The Blind Dragon

***

Nana: How does it taste?

Grandson: Which one?

Nana: The porridge, that ya've been gawkin' at, the last ten minutes.

Grandson: It tastes funny.

Nana: Do ya' know why it tastes funny?

Grandson: I da' know.

Nana: Ya' poured water instead of milk.

Grandson: Did I? Oh!

Nana: Ya' alright?

Grandson: I'm feeling great, nana. I'm feeling stupendous.

Nana: What's goin' on? Ya' re all fidgety since morning.

Grandson: I da' know. Sometimes I wonder, the world's too big for me. I'm tiny.

Nana: But ya' just turned ten last week.

Grandson: Exactly ma' point. I'm ten years old, nana. And I still don't know ma' place in the world.

Nana: Ya' live in this town, ya' have a postcode. What more do ya' want?

Grandson: I'm tired of people ignoring me. I need to be famous.

Nana: Famous? For that, ya' need to eat healthy. Look at ya'. Ya' look like a pencil. To become famous ya' need to put some weight.

Grandson: I'm serious, nana. I'm trying to build ma' confidence for today's song fest at school.

Nana: That's odd. I thought one has to SING to become a singer.

Grandson: Ya' don't need to be a great singer, nana, to be a winner.

Nana: Oh! I didn't know that. I guess you've found a new theory. So, supposedly, what exactly makes an average singer a winner?

Grandson: Blind-confidence. When you're confident, people will like ya' and they'll swarm ya' like bees.

Nana: But how can ya' be confident if ya' can't sing?

Grandson: Who says I can't? Ya' wanna hear?

Nana: Go ahead.

Grandson: Singin' In The Rain...

Nana: Stop it right there. What are ya' doin'?

Grandson: I'm singing.

Nana: But it doesn't... sound like a song to me.

Grandson: You're lookin' at it all wrong, nana. This is how people sing these days.

Nana: Oh! I didn't know that either.

Grandson: What I'm really missing is the swag. I have to figure it out. Teddy next door has it all. The swag. The positivity. He's killing it in school. He's a sure shot in the music industry.

Nana: That kid? The one who speaks like a gorilla?

Grandson: But he's got the swag, nana. That's all it needs.

Nana: Kids, ya've got it all terribly wrong about singin'. I don't know much about confidence but I know about somethin' that can give ya' the confidence.

Grandson: If ya're gonna tell a story, nana, I beg ya', please don't.

Nana: Have ya' heard of the blind dragon that lives under the sea?

Grandson: I'm ten, not three. Please stop it.

Nana: But that's exactly why ya' gotta' listen to this story.

***

Nana: This dragon lives under the sea, ya' know.

Grandson: Really nana? Dragon under the sea?

Nana: Don't ya' roll your eyes mister. Listen now. The name of the dragon is 'Dragon'.

Grandson: That's a weird name.

Nana: He's allowed to have a weird name. Nobody's gonna question him anyway. Ya' know why? He is the king of all seven seas. Nobody can hide from him either. He can see about everythin' that's happenin' around him, all the time. He can sense every bit of movement from under the sea, every corner, every move, every colour, and everyone's heartbeat. He's so mighty.

Grandson: Ya' said he is blind.

Nana: He's not blind when he's under water. He's blind when he's outside it.

Grandson: He can go outside water as well, like an amphibian?

Nana: As much as he once did, he doesn't fly a lot any longer. But oh boy! when he flies, he can dazzle up the sky. The very flap of his wings feels like thunder.

Grandson: But how can he fly when he's blind.

Nana: He had a very close friend, a merman. You wanna know the name of the merman?

Grandson: Tell me.

Nana: I won't tell you now. But remember to ask me in the end, OK?

Grandson: O... K...

Nana: Dragon gets quite emotional about his friend. They used to be together all the time. They would fly over the clouds all day long and come back only after the sun had fully gone down. The merman had a great sense of humour. He was Dragon's GPS navigator, guidin' him through, to the last of details. Dragon was the undeclared king both inside and outside the water territory. But then they stopped speakin' over some silly clash of egos. Merman thought Dragon was becomin' arrogant and takin' him for granted. Dragon thought of the merman as a sloppy clown. So they went their own ways but they still miss each other's company in their hearts.

Grandson: Dragon doesn't go out of water anymore?

Nana: He still goes out, but not too far. There's a wild cliff near where he lives. Quite a tall one, several metres above the water level, covered in a thick and lush jungle, packed with wild animals and wild birds, spectacular ones, but wild, cruel and hungry all the time. Lots of wild animals, especially wolves. Quite a dark place. Every evenin', he goes for a long, uninterrupted flight around the cliff for almost an hour. Just goin' in circles and nowhere else. It's a shame that he can't see. Anyway, he likes the strong current of wind on his face. Every time he beats his strong wings, he thinks about the old times, the merman guidin' him, from sittin' on his shoulders. Perhaps, he has become too egoistic to ask for his friend to join him again.

Grandson: Yeah, that's a shame. Ego breaks friendships. So true.

Nana: Anyways, one evenin', Dragon leaps out of the water to start his usual parade around the cliff. But he hears somethin' unexpected this time.

Grandson: Lemme guess. It's the merman.

Nana: Nope.

