All was well…

Long, long ago, there was a mystical fairyland, where fruit and flowers were in abundance, where smiles were many and the people were charming… yes, there was a fairyland like that, where streams of honey flowed and the dew was like gold. In that fairyland, the mountains told of courage, the sea spoke of tranquility, the birds chirped of happiness, the winds carried with them sacred sounds… and shielded the land and its citizens with its protective warmth, love and caring. That’s the fairyland we are talking about. All was well in the fairyland where citizens respected and followed the unwritten code of conduct and everyone had their heart in the right place. But, that’s only the rosy picture. If there’s one thing the citizens of fairyland couldn’t stand, it was encroachment. So, while they were all encompassing and almost always welcomed guests and visitors with a heartwarming smile and were double bent in hospitality; they were fiercely possessive of what they believed was theirs. Now, like all fairytales, there have to be some twists and turns, some wily and some vile…. So, here’s what happened- there was bunch of non-fairyland folks, aggressive, cunning, power hungry and blood thirsty- they wanted to own fairyland… how could they do that, without launching direct attack, without letting the fairyland people know that their land was going to be forced away from them? Those sly people knew that the fairyland people were strong and that if they attempted to fight with them, then defeat was certain… so, then, they schemed and came up with a hideous plan- a plan that would change fairyland forever… Those wily people came to fairyland- smiling and wishing people well. They came with gifts and with trade from their land and fairyland being what it is- Fairyland Of course! They welcomed the visitors with warm smiles, open hearts and a loving embrace… and then, not very long afterwards, when the fairyland people were at ease and at home with the visitors, when the visitors weren’t visitors any longer, but became a part of home… and yet, the hospitality was strong… that’s when they did it- they put their evil plan into action- Horror of all horrors! Whenever anyone bent over in hospitality, he was unsuspectingly back stabbed! It wasn’t only the blood shed that numbed the people of fairyland… what really dealt a fierce blow was that the invisible bond of trust among the people had broken- it was smashed into pieces… they no longer bowed in humility, they no longer smiled from within, gone was the clear, bright sparkle in their eyes…. And all that remained was fear, mistrust and a wave of chill…. The protective shield was now perforated… Naïve as the fairyland folk were, they simply couldn’t believe that the visitors had done this to them- they pointed fingers at each other, eyed their neighbours with suspicion and then, when the cold fingers of fear and hate ran down their spine, they demanded a place where only they are their few friends would stay- a different state, a new land, a new ruler. Those wily visitors were laughing in glee!!!! What an incredibly simple plan and from an epitome of peace and love fairyland had metamorphosed into a dark and cold place with no place for love and honesty and peace and prosperity. They plundered the last that they could of fairyland and left behind a legacy of hate and cunning… The visitors left, went back to their land and grew rich, but not prosperous, grew fat but not happy… and left behind fairyland… a dumpyard, with neither peace nor growth……