The villagers gathered to question the visiting wise man:

Is the dragon really as bad as everyone seems to think?
Yes. One particularly bad day the dragon burned up two farms and ate five people. Then he trampled three other farms.

Is the dragon damage diminishing?
Unfortunately not. Six months ago the dragon destroyed one farm every day on average. The dragon's still averaging about one farm a day.

Is having these knights around helpful?
Yes. If the dragon weren't harried by the knights, it would do even more damage, destroying perhaps two farms a day on average rather than just one.

How come we weren't bothered by the dragon before?
The dragon had been sleeping in its cave for as long as anyone can remember. And as long as it was asleep, it wasn't hurting anyone.

It's inconvenient and expensive keeping these knights around. How soon can we send the knights home?
Unfortunately there's no good time. If the knights leave, the dragon damage will get even worse.

What does the leader of the knights say?
We should keep fighting the dragon, both to protect you civilians and to avenge our fallen comrades.

Then a child's voice rang out asking the question no one else dared: Who woke up the dragon?

Maybe after 9/11 our government fell for a conspiracy theory.

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