Seethrume Thornsontheback was a lively little dragon who lived in Dragonsville. He lived in a large house with his papa and mama. For the most part Seethrume was a good little dragon and everybody liked him. He listened to his parents, was good at school and never fought with his friends. But when it came to food, Seethrume would lose all his self-control. He would gobble up all the food put in front of him without even waiting to chew on it.
“Seethrume! Chew, don’t swallow”, was a constant refrain at the Thornsontheback’s dinner table.
One day, the Thornsonthebacks were expecting some guests and Papa Thornsontheback bought some laddoos to serve them with tea. He left the laddoos on the table and went to freshen up before the guests arrived. It was at this time that Seethrume entered the house after having spent the evening playing Frying Balls with his friends. When he saw the box of laddoos on the table, his eyes lit up and he opened it. He grabbed all the laddoos and stuffed them into his mouth.
Just when he had stuffed the last laddoo into his mouth, his papa came into the living room. He saw Seethrume standing there with his mouth full of laddoos and got angry, very angry.
In his anger he uttered a curse.
“You greedy dragon! I curse you that you shall remain hungry till eternity. You will eat the entire moon but your hunger will never be satisfied.”
With this, poor Seethrume was sent into the sky. Where for fifteen days he struggles to swallow the moon, bit by bit. On the sixteenth day, he vomits it out again and then begins to eat it all over again.
There he has remained from that day till now and forever more, eating and vomiting the moon but never feeling full in his stomach.
Tales from the Fireside 