Once upon a time, the world was a vast, empty place, and that was just how Urania, the greatest of primordial dragons, liked it. She’d always remember her moment of hatching, at the beginning of time, where she and countless other dragonets hatched from countless eggs out of their singular, fiery nest. They fled at the sight of each other, for a dragon is something to be feared, even for another dragon.

 

So, Urania liked being alone. The second time she had been around others was during one ancient summer feast. It had transformed her, from her childish single-segmented body into her new, 92-segmented form.

 

Yes, dear, that’s a very big number! That’s as big as 13 mes!

 

Now, some dragons met other dragons that day and bonded. But for greedy dragons like Urania, they used it as an opportunity to gobble them up! She used their bodies to make hers bigger, until she was the biggest one of all. She gave herself a new name, Urania, to celebrate the occasion.

 

And there was much to celebrate, for the larger the dragon, the more treasure she can hoard. We have only so many claws, so we can only carry so much. For most, it’s one treasure per body length, but you can carry more, if you’re clever and stack it just right. That’s why your Mama has eight treasures for her eight segments, but Grandmama has eight as well, despite only having six segments.

 

Where was I? Yes, Urania was very happy to be bigger, so she could have more treasure. And being the biggest dragon meant she could have more than anyone else. But, when she left the feast, she nearly stumbled over an old wyrm.

 

“You best be careful,” the old-timer murmured.

 

“Why?” Urania scoffed, for what could she possibly have to fear? No one was big enough to dare eat her or steal from her.

 

“Do not fall for the lust of treasure,” the wyrm had said. “It is the downfall of many a dragon, but especially so for those of your size.” Her voice was tired, almost bitter, and yet she still clutched her own treasure, her coils tightly wrapped around it.

 

“You are just afraid I will steal yours,” Urania declared. “Your paltry twenty means nothing to me.”

 

“Thirty-six,” the wyrm corrected. “It’s a number you best beware.”

 

Her words would come back to Urania, each time she found an errant sphere and added it to her collection. There was always one more nook or elbow to tuck it behind, a little rearranging so it stacked nicely into a prism that was oh-so comfortable to drape herself around.

 

“Pah, what did she know?” Urania said to herself. “A scarred-old fool who lost lode and limb in battle and can’t get over the past.” Urania couldn’t imagine herself losing a fight with another dragon, as there was no one else like her at 92 parts long, who had the strength and magic to keep all 143 pieces of treasure in perfect balance.

 

So, one day when an errant hatchling only two segments large shot into her lair and bounced off her, Urania snarled. One of the hatchling’s treasures rattled loose and began to roll away.

 

“I’ll be taking that,” Urania said, and plucked it up with one of her many claws.

 

The hatchling was horrified. “But that’s mine!” little Helios cried. “You have eleventy-jillion treasures, and I only have two!”

 

Oh? That’s because all hatchlings, once they gain their second segment, graduate from the name “Hydragos” to “Helios,” and that means you, too. I don’t know when the tradition started, it’s just how things have always been. Now, no more interruptions, we’re almost done.

 

Urania said to Helios, “Let this serve as an important lesson. Treasure is the most important thing to a dragon, so you best hold onto it tightly. And don’t go bombarding into other dragon’s lairs, it’s very rude. Now, where to put this?”

 

She crawled around her horde, looking for a gap, but there was none to be found. Grey scales scraped the grey orbs as she wound over and over, looking for a spot to place the pilfered treasure.

 

“Give it back!” Helios said. “You don’t even have room!”

 

Urania had once been a hatchling, so she should have shown kindness, but her heart was only filled with greed. “I’ll do no such thing!” Urania said. “This treasure is mine!” And with that, she shoved it into the mass. The feeling of triumph was radiant, and then it grew, hotter and hotter, until it was too much. Then there was a pop and Urania was airborne, released from the strong force of her treasure, perhaps for the first time in her life.

 

She fell to the ground, and then, a moment later, she heard something else fall. Without a dragon’s magic holding it together, the pile of treasure collapsed and scattered in every direction.

 

“No!” Urania cried, scrambling for the spheres. Her body was in pain, pins and needles and many of her limbs not responding. Yet she moved faster than she could ever remember, snatching up orbs left and right.

 

But now there was a second dragon doing just the same! The stranger was larger than Helios, where had she come from? Urania didn’t take the time to threaten her, since getting her treasure back was more important.

 

When there were no spheres left, Urania had only 56, while the stranger had 85. The last three had rocketed away, likely snatched up by some lucky dragon passing by. Urania’s mass felt pitiful in comparison to what she had before: 144 beautiful pieces of treasure within her 92 segments, for a wonderful total of 236.

 

36! She remembered that number, the old timer, and then she looked at the stranger. She had 56 segments…and a familiar tail. It had been Urania’s beautiful tail, had the stranger stolen it, too?

 

And then, Urania realized: her greed had been so great, the treasure had broken her in two, and now she was the smaller dragon, of only 36 segments. She was now at great risk someone else might steal her treasure. Even her daughter-self could, but for what end? Fitting all that treasure in a much smaller body would only risk further splitting and decay.

 

The two dragons floated their separate ways. Urania renamed herself Kryptos, like all wyrms of 36 parts, and as a reminder of what happened. So now each time she stacked and counted her treasure, the same 56 pieces, Kryptos took the time to appreciate what she already had. She marveled at how each sphere looked just like any other. To think something so small would cause the destruction of the great dragon Urania!

 

What she didn’t realize was the true treasure is the bonds dragons form with each other. When we focus on things, we lose sight of what’s truly important.

 

Okay, Hydragos, I know you’re excited to go see Grandmama tomorrow, but you need to settle down for bed. Or do you want to be grounded? That’s better.

 

Goodnight, I love you.