The Turtle and the Two Geese

In a beautiful lake, a turtle lived happily with two wild geese. As the hot summer approached, the lake began to dry up completely. The geese, being birds, could easily fly to a larger lake in the Himalayas, but they didn't want to leave their friend behind to die.

The geese came up with a clever plan. They brought a strong stick and told the turtle, 'Bite hard on the middle of this stick. We will hold the two ends in our beaks and fly you to the new lake. But you have one major flaw: you talk too much. You must promise not to open your mouth for any reason while we are in the sky.'

The turtle eagerly promised to keep his mouth firmly shut. The geese took off, carrying the turtle high over the villages and fields.

As they flew over a town, some children looked up in amazement and shouted, 'Look! Two clever birds are carrying a stupid turtle on a stick! What a funny sight!'

The turtle, who was very proud and quick-tempered, was furious at being called stupid. Forgetting his promise and the fact that he was thousands of feet in the air, he opened his mouth to shout back, 'If my friends want to carry me, what is it to you, you foolish children!'

The moment he opened his mouth, he lost his grip on the stick. He plummeted to the ground and was shattered on the rocks below. The geese could only fly on with deep sorrow for their foolish friend.