An Unfinished Fable
by David C. Reardon, Ph.D.
Ever since the dragon was released, the kingdom was split into angry factions. The king’s high counselors, who had released the dragon, continued to defend their decision.
“The dragon has a right to be free,” they argued. “Indeed, it is ridding the land of excess children.”
“And of course,” added the royal treasurer, “the dragon is saving these peasant children from lives of poverty. In this way the dragon actually contributes to the kingdom’s stability and peace.”
Some who defended the dragon’s release even went so far as to insist that it should be worshiped as a god “for the dragon rules over life.”
“Nonsense,” retorted the Righteous. “It is an evil scourge! It is killing innocent children and must be stopped!” What more needed to be said?
But much more was said, over and over again, for many years. To the rejoicing of some and the dismay of many, the dragon roamed free during the reigns of six kings.
A few of the kings defended the dragon’s freedom. Others embraced the cause of the Righteous and cried out in sorrow for the children killed by the dragon. But while these latter kings were willing to shed their tears, none ever risked shedding his blood in the war against the dragon.
Yes, there was a war. The passion of the Righteous could not be totally suppressed, so they waged their own war against the dragon, even without the king’s armies.
But each year, as the dragon grew larger on the blood of children, more of the kingdom was brought under the dragon’s spell of fear. Even among the Righteous, many began to despair that the dragon could ever be defeated.
Fear was the dragon’s greatest power. In its cunning, it would seek out the mothers and fathers who were least prepared and most easily surprised. Then it would burst upon them with a countenance most terrible, and they would freeze in terror beneath its dreadful gaze.
That one moment of despair was all the beast needed to consume their children.
In the wake of the dragon’s attacks, the spirits of these parents were broken. Many of these Broken wailed and gnashed their teeth in sorrow and shame, for they had failed to protect their children.
Others could not bear to live with the horror of their grief. So they lied to themselves and to others, saying, “There was no child. The dragon came upon me, but I was alone. There is no need to fear the dragon.”
Some even joined the sect of dragon worshipers.
Such was the dragon’s power that only the most unwavering could resist the dragon-fear and save their children. These examples of bravery, however, filled some parents with a false sense of courage and pride.
“We would never let the dragon take our children,” they boasted. But when the testing came, many of these boasters were struck down by dragon-fear, and the dragon grew fat upon their children.
So it was that with each passing year the number of those among the Broken grew. Indeed, many who had once been in the armies of the Righteous were now counted among the Broken.
As time passed, however, a few of the Broken began to gather together. They began to share their tears, their loss, and their understanding of the dragon’s evil. They learned how to comfort each other and to put aside their fears. They found in the message of God’s mercy and forgiveness a renewed sense of hope and healing. So it was that they became the Renewed.
The Renewed began to go out into the fields to spread their Renewal. Everywhere they found other victims of the dragon–their Broken brothers and sisters–who needed understanding and hope. Some refused their aid, but many others embraced it. In this way, the Renewal began to spread.
Among the Righteous, there were a few who began to see in the Renewal portents of the dragon’s fall.
“The Renewed will become a great army,” they predicted. “They have already looked upon the dragon’s face and suffered his wrath. They know the dragon well and can no longer be cowed by his gaze.”
Emissaries were sent to share this good news with the generals of the Righteous army.
“Come,” they called to the Righteous generals, “let us assist in this task to bring healing and strength to the Broken. When they are Renewed, we will build a force against the dragon tenfold greater than we have ever raised before.”
“Not now,” said one general. “Our plans are already laid. Our best hope lies in this next foray–or perhaps the one to follow.”
“May God speed your good efforts,” said another, “but we have no provisions to spare. We must concentrate our efforts on winning the favor of the young prince. When he is king, surely he will appoint new counselors who will put an end to this dragon.”
“Bah!” said a third. “These Broken are cowards who have called their own fate down upon their heads. God will only use the pure and Righteous to destroy this evil beast. It is ordained that the victory will be ours, not theirs.”
“Here, take this token,” offered a fourth. “It is a sign of my blessing on all that you do.”
So the emissaries returned with a blessing but nothing more. But even without the Righteous generals’ treasures or the aid of their armies, the Renewal continued to spread.
For fifteen years, the Renewal made converts of the Broken. And in that time, more and more of the Righteous began to lose faith in their generals and to believe in the Renewal instead.
“Who but these Renewed can slay the dragon?” they asked. “Each new foray by the generals is rebuffed like the last. Each new prince they groom to be our savior offers our cause his tears, but never his blood.”
“Who but those humbled by the dragon can truly know his ways?” they said. “Who but those whose children have been consumed by the dragon can fight with the furor of avenging parents?
“Yes, who can stop an army of the Renewed? Even the king’s high counselors will be silenced by their voice, for the Renewed, more than any, know the truth about the dragon.”
And so, the Renewal has continued to thrive and the Renewed now populate the land.
Now there are rumors that they are forming their own army. They are choosing generals from among their own who will lead them against the dragon.
Will the generals of the Righteous support the coming battle of the Renewed? Of this, many are uncertain. After all, generals do love their own plans best.
No one knows how this story will end, for it is an unfinished fable. But even though it is unfinished, it may still offer us our greatest hope.
Originally published in The Post-Abortion Review 6(2) Spring 1998. Copyright 1998 Elliot Institute.
