PUN

Far away in an isolated mountain range there was a small village, and the inhabitants of this village called themselves Trids. Their village was situated in a small valley and every day the Trids would walk up to a high pass and down into the next valley, where they had a gold mine.




The Trids used the gold from this mine to buy food, clothing, timber for their houses, and everything else they needed. However, atop one of the peaks overlooking the pass there lived a dragon. One day the dragon decided that he had simply had enough - the Trids were making too much noise with their twice-a-day marches through the pass, and the mine operations were noisy as well.




So after the sunset, the dragon took wing and descended through the night sky to land at the top of the pass. The next morning, the Trid workers marched up to the top of the pass and saw the large, unfriendly looking dragon waiting for them. The dragon did nothing. So the Trids shrugged and started to walk through the pass. But as each Trid reached the top of the pass, the dragon kicked him or her down the mountain all the way back to the village.




No mining was done that day. Instead, the Trids held a village meeting to discuss what to do about the dragon. They decided to send a group of the largest, strongest Trids to force their way past the dragon. But it didn't work. The dragon kicked them down the mountain.




They sent delegations to try to persuade the dragon to let them pass, to no avail. The Trids could no longer work their mine, so they ran out of gold to pay for their food, clothing, and other necessities.




Time passed. Things were going very bad for the Trids when a wandering rabbi came into the village. He saw the starving Trid children dressed in rags, the houses falling into disrepair, and asked what had happened to the village. The Trids told him about the dragon. The rabbi resolved to do something about this dragon.




He marched up to the pass, and saw the dragon looking very large and unfriendly. The rabbi plucked up his courage and asked, "Mr. Dragon, why are you stopping the Trids from working their mine?"




The dragon replied, "Because it's too noisy, and I can't sleep."




"But Mr. Dragon, the Trid children are starving and freezing. If you don't let them work their mine, they will die."




"That's the idea," said the dragon. "Then I'll be able to get some sleep."




The rabbi saw that the dragon wasn't going to respond to reason. So he decided to force his way past the dragon. "I'll probably get kicked down the mountain like the Trids," the rabbi thought to himself, but he braced himself and started marching forward. As he got closer to the dragon, the rabbi closed his eyes, so he wouldn't have to see that huge dragon foot coming toward him.




The next thing the rabbi knew, he was walking downhill. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was through the pass! The rabbi looked back at the dragon, who was looking curiously at him.




"Mr. Dragon!" said the rabbi. "Why didn't you kick me down the mountain?"




The dragon replied, "Silly rabbi. Kicks are for Trids."