Bleeding Heart

A Dragon's Treasure

Leathery wings lay folded against his back; the night outside is warm.
A breeze circles past the mouth of the cave while
Lying inside the dark shelter he shifts his weight.
Beneath his large claws a mound of gold trembles
Clinking and rolling with his every movement,
Bracelets, blood red rubies, gold and silver coins, necklaces of
Pearls from the seas, sapphires like fallen stars from the sky,
Crowns of kingdoms long since ruins—a great stash of treasure
He had collected over time and now guarded viciously.
As a warm, damp breeze whistles past the cave
Echoes of words carry through the air into his drooping ears:
"You cannot take it with you..."

He remained motionless on his mount of gold,
Coins like flames reflecting off his dragon scales,
Vigilantly scanning the rocky entrance for who had dared come near.
A wreath of deadly flames would be their fate!
This was his treasure, his alone! He would never let it be stolen.
Early dawn light arrives with the breeze,
The sun's first beams shimmer across the land
Shining brightly where they strike the earth
Bringing the light of day to all who lived beyond the cave.
One such beam of sunshine suddenly angles inward
And pierces the floor of the cave before the mountainous stash of gold.
Alarmed serpent eyes watch the beam warily.
The rare ray of light transforms,
Glowing like liquid sun drops, shifting into a shapely form,
A fairy of the morning sunshine. "You cannot take it with you..."

What was a fairy doing here?
His tail swishes back and forth, scattering piles of jeweled rings.
The fairy looks at him, then glances back at the bright world
Beyond the cave's mouth.
With a puzzled expression, she asks what he is doing here,
Why he is in this cold, dark place, when the rest of the world
Outside is so warm and full with eternal love and holy light.
His slanted gaze looks beyond the cave's mouth
And indeed, the scene beyond was appealing! But his treasure...
"My treasure is here. I cannot leave it for a second,
Cannot risk losing it. It is mine!" The fairy shakes her head at him.
"What is the point of riches and their value?
They are shackles around your ankles, trapping you in this darkness.
A barrier between you and the light while your eyes grow blind.
A prisoner of the cave you become until your death.
You cannot take these things with you when you die.
Your treasure will be left behind and belong to someone else...
Instead, focus on that which is eternal and lasts—your soul,
While you are still living.
Bring yourself into the Lord's light. Come!
Leave the darkness, your treasure, behind."

He hesitates, gazing at the mounds
Of rubies, emeralds, crowns, and gold, all the wealth...
All of it was beautiful...beautiful yet cold as dark ice against his body.
Not warm like the sunshine pouring forth from beyond the cave...

"You cannot take it with you."

Slowly, he rises up on large clawed feet to follow the fairy outside
Into the saving light and pure freedom,
Leaving the darkness and treasure—those shackles—behind.

~
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