Grandson: What's it then?

Nana: A cry.

Grandson: The wolves?

Nana: Nope. A baby's cry.

Grandson: Bollocks. Ya're joking.

Nana: It's a real baby stranded somewhere in the forest on the cliff. And guess who else lives there?

Grandson: The wolves.

Nana: Right. Dragon gets utterly pissed off. Why will anyone abandon a baby in such a dangerous place. But then, he has never understood humans and their irrational behaviours. He has always stayed away from humans.

Grandson: Good for him.

Nana: By the way, do you wanna know the name of the baby?

Grandson: Lemme guess. The baby's name is 'Baby'?

Nana: Nope, and don't roll your eyes. The baby's name is 'Confidence'.

Grandson: It's a silly name, nana.

Nana: Well, Dragon hears the baby cryin' out for help, and he goes crazy. His first instinct is to quickly spot baby 'Confidence', and bring the rascals who have put 'Confidence' in harm's way, to justice. But there's a tiny problem.

Grandson: He can't see.

Nana: Exactly. But his paternal side kicks in. He wants to save the baby, in any way possible. So he sort of picks the direction where the sound is comin' from and crashes onto the cliff. Lucky him, and good luck to the baby, he lands right next to the baby under a thicket of branches and undergrowth. Baby 'Confidence' is just twenty odd metres away from him now. But guess who's on the other side?

Grandson: The parents of 'Confidence'?

Nana: Nope. His parents left him long time ago, and for good. It's a pack of hungry wolves on the other side. And they're ready to pounce on the baby. Dragon knows all these from the sounds. He hears the cry. He hears the wolves but poor guy, he is not able to locate their exact positions. As tempted as he is to use his fire-flames, he can't bring his mind to do that. The thought of accidentally incineratin' baby 'Confidence' stops him from spittin' it out. So he swallows it and instead growls. He growls so loud that it sends shivers down the wolves' tails. The growl of a mad monster king so to say. Out of fear they scuttle away from the spot.

Grandson: That's clever.

Nana: But not so clever. Guess what, baby 'Confidence' stops cryin' as well. Dragon is utterly confused now. He can't see and he can't hear a sound. He panics. Maybe the wolves caught him. Maybe baby 'Confidence' is gone.

Grandson: What do you mean 'gone'?

Nana: Gone. Just vanished. Dragon can't see anythin'. It's as good as vanishin', ain't it? Dragon cries. He cries out for 'Confidence'. 'Where are you 'Confidence'?'. But not a word from 'Confidence'. No matter how hard Dragon tries he doesn't hear anythin' in return. And to make it worse, the sun is goin' down. Even if there is a slight chance of findin' 'Confidence' he must do it in less than half hour. Or else the wolves are surely goin' to come back, find 'Confidence' and eat him alive.

Grandson: Maybe he must let go of his ego and find the merman as quickly as possible.

Nana: Exactly. Without wastin' a single minute, he leaps into the air and then dives into the sea. He quickly finds the merman and begs for forgiveness. The merman is such a nice guy that he forgives Dragon instantly and wholeheartedly. They give each other a hug. No time to waste though. They rush to the forest as quickly as they can. Both are pantin' heavily. Their hearts are on fire. They simply can't lose time. They have to find 'Confidence'. And then, the merman freezes for a moment. Dragon asks, 'Why are you quiet?'. The merman smiles.

Grandson: He spots baby 'Confidence'?

Nana: Ya're clever, huh? Yes, the merman finds baby 'Confidence'. Guess where they find 'Confidence'?

Grandson: I da' know. Where?

Nana: Sleepin' next to the wolves.

Grandson: The wolves haven't hurt him?

Nana: Ya' remember the stand-off between the wolves and Dragon, earlier?

Grandson: Yes. Dragon growled and chased them away.

Nana: The wolves were not there to harm baby 'Confidence'. They were there to protect him instead. They actually thought Dragon was the one there to hurt baby 'Confidence'. It's all due to them misunderstandin' each other.

Grandson: Oh nana! The wolves must learn the language of the dragon. Or there's going to be more confusion in future.

Nana: True dear. Anyway, finally Dragon finds baby 'Confidence'. Dragon becomes friends with the merman. Dragon becomes friends with the wolves. And they're all happy now. They bring up baby 'Confidence' in the jungle. He grows up really quick and becomes a grown-up 'Confidence'.

Grandson: Cool. Ya' still haven't told the name of the merman. What's his name?

Nana: 'Skill'. His name is 'Skill'.

Grandson: That's silly, nana. Is 'Skill' even a name?

Nana: What's the meanin' of skill?

Grandson: Skill is your ability to do something well and great.

Nana: Why didn't the dragon find 'Confidence' in the first place?

Grandson: He was blind.

Nana: And how how did he find 'Confidence' in the end?

Grandson: With the help of 'Skill'.

Nana: That's exactly the point. You wanna be confident as a singer?

Grandson: Yes, nana.

Nana: For that, you must go and find your skill, and master it. And then you'll automatically find the confidence to sing in front of the whole world.

***

The grandson goes to bed that night, not able to get rid of nana's story from his mind.

Seven years later, he wins his first Grammy award, at the age of seventeen.

God Bless Him, And His Nana.

***