Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a girl. This girl was not poor, nor was she particularly rich. She knew how to read, but she was not expected to become one of the great minds of the kingdom. People would not vomit at the sight of her, but they also did not consider her a great beauty. All in all, she was perfectly average. She was fine with this, as she had parents that loved her but didn't coo over her, and she had friends but not an overabundance of them. She lived every day contently, and would have been perfectly happy if not for one terrible day. It was the day the dragon came. One day when all the town's children were at the market, playing and doing chores for their mother, a fierce dragons came down from the skies. This dragon was a metallic blue, with eyes like polished silver. The townspeople looked at it in awe, and knew it came for something very important. Many said it was there looking for its stolen treasure, while others said it was there to deliver a message from the king. Whatever it was, the dragon seemed to be looking for someone or something. Its look of impatience was intensifying as the crowd around it got bigger and bigger.
At last, the dragon yelled in a deep, throaty voice, 'BRING ME ALL THE CHILDREN IN THIS TOWN". This remark was met by a mixture of excitement and fear. Everyone knowing better than to defy a dragon, they gradually got all the children and lined them up in neat rows in front of the fearsome dragon.
The dragon turned its head and eyed the first child with its big silvery eye and asked, "Child, what is your skill?"
This child was known as a great runner, so he replied, "I am the fastest in the town. No one can outrun me!"
The dragon thought for a while, then said, "You shall become the king's messenger. You will have the dangerous and heroic task of taking important messages to other kings, and your speed will come in great use when running from wolves." The boy looked a little unsettled at the word wolves, but seemed to be pleased with what the dragon said. The dragon walked up to the next child and said, "Child, what is your skill?"
The young girl looked up at him and said, "People say I am the beauty in this town." The dragon looked at her for a minute, then thundered, "You shall be one the the prince's mistresses." The girl said thank you and joyously fixed her long, blond hair. The dragon went down, one by one, to all the children and gave them different jobs based on their skill.
When he came to the average girl, he again asked her, "Child, what is your skill?"
The girl looked at the dragon and honestly said, "I have no skills."
The dragon huffed and said, "None at all?"
"None at all." She said and started to tear up.
The dragon looked at her, then replied, "Then you are no use to the kingdom." and asked the next child the same question. The girl felt very upset that she had no use that she burst into tears and ran away. She had hoped that someone would come after her, but they were too preoccupied in talking about the jobs they got assigned. The girl ran to her house and cried into her bed. The girl cried and cried until she ran out of tears.


She painfully decided that she would have to go on with life as a simple village woman. As she started out to the market to do chores for her mother and play with her friends, she noticed that all of the children were not present. She remembered that they all went to go train for their future jobs, so they did not live in the town anymore. She trudged on, upset that she was the only person without a job, until she ran into a boy. They got up off the ground and gasped in surprise as they realized that they were each children. The boy told her that he, too, had no special skills and was left in the town as she was. They were so happy to have found another like themselves that they forgot about being completely average. They became best friends, and when they came of age fell in love and got married. The boy became a man and got a job as a handyman, who did little jobs for everyone in town. The girl became a woman and had three children whom she spent her days caring for.


One day an old hag came into the village. She was so ugly and fat that no one even wanted to talk to her. The woman felt bad for this hag, so she greeted her as kindly as she could. The woman looked at the hag and realized she was the once-beautiful girl that was sent to be one of the king's mistresses.
The woman asked, "What happened to you?" The hag looked sad for a moment, though it was hard to tell *with her gnarled, meaty face.
She said, "I gave birth to a girl, so I was completely ignored by the king. There was a fire in the castle and I got trapped in the room when all the other mistresses escaped." The woman was perturbed at the gruesome story. She asked the hag if she wished she had been less beautiful so that she could have stayed in the village.
The hag gasped and exclaimed, "Why, never! My days in the palace where the best in my life! I was praised as the most beautiful of all the consorts!" She walked away in pride, reminiscing her days of beauty. The woman was shocked at the hag’s reply and walked home in confusion. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to give up a long, happy life for a few years of glory and beauty. She simply shook her head in disbelief and carried on with her life. Her life continued on, the same as ever, and she eventually forgot about the old hag who shortly died of starvation after her arrival to the town.


A few months after her death, a legless crippled man came into town on a wooden cart. The man looked tattered and tired, and was left slumped against the front wall by the cart driver. He asked around for a job, dragging himself from door to door with his arms, but no one would hire a cripple. The woman saw him pathetically crawling around and felt sorry for him, so when she finished her shopping she bought him a modest bread roll from the bakery. The cripple was very grateful and quickly devoured the roll.
When he was finished and licking his fingers, the woman asked, "What happened to you?"
The cripple looked at her and replied, "I was once the fastest messenger in the kingdom. I would be sent on the missions of highest importance and the most perilous missions. On one mission into the deep woods of Cartelo, I was mauled by a pack of wolves. I just barely made it out with my life, but they got my legs before I escaped. Luckily, there was a small lumber village close by which took me in and nursed me to health. I knew the king would no longer want me, so I asked them to drive me back to my home village. So, here I am." The woman now recognized the cripple as the boy who was chosen by the dragon to be a messenger.
Remembering the hag, the woman asked him the same question, "Do you regret being fast enough to be chosen as a messenger?"
The cripple stared at her in dismay and declared, "Of course not! I may not be able to walk again, but I will never forget the feeling of the wind in my hair and thrill of reaching my destination on time. My days as a messenger were the best in my life. I would never give up those memories for the world!" The woman went home, shocked and confused for a second time. Why would anyone want to give up a lifetime of walking for a few years of constant running? As she opened the door to her average home, she was greeted by her average family. Her average husband kissed her and went back to reading a book to the children. She prepared an average meal which they all ate contently, then told her family that she would be going to bed. As she lay in her bed, mind wandering before going to sleep, she realized that people have the lives suited for them. Just as the beauty or the runner would never give up their lives, she would never want another life either. Whether one is ordinary or extraordinary, they will end up with the life suited for them. They will end up with the life that makes them happy.