Ezine Article

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Sonnet Poem - A Destiny To Meet A Humble Boss





SONNET POEM
A DESTINY TO MEET A HUMBLE BOSS



The Grace of Allah be with you always
That fateful day, we met in the Philippines
A short interview and you said okay
An agreement that was a way to begin

Appreciate your kindness like brother
No barrier between us and for all
True humility brings you closer to others
Promotes well-being is your ultimate goal

Many times I stepped to ask for your aid
You stepped up to be prudent and sensible
Always speak in gentle tone and well said
Your leadership is such exceptional

To me, to others you are a true friend
Your kind-heartedness will always remind

Written by: NOEL N. VILLAROSA

23 October 2014

Monday, October 6, 2014

Pio and the Fire-breathing Dragon

                                                        Photo credit: digwall.com

Pio and the fire-breathing Dragon
(Short story for children)
by: NOEL N. VILLAROSA
6 OCTOBER 2014

One day, when a young boy named Pio explored into North America and climbed the Teton Range, where rocks that could be found there were believed to be the oldest rock formations about 2.5 billion years ago. Pio believed that the tremor that was recorded in that place was not ordinary tremor coming from below but caused by a huge creature lying inside the rocky mountain.

Pio brought all of the needed equipment and moved on to find the missing cave where he heard the old folklore about the fire-breathing dragon. As he climbed the rough and peak mountain--he would normally rest for a while; he can hear strange noise not far from his place, but he just ignored it and took a deep breath to calm himself from fear of the surroundings.

Many days he was searching the terrain, one day he found one suspicious looking trailing plant that was holding a huge rock and covered with moss. It looked like a cave opening. Pio tried to clear the savage passageway by using his bolo, and with the help of a large stick, Pio enabled pushing the massive stone and rolled out to make a way, he discovered a dark cave. Pio got his flashlight and got inside to check what could be lurking inside. At the lowland, he slid and jumped over the flowing stream, he followed the stream that leads him to a much darker place. Pio stopped for a while upon smelling a burned-out breath just like a cigarette. Pio watched carefully his steps, and he felt a rough bumpy layover. Pio just stepped on the back of the fire-breathing dragon, and had awakened it to immediately get up and ready to strike the intruder--Pio.

The dragon looked at Pio.
“Um. How are you, my friend dragon?" Pio asked.
“I’m fine, little boy.” “And what are you doing here?” Dragon replied.
“Well, I was lost and I would like to spend a night inside this cave if you don’t mind,” Pio said.

“Outside is a little misty and cold,” Pio said.

“I’m not feeling cold in here if you could feel my stomach; it is charging as I digest my food, I eat those metal-rich rocks to help grind hard objects that I have eaten. I have two chambers in my stomach; one is secreting acid for breaking down food, and the other one has several fire glands such as methane and octane that helped me to spit out fire from my mouth,” Dragon said.

“I’m so impressed by your capability, you must have spit a powerful fire and that no one dares to challenge you to a fight,”  Pio said.

“Indeed my little friend, how would you like asking me to do an awesome thing and I would be glad to do it just for you,” Dragon replied.

“It is obvious that you can do anything, but would you mind lighting those torches on the wall so that I could see around,” Pio said.

“As you wish,” Dragon replied.

As the dragon emitted fire from its mouth, the fire touched the torches and gave off flames. Now, little Pio could see around and was thinking a way out because in no time the dragon would tear and burn him into pieces.

Pio said again to the dragon, “My friend dragon, can you see that stream of water, if you could drink that water and put it all inside your stomach that would make me believe that you could do anything and nothing is impossible.”

Pio was thinking that in order that fire glands inside the dragon’s stomach will not generate fire anymore, it needed to swallow the water into its stomach that would give him a chance to escape and run away.

“Yes, I can drink all the water in that river and drought I gave to that stream,” Dragon boasted.

 As the dragon gulped down all the water into its stomach, it felt bloated and could not hold it anymore as it tried to release it again back into the stream, Pio positioned himself into the dried stream, and waited for the dragon to release the water, as the dragon blew the water, Pio rode into the rushing water, and evicted him out of the cave, plunged on free-falling waterfalls thus escaping the dragon’s chasing. While the dragon was trying to run after him but it could not fit its huge body into the mouth of the cave, and could not emit its fire again because the water that penetrated its second stomach with fire glands was no more producing fire as it was cooled down by the water. The dragon became weak, and could not move its body, also suddenly its heart stopped beating thus ending its life, and the folklore of the fire-breathing dragon was sealed in that rocky mountain where no one could ever find him.

Pio outsmarted the dragon; he got home safely and promised to himself that he would not tell it to anybody what he just discovered on that rocky mountain. It was an adventure he would treasure as long as he lives. THE END.