As they flew over a village, people looked up in amazement seeing the swans carrying the tortoise. They pointed out the strange sight to one another, and cheered and shouted. At first, the tortoise was very happy to be the cause for so much sensation. He sailed along happily. But soon, he could hear their voices clearly. “Look! A tortoise! He’s flying!” “He’s not flying. He’s holding on to the stick!” “What will happen if he slips, or lets the stick go!” “Silly! He’ll fall, of course!” “Wow! Then we’ll have a feast! I will make curry with the meat!” “No, no! We’ll roast the meat!” The tortoise was getting really angry hearing all the comments. The last comment infuriated him thoroughly. “You will eat ashes!” he said angrily. The foolish tortoise immediately lost his hold on the stick, crashed to the ground and died.
The Foolish Tortoise
