “I- I traded some gold with a goblin in
exchange for the power to fly without wings,” lied the dragon.
“My, my,”
said The Moon in amused admiration.
“That is an incredible ambition, but you must excuse me right now. I am in the middle of distributing the
rainbow colors so our world can be more rich and beautiful.
“But what
should happen if the world does not receive the colors?” asked the dragon
hastily.
“The colors
are not just for outer beauty,” replied The Moon. “They are filled with energy and love from me
and The Sun, and they bring hope and prosperity to all who receive. If the world does not receive the rainbow’s
colors, everyone shall wither and suffer.”
Zephyr
suddenly felt ashamed. “Please do not
let me interrupt your important work, your highness!”
But when
Zephyr returned to the mountain, it was too late. The rainbow goblin had already stolen the
rainbow and was nowhere to be found.
Zephyr looked all around frantically, but saw only a world sadly
devoid of color. He himself started to
feel depressed, as he noticed his own armor fading of its once magnificent hues.
From the
high mountaintop, Zephyr peered all around, desperately looking for any sign of
the rainbow goblin. The plants, sea, and
all the land’s animals seemed sickened and graying. Then, for a brief moment, Zephyr saw a flash
of rainbow colors in the nearby woods, next to a large gray boulder. Weakened and no longer able to fly, Zephyr was
still determined to find the goblin and convince him to return the stolen
rainbow. So he set off down the mountain
and towards the boulder that was sure to be the goblin’s secret lair.
After
slipping and sliding down the large mountain, and trekking through the dreary
woods, he finally reached the big gray boulder.
Exhausted, he looked all around the boulder, but all was quiet.
“Goblin!” roared Zephyr, his anger rising.
“Come out and face me!”
But there
was no response. Inside Zephyr’s chest,
grew a feeling of intense rage. He felt
his throat burning hot, and puffs of smoke streamed out of his nostrils. Suddenly, he opened his mouth to roar and
flames of red-hot fire shot out, searing the big gray boulder until it glowed
red as well. Zephyr was somewhat
surprised, as he had never used his fire before.
He had never been so angry before. “Come out now, goblin, or I’ll turn your
secret lair into ashes!”
A small
door flung open from inside the charred boulder. “Now, now, young dragon,” said the goblin
sweetly as he finally emerged. “I was
just securing the rainbow, and was about to return to the mountain to make good
on our agreement. No need to be so
angry!”
But Zephyr didn't trust the goblin's words, and he didn’t care about flying anymore, in fact, he had forgotten all about it. “I don’t want to fly. I want you to return the rainbow, so The Moon
can restore the world to its former glory!”
“Return the rainbow?” laughed the goblin,
who flashed a bright orange. “I will not be returning anything, and your fire is no match for my magic!”
“Please,
goblin,” pleaded Zephyr. “The world is
suffering and dying… because of me. I will do anything you ask, if you return the
rainbow now!”
The goblin wrinkled
his suddenly purplish face in thought. “You have
nothing I want,” said the goblin coldly.
“I already have what I want.”
Zephyr
suddenly had an idea. “What if
I could convince The Moon to create an even bigger rainbow? Would you return the smaller one if I could
help you steal an even bigger one?”
The
goblin’s ears perked up. “How big?”
“At least
twice the size,” said Zephyr confidently.
The goblin
agreed, amused at the dragon’s efforts… for the thought of having two rainbows
instead of just one, did sound very attractive indeed.
“Make me
fly, and I will convince The Moon!” declared Zephyr. The goblin waved his hands and off he went, a
wingless dragon soaring once again, up towards The Moon.
This time,
The Moon looked much fainter against the brightened, yet colorless sky. “Hello again, flying dragon,” greeted The
Moon.
“Your
Highness!” breathed Zephyr. “I have made
a terrible mistake, and because of my foolishness, your rainbow has been
stolen!” He continued to share his story
with The Moon, ending with a tearful apology and the second agreement he made
with the goblin, in hopes of tricking him into returning the rainbow.
“Young
dragon,” The Moon chuckled. “I know this
goblin. He has been trying to steal my rainbows for centuries. He has finally succeeded... and he has no intention on returning anything, or keeping any
promises. It is true that your actions
have made the world suffer, but learning from one’s mistakes is one of the
greatest achievements in life, and I am proud.”
Zephyr
blushed. “But what should we do about
the goblin? Do you think we can get the
rainbow back from him?”
The Moon
chuckled again. “I will create another
rainbow for the world, but alas, I do not believe that we will ever get the
stolen rainbow back. But you might be
surprised at just how things work out, when one does not learn from their mistakes.”
With that,
The Moon conjured up another storm, and another rainbow. And, he was so impressed with Zephyr’s
honesty and morality, that he gave the power of everlasting flight for all water
dragons. To Zephyr, he also gave a magic
pearl that glowed with the powers of The Moon, and Zephyr became the Guardian
of the Sea, the Giver of Rain, and The Protector of Rainbows. Since then, the magic pearl and its magical
responsibilities have been passed down from generation to generation of worthy
young water dragons.
As for the
rainbow goblin, his greed became his downfall.
Never did he have an entire rainbow all to himself. So he feasted… and feasted… and feasted
on the stolen rainbow colors. Soon he
became drunk from his overindulgence, and something unexpected happened. All the excessive colors had mixed together inside
his body and turned him a permanent dull brown.
Since his magical powers were based on the brilliance and delicate balance
of the rainbow colors, he could no longer do any magic… nor any magical mischief ever again.
-The End-
This tale
was inspired by the book “The Rainbow Goblins” by Ul De Rico, ancient myths about the wingless Chinese dragons,
and my son Joshua, who is to be born this year- The Year of the Dragon.
Happy 2012!
The Lunar New Year isn't until January, but unless you're Asian American, it's not widely celebrated in the U.S. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2012 is The Year of the Dragon- the most powerful of all the signs. And, what better way to celebrate than to throw a "Dragon Party" to ring in the new year?
Here are some dragon-themed foods I served...
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| Cucumber and Carrot Dragon |
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| Spicy Dragon Wontons |
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| Coconut Cupcakes with Almond Dragon Scales |
We had so much fun, we forgot to take pictures! I mostly caught people eating cupcakes.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
