Once upon a time in a village in Nigeria, there lived a cunning Tortoise. The Tortoise was always coming up with schemes to trick the other animals out of their food.
One day, word came that the King of the Heavens was throwing a great feast and all the birds were invited. The Tortoise, hearing this, felt envious. He wanted to attend the feast, but he had no wings to fly to the heavens.
So, he came up with a plan. He approached the birds and said, "Friends, I have a suggestion. We are all creatures of the same land. Why don't you take me to the heavens with you? I promise I will behave myself."
The birds were skeptical because they knew about the Tortoise's trickery. But the Tortoise pleaded and pleaded, and eventually, the birds agreed to take him. They each gave him a feather, and with those, he made wings.
Before they set off, the Tortoise told the birds, "As we are going to meet the King, we should all have royal names. I shall be called All-of-you." The birds agreed and they all took royal names.
When they reached the heavens, the feast was grand and the food plentiful. When the King of Heavens asked the servants to serve the food, he said, "Serve the food to all of you."
The Tortoise, using his royal name, claimed all the food saying, "The King said all the food is for 'All-of-you', and that's me!" The Tortoise gobbled down the food, leaving the birds hungry.
The birds were angry at being tricked. They took back their feathers from the Tortoise, leaving him stranded in the heavens without any way to fly back home.
The Tortoise, realizing his greed had gotten him into a terrible situation, begged a bird to send word to his wife to prepare a soft landing for him. But the birds instead spread false words, and his wife prepared a hard landing.
With no other choice, the Tortoise jumped down from the heavens and landed on the hard ground. His shell cracked from the fall and it serves as a reminder of his greed and trickery.
Once upon a time in a Nigerian village, there was a Tortoise who was super sneaky. He was the kind of Tortoise who'd trade you magic beans for your lunch, then sit back and munch on your sandwich while you tried to plant them. One day, the Tortoise heard some sky-high news. The King of the Heavens was throwing a big, big party with loads of yummy food, and all the birds were invited. "Oh man," thought the Tortoise, "I've got to get in on that! But there's one teeny, tiny problem. No wings!"
So, the Tortoise shuffled over to the birds and put on his best smile. "Hey friends, how about you take me up to the party? I promise, no tricks this time."
The birds looked at each other, kinda worried. They knew the Tortoise was really good at being bad. But he begged and begged until they said, "Alright, fine."
They each gave him a feather, and—ta-da!—he had his own pair of DIY wings. "Okay, gang," said the Tortoise. "We're meeting the King, so we need special party names. I'll be ‘All-of-you.’ Cool?"
The birds shrugged. "Sure, whatever," they said, and picked their own fancy names.
Off they flew, up to the sky party! And wow, the food looked so good you'd want to draw a picture of it. When the King said, "Serve the food to all of you," the Tortoise laughed inside his shell.
"That's me!" he shouted and ate up all the snacks faster than you can say "yummy in my tummy."
The birds were really mad. "You tricked us again!"
They took back their feathers, and now the Tortoise was stuck in the sky. Uh-oh.
"Hey, um, could one of you tell my wife to put something soft on the ground for me to land on?" asked the Tortoise.
The birds giggled. "Sure, we'll tell her." But they didn't. Nope, they told her to put something really hard there instead. The Tortoise had no choice. He jumped and—SPLAT!—landed right on the hard ground. His shell broke into pieces like a dropped puzzle.
And that's why, to this very day, the Tortoise has a shell that looks like a broken cookie. It reminds everyone, even the biggest tricksters, that tricks have a way of coming back to get you. Especially when you're messing with a flock of feathery friends who've had enough of your nonsense.
Tortoise sly, with clever grin,
Hatched a plan, some food to win.
He heard the birds to heaven soar,
For a royal feast with treats galore.
"No wings have I," Tortoise sighed,
"But friends, why not let me hitch a ride?
I'll be good, I swear, I vow,
Take me to the feast, oh wow!"
The birds, they thought, then gave a nod,
Gave Tortoise feathers, sleek and broad.
"To the King we go, we must have names,
Names that boast our royal claims!"
Tortoise grinned, "Please call me All-of-you,"
The birds agreed, each chose a name too.
Up to heaven's feast they flew,
A banquet grand, for me and you.
The King announced, "For all to dine,
Serve the food to 'All-of-you', so fine!"
Tortoise laughed, claimed every plate,
"A royal feast! I sure can't wait!"
He ate and ate, not leaving one,
For birds that felt their trust undone.
Angry birds took feathers back,
Left Tortoise there, no food to snack.
"In this mess, what will I do?
I'm stuck in heaven, oh boo hoo!"
He begged the birds, "Please, let my wife know,
Prepare a landing that's soft and slow."
But birds played tricks, a message skewed,
For Tortoise found a landing rude.
He leapt and crashed upon the ground,
His shell a crack, his lesson found.
So let this tale of Tortoise tell,
Why greed and tricks don't end so well.
And every time you see his shell,
Remember, kindness serves us well.
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