Stupid Turtle

Once upon a time there lived a nice turtle at a beautiful pond surrounded by evergreen forest. The turtle had a nice life living in such a scenic natural setting. A couple of swans used to visit him daily. They became friends and ultimately they developed a family–like relationship.

The two swans spent their time with the turtle talking about the beautiful environment they lived in almost every day. They felt that they have the richest lives in the world. They also believed that their world was the nicest place in the whole universe to live in. In the evening the two swans flew back to their nest.

However, the nature had not been so kind to the turtle. A dry spell prevailed in the area. The pond gradually had begun to dry up. The turtle had been worried to see that the beautiful greens also had been gradually dying and turning into yellow and finally dropping on the ground. Soon, the pound would become a little crater.

So, one day, the turtle said to the swans, “Friends, you could fly anywhere in this world but I am a slow-moving creature and cannot go beyond a couple of kilometers. I am sure there is no such a pond around the area of one kilometer. Can you guys not find another pond for me to live at and spend the rest of my life as happily as has been?”

“Yes, we have seen a beautiful pond but it is not so near to you so that you could crawl to it,” one of the swans said to the turtle.

“Can you guys not think of something to make it possible for me to go there and live?” said the turtle.

The two swans became serious and thought out a plan to fly the turtle to another pond. Given the size of the turtle, they thought that they could easily carry him. They need to think out a means to do so. Finally, they came up with a practicable plan to transfer the turtle from the drying-out pond to another nice pond.

The swans said, “Would you be frightened to be airborne if we carry you in the air?”

“No, but how could you carry me in the air?” said the turtle.

“We will take a strong stick, you have to hold it at the middle of it with your mouth, then we can hold each end of the stick to fly you to another pond but you should not open your mouth; if you do then that will be the end of you. You will fall and hit the ground. You will break your shell, head and what not,” said the swan.

“That sounds good. Yes, I can hold a stick with my mouth. In fact, I have a lot of experiences in munching twigs and so on. So, I would not find any problem of holding a stick with my mouth. I don’t need to talk to you while you are flying me. So, I would not open my mouth while we are airborne,” said the turtle.

“It’s good; let us bring a smooth and strong branch of a tree,” said a swan to its companion.

They found a beautiful and smooth twig. They broke it into a small piece and brought it to the turtle.

“Look, this is a stick. You need to hold it with your mouth at the middle and then we will hold each end of it and fly you to another pond. We repeat you should not open your mouth in any circumstances,” said one of the swans.

“Yes, I understood it and would not open my mouth in any event. Don’t worry about me; I will take care of mine and you take care of yours,” said the turtle.

The turtle held the twig at its middle and the swans at its ends and they were airborne. It was a nice picturesque. The two birds were flying a turtle.

A villager saw it. He called out another village to see the swans flying a turtle in the sky. Soon, all of the villagers were out and watching the unique scene of two swans flying a turtle.

One of the villagers said, “How could the turtle so firmly hold the twig that it does not fall?”

Another villager said, “Soon, it will get tired and fall.”

Some other villager said, “Let us make a noise to fall the turtle out of the twig.”

The turtle became very angry and thought that the villagers were slandering him. So, he wanted to shout back and opened the mouth causing free fall from the sky, and hit the ground causing instant death.

Not listening to the counseling of good friends such as swans, the turtle had fallen to death.

The lesson is you need to listen to the good counseling of friends and be careful to open your mouth.

June 26, 2010.

Source: One of the stories from Pancatantra.