Juanita and the Dragon

A Picture Story from Portrait of Words

Juanita And the Dragon

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Juanita who lived with her parents in a very big town.
It had a marvelous old Church.
It had a big factory that processed coffee beans.
But Juanita was not happy. From her home she could see the beautiful mountains








But the only way for her to travel there and back was by bus and she was too poor to pay the bus fare.
But Juanita had a friend . His name was Fandango and he was a dragon. Her parents couldn't see him because they didn't believe in dragons. Her Aunts and Uncles couldn't see him because they didn't believe in dragons. But Juanita could see him and told him all her troubles.
One morning Fandango came and had her climb on his back and he flew her to the mountains. There she played all day with the young dragons. Late in the afternoon Fandango gave her a special plant to plant in the family garden and flew her home.
Her parents hadn't even missed her. She planted the special plant and by the end of the week it was not only growing well but it had multiplied and there were now five plants.
It was then that Fandango told her to tell her father that a man was coming who would offer to buy all of her plants but her father was to sell only one and charge $50. So she did.
Her father wanted to know how she knew this and she told him the dragon told her. Her father smiled. He just loved his daughter's imagination.
But then a man came and offered to buy all the plants and offered him $5.00 for the lot. Remembering what his daughter had said and having very little to lose her father told the man he would sell him only one and the price was $50. Much to his surprise, $50 being a lot of money in that town at that time, the man paid it.
Fandango told her the man would be back and this time her father was to sell him three plants at $50 each. So she told her father that the dragon what the dragon said. This time he did not smile as he was beginning to believe in dragons.The man came and the deal was struck.
And so it went through the summer. The plant continued to multiply but would grow nowhere else. It had great medicinal qualities. The father was now selling twenty plants for $300. He became the richest man in the village.
Soon he and the entire family could see Fandango and they had many nice visits.
I have to tell you this was a true story and I still visit Juanita from time to time.