The Tortoise and the Birds

Once upon a time in a village in Nigeria, there lived a clever Tortoise. The Tortoise always found ways to trick the other animals and take their food.

One day, news came that the King of the Heavens was having a big feast, and all the birds were invited. The Tortoise, feeling jealous, wanted to go, but he had no wings to fly to the heavens.

He thought of a plan. He went to the birds and said, "My friends, we live in the same land. Why not take me with you? I promise to behave."

The birds were unsure because they knew the Tortoise was tricky. But the Tortoise begged and begged, and finally, they agreed. Each bird gave him a feather, and with these, he made himself wings.

Before they left, the Tortoise said, "Since we are meeting the King, we should all have royal names. I will be called 'All-of-you'." The birds agreed and chose royal names too.

When they arrived in the heavens, the feast was huge, with lots of food. When the King of the Heavens told the servants to bring out the food, he said, "Serve the food to all of you."

Using his royal name, the Tortoise said, "The King said the food is for 'All-of-you,' and that’s me!" The Tortoise ate all the food, leaving nothing for the birds.

The birds were furious. They took back their feathers, leaving the Tortoise stuck in the heavens with no way to fly home.

The Tortoise, realizing his greed, asked a bird to send a message to his wife to prepare something soft for him to land on. But the birds tricked him, and his wife made a hard landing instead.

With no other option, the Tortoise jumped from the heavens and fell to the ground. His shell cracked, and from that day on, it stayed broken, as a reminder of his greed.