The Paragliding Adventure

 

Marco and Ronny lived in Rio. Their father was famous for his excellent performance in sport. He had always wanted his children to also do something great like him. They too loved sport.

One day, they tried paragliding and enjoyed it. On seeing them enjoy it a lot, their parents decided to encourage them to go ahead with the sport. They attended training, their coaches liked their confidence and amazing performance and soon, they were declared proficient students.

On their birthday, they were gifted a pair of gliders with the safety set. They took part in many competitions, won many awards and the Government recognized their talent. Their father was proud of them. Once, they took part in a competition. They had a wonderful time gliding in the sky at the start but then a strong wind blew their paragliders towards the west direction, instead of the north! Marco and Ronny tried their best to control it but their efforts went in vain. Soon, the weather got very chilly for them and they fainted in exhaustion. They were gliding away from the hills. Soon, they stopped floating in the sky and their gliders landed in a tribal village.

The village was amidst a thick forest with tall trees and treehouses of wood and bamboo upon every tree. The noise of the gliders crashing frightened the villagers. They looked out through their windows but remained safe inside their treehouses. The chief then decided to visit the strangers. Seeing Marco and Ronny badly hurt, the chief attended to their wounds. When they woke up, they screamed in fright seeing many people staring at them closely. The chief calmed them down and was very friendly. Marco and Ronny breathed a sigh of relief.

The chief saw their glider, equipment and their first aid kit. He thought that they could help his tribes as they possessed smart equipment. He told them about the biggest problem the villagers were facing, the dragon. According to the history of the village, the ancestors of the chief found a safe environment in this forest. They were unaware of the fact that a dangerous dragon had his home in the same forest.

The dragon was angry and wanted the tribes to leave his abode but then he smelt the aroma of food being cooked in their kitchen. The dragon was really hungry and deprived of food for several weeks. He allowed the tribes to live in the forest with the condition that they offer him food.

The dragon enjoyed the delicious food prepared by the tribes. He enjoyed the meal cooked by the tribes but soon, greed took over his mind. The tribes paid lots of respect to the dragon and the dragon took advantage of the tribes’ kindness. He threatened that if the tribes did not provide food to his entire group, he would set fire to the forest.

The tribes did not have enough people and resources. They would work hard tilling the land, hunting, fishing etc. They had to use up a lot of their limited resources and fresh produce to satisfy the need of the dragons.

Marco and Ronny tried to think of a solution that would help them. They gathered some tribe warriors to help them in teaching the dragons a lesson so he would never again trouble the tribes. They taught the warriors how to make catapults and spears. They also trained them in using the weapons. When the dragons arrived for his feast, they struck them with their catapults. They lost their balance and then they hit their spears on them. The dragons became very weak after the sudden attack. The dragons were overpowered and calmed down. Marco and Ronny explained to the dragons that the size of the tribes was smaller than the dragons and gathering the resources for living required days and nights of hard work. The dragons realized that the villagers worked really hard to gather the resources the dragons spent on their greed.

The dragons’ greed blew away and their heart felt an affectionate change. They promised to never trouble the tribes again and instead, help them in their daily chores. The chief, the dragons and the whole town thanked Marco and Ronny. The chief arranged a traditional dance performance and a grand feast for all. Marco and Ronny then requested the chief to help them return back home. The dragons agreed to fly them back home. The whole village waved them good-bye.

They returned to Rio and narrated their adventure to everyone back home. It was an adventure they could never forget! It was an adventure that helped them learn that there is sufficiency in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone’s greed!