[LINK](https://www.shortstoriesforkids.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Tortoise-And-The-Bird.jpg)
Hi fellow Steemians, story from my childhood has been one very important and fun part of my childhood, most of which were just to make me laugh so hard other would just help me pass some hurdles or teach me a positive lesson.
I was just between 5-7 years of age, when my nursery teacher told I and my classmates this story, here goes.
Once upon a time in the land of the animals, lived a tortoise who was smart and funny at the same time, he never always like to do hard labour like other animals before feeding itself and family, but will rather choose to outsmart other in a cunny way and acquire their food or hard earned possession, and this has been going on a for a really long time.
So a time came that there was intense famine in the land, there was no food and so many animals began to die of hunger except the birds, then one day the tortoise summoned a bird friend of his called "sparrow" and asked how does he gets food that he and his fellow bird colleagues always looking so robust and fresh even in the midst of the hunger, so the bird smiled and said that the master of the sky always invite them for dinner every evening, and they always eat to their fill, but they can't carry any food home but just to eat there, until the next dinner again, but with a condition, that they don't call names to serve them food, which was fine by the tortoise but he had a challenge because he couldn't fly like other birds, so the tortoise felt angry and decided to go home and think of what to do.
So the tortoise came up with a plan, so he summoned the bird and the rest of his friends, then he said he had a proposal for them, he then asked that all the bird should contribute a feather each for him so he can be able to fly with them alongside to the master of the sky's dinner in the clouds and in return he would give them his most priced Possession which they've always wished to have and also with a condition that his name for the dinner trip will be called "all of you", and knowing names are not called at the the venue in the first place, the birds didn't think that through, and then they all agreed.
So all the birds donated a feather and somehow pinned it to the tortoise back it was even more than enough that he was able to fly in the sky with the birds and they all went for the dinner that day, on getting there they were offered a big round dinner table of which they all sat down waiting for their meal.
The first meal