Short story: A folktale of how the tortoise got the patches on its shell

 

Short story:

A folktale of how the tortoise got the patches on its shell

Once upon a land called Iduu na Oba, time land animals scheduled a meeting with animals that fly, and the tortoise was appointed as a chief to represent all the land animals at the conference on Ososo Hills. The tortoise had no wings and had to rely on the goodwill of the flying animals to get to the mountaintop. When they arrived, the lord of the high plain, a mountain goat that convened the meeting to adjudicate the melee between the land and flying animals, welcomed them.
But at the bottom of the hill, before they got to the top, the tortoise, knowing the usual modus operandi of the goat and its signature entertainment of large hosts, assumed a new name among the animals. He declared that he should now be called "Unu dum," a local jargon that means "For y'all."
Now, they gathered in a circle, and the wine came. The tortoise in a loud voice enquired while the goat went to the kitchen to bring the food and asked the host, "Who are these wines for?"
The goat answered, "For y'all."
Tortoise turned to the flying animals and told them that the host gave it to only him because he knew his new name. That was what the tortoise did when the food, a sweet breadfruit meal, came. He ate and drank all by himself and never considered others.
The meeting ended, and it was time to go. The disgruntled flying animals had a payback plan for the tortoise for his greed, selfishness, lack of consideration, and mistreatment. Now, his dependence on the animals to get down the hill was more imperative.
They carried the tortoise far higher than expected, making the fall more remarkable. While the tortoise was enjoying the flying voyage and euphoria of seeing farther than he had ever seen, right above the mountain and a little beneath the cloud, at the peak, they threw the tortoise down, and his crash was significant.
But the benevolent land animal snail gathered the pieces and glued the tortoiseshell with its slime. The tortoise survived, but broken marks and glued parts are still on the shell today.
The story's moral is: Do not take advantage of people, especially those who help you accomplish things. Do not be greedy. Be considerate. Do not be a schemer or overly clever to show you are cannier than others. People are watching, and it may not augur well with you when they withdraw that exceptional help they lend you.
- © Told by Okechukwu Okugo
Contact Okechukwu Okugo for your book editing and publishing at okechukwuokugo@gmail.com or call +1 (347) 741-3446.
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