The Turtle Who Talked Too Much

18 The Turtle Who Talked Too Much Long ago, there was a turtle who really liked to talk. He was known in his neighbourhood as the talkative turtle. You could always find him pronouncing his views on any subject. He always had an opinion and was always certain that he was correct. That was why he insisted on talking so much. In his mind, he believed that others truly wanted to hear what he had to say. In reality, they whispered behind his back, calling him an “ old windbag" , and a " talking machine" . The turtle went on and on, spending his days telling others how clever he was. He even went so far as to state that he was the cleverest of all the animals in the jungle. One day, this turtle heard some hunters saying that they were going to catch some turtles. The market for turtles was good that year, and this was an ideal place to make some money.

The turtle knew that he must make a run for it, for he did not want to end up in a pot of turtle soup. He asked two cranes to help him escape. His plan was simple. He instructed the two birds to hold a stick between their mouths. “ I will hold on to this stick with my teeth, and you shall fly with me to safety, far from these horrid turtle hunters. " The birds agreed. They warned the turtle to keep his mouth closed tightly so that he could hold on to the stick. The plan worked like magic. The birds flew high over the jungle with the turtle hanging from the stick, his mouth clamped around it tightly. From below, the other animals looked up in amazement. " Those birds are really smart to think of such a way to carry a turtle, " they said. Upon hearing this, the turtle opened his mouth, letting go of the stick, and shouted, “ But it was I who thought of this plan! " And with that, the turtle fell to the land below.