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Original Writer: Unknown
Rewritten: Udhayan |
Once upon a time, in a forest, there was a small lake. A friendly turtle lived in this lake. He always talked to all the creatures that came to the lake, whether it was necessary or not. 1 |
Meanwhile, one day, two cranes came to the lake to drink water. The turtle quickly became friends with them. These cranes continue to come to the lake every day. The turtle and the cranes started having fun, laughing and talking about the many problems in the town. Many days passed like this. The cranes also began to live permanently in that lake. 2 |
Then, a severe drought struck the forest. It had not rained that year. The water in the lake also started drying up. As the water in the lake started to decrease, all the creatures around it left in search of a new home. 3 |
The cranes also decided to go. They told their friend, the tortoise, “Friend, we are also going to another lake. We cannot stay here any longer in this situation. We have come to say goodbye to you. We will return when the drought is over, and the lake is filled with water like before. Then we will meet again.” 4 |
Hearing this, the tortoise could not bear the pain. He said to the cranes: “How can you leave me alone in this lake? In a few days, the remaining water in the lake will dry up. How will I survive without food? I don’t think we will see each other again.” 5 |
Hearing the tortoise’s words, the cranes said, “What can we do my friend? You cannot fly like us. That is why we cannot take you with us.” 6 |
Hearing this, the tortoise said: “I have a plan. If you agree, I will tell you.” 7 |
Hearing this, the cranes said: “If we can take you with us, we will. Tell us what the plan is.” 8 |
The tortoise immediately told his friends: “Take a long branch and hold it by both ends. I will hold it in the middle with my mouth. Then you must fly with me.” 9 |
The cranes liked the turtle’s trick, but, as the turtle was talkative, they did not want to take him away like this. 10 |
So the cranes said to the tortoise: “Friend, we don’t think it would be right to take you with us, as you are always talking. You will fall down if you accidentally open your mouth to talk while flying. That will cause a big accident.” 11 |
Hearing the cranes’ response, the tortoise said, “Don’t be afraid of that. I will never open my mouth and invite danger. Please take me with you.” 12 |
Believing the tortoise’s words, the cranes said: “We will certainly take you with us. But we remind you again of the danger of opening your mouth. Therefore, under no circumstances should you open your mouth to speak.” 13 |
Saying this, they arranged a tree branch and held both ends. Without wasting time, the turtle bit into the middle of the tree branch. Then, the cranes flew away with the turtle. 14 |
Because of the turtle’s weight, the cranes could not fly very high. They flew very low. This was a new experience for the tortoise, who had only seen everything from below. The big trees and animals all looked small. In his life, the tortoise had never thought that he would see such a sight from so high up. 15 |
The tortoise felt like talking out loud about his happiness right away, but he kept quiet, remembering the danger of opening his mouth. 16 |
The two cranes and the tortoise were now flying over a village. The tortoise was still enjoying the view. Some villagers who were walking down the road saw this. They did not understand what the cranes were carrying. This was the first time they had seen such a sight. 17 |
Then one from the group asked: “What are these cranes carrying? Bundles of clothes?” 18 |
Another person listening to this said, “Why do cranes carry bundles of cloth? They are carrying some prey to eat.” 19 |
Some children who were looking up started running in the direction of the cranes. Seeing the children running happily, the tortoise became very happy and opened his mouth to say something. The moment the tortoise opened its mouth, he lost its grip and started falling. 20 |
The cranes were frightened and immediately flew down to catch the turtle. 21 |
The turtle fell into a swamp without any injuries. But he was unconscious. 22 |
The villagers rushed towards it, eager to see what had fallen from the cranes’ beaks. When they realised it was a turtle, they felt sorry for it. The compassionate villagers lifted the unconscious turtle and carried him to the shore of a lake. By then, the cranes had also arrived there, searching for the turtle. 23 |
The cranes saw the turtle on the bank of the lake and sat down next to it. After some time, the turtle regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his beloved friends. 24 |
The turtle was very happy to see them, but he was also sad that he had not kept his promise to them, so he remained silent. The cranes were happy and relieved when the turtle opened its eyes. 25 |
Cranes said to the turtle, “It’s lucky to see you alive again. Those villagers were kind and brought you to this lake. Didn’t we tell you about the danger of opening your mouth earlier? A big danger has now been averted.” 26 |
Hearing this, the tortoise looked around and said: “Yes, friends, forgive me. I promise you that I will not speak again unless necessary. But as long as the three of us are here, it will be enough.” 27 |
Hearing the tortoise’s words, the cranes said: “You are right. We can stay here for now. There is no need to go and look for a new home.” 28 |
After that, the three friends lived happily for long at that lake. 29 |
This story means that whatever you say, you should speak at the right time. 30 ★ |
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