Jasper's newest job came with a pretty big surprise—he was hired to tame a dragon. Now, you'd think that a dragon would be terrifying, right? That they'd breathe fire, destroy villages, and have a reputation for being menacing and fierce. Well, this dragon was all of that... except for one little thing: he was terrified of fire.
Yes, you heard that right. The dragon—who had been causing trouble for a nearby village—had a deep, irrational fear of fire. It wasn't just a little "oh no, I'm scared of getting burned" fear. No, this was a full-blown panic attack if he even got close to a flame. And that, my friends, is the kind of problem that only a completely unqualified beast tamer like Jasper could be tasked with solving.
It all started when Jasper was summoned to the village. They had a dragon problem—one that involved a lot of smoke, occasional tail flailing, and some very unsanctioned roastings of livestock. But the real issue was that the dragon was constantly trying to avoid fire, which made it very difficult for him to keep his cool in situations where fire was involved.
Jasper, having faced everything from grumpy unicorns to punctual werewolves, figured he could handle this one too. The job was simple: go into the mountains, calm the dragon down, and fix the fire issue. So, off he went, with his trusty satchel and no plan whatsoever.
After trekking for hours through rocky terrain and desolate cliffs, Jasper finally found the dragon's lair. It was a large cave at the base of a volcano, smoke rising from the entrance like it was some kind of overdramatic movie scene.
"Alright, here we go," Jasper muttered, steeling himself. He had dealt with way worse, surely a dragon with a fire phobia wasn't going to be a big deal.
He stepped inside the cave, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Inside, the dragon was curled up in a massive, scaly ball, his wings tightly wrapped around his body. He looked... uncomfortable.
"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Dragon?" Jasper called out, trying to sound casual. "I'm here to help you with your little... fire problem."
The dragon jumped, letting out a high-pitched screech and flapping his wings in panic. "Wha-what! No fire! NO FIRE! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Jasper took a step back, holding his hands up. "Whoa, whoa! No fire here, buddy. I'm not here to roast you or anything. Just trying to help."
The dragon's eyes were wide, his pupils dilated with pure terror. "Fire! I'm allergic to fire! It makes me melt! The flames... they burn me from the inside out! I can't take it!"
Jasper blinked in confusion. "Wait... are you seriously telling me that you, a dragon, are afraid of fire?"
"Yes!" the dragon wailed. "It's the worst thing ever! I can't breathe it! I can't even stand near it! I'll die if I go near it!" He curled up tighter, shivering from head to tail.
Jasper stared for a moment. "Okay, that's... that's a problem. But you're a dragon, right? Aren't you supposed to be all about fire and stuff?"
"I'm not like the other dragons!" the dragon protested. "They're all like, 'Look at me! I'm burning things down!' But me? I'm just trying to get through the day without accidentally roasting myself!" He let out a nervous chuckle, which was more of a wheeze.
Jasper scratched his head. "Well, this is a new one. A dragon who's terrified of fire. Alright, alright, let's work with this. What if we... uh... find a way for you to be around fire, but not have it bother you? Ever think about that?"
The dragon looked at him skeptically. "How do you even do that? Fire's my biggest enemy. I can't even light a candle without hyperventilating."
Jasper leaned against the cave wall and crossed his arms. "Okay, hear me out. What if you don't breathe fire? What if you embrace the idea that fire doesn't have to control you? Look, fire doesn't have to be your enemy. You can coexist with it without freaking out."
The dragon snorted. "Coexist with fire? Yeah, right. I'll just cuddle up next to a bonfire and make s'mores. That sounds totally reasonable!"
Jasper rubbed his temples. "Okay, okay. I get it. You're freaked out. But look, we've got to figure out some way for you to be around it without having a panic attack every time someone lights a torch."
The dragon looked at him, eyes wide and pleading. "What if... what if I just never leave the cave again? What if I just hide here, far away from any dangerous fire?"
"C'mon," Jasper said, exasperated. "You can't stay in here forever. You're a dragon, man! You've got the power to be a badass, but you're cowering from a few flames. You've got to learn to control it."
The dragon thought about this for a moment, then sighed. "I guess... I guess I could try. But what if I set something on fire by accident? I could destroy everything in my path!"
Jasper waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I'll stand way back. Just, uh, try not to burn anything down. Maybe try a little practice first."
So, in the middle of the cave, the dragon hesitantly opened his mouth, his eyes still wide in fear. He tried to summon some flames, but nothing came out at first. Then, with a reluctant grunt, he let out a weak, sputtering puff of smoke. It wasn't much—barely more than a candle's worth of heat—but it was progress.
"Oh! That was... that was something," the dragon said, sounding both relieved and proud.
Jasper nodded. "See? It's not that bad. You're not going to spontaneously combust. Just keep trying, and eventually, you'll get the hang of it."
The dragon took a deep breath and tried again. This time, a small, controlled flame emerged from his mouth. It wasn't huge or threatening, but it was enough to prove that he wasn't as hopeless as he thought.
"You did it!" Jasper cheered. "Now, let's just keep this up and maybe—maybe—we'll get you out of here without causing an international fire hazard."
The dragon smiled sheepishly. "I never thought I'd be afraid of something I was supposed to be good at."
Jasper laughed. "Hey, everyone's got their thing. I'm just here to help you with yours."
With that, the dragon let out a triumphant roar, this time without the usual panic. He had, for once, embraced his true nature—without the terrifying fear of fire. And Jasper? Well, he was just happy to be done with another absurd task.
Now, if only he could get the next beast to stop hoarding glitter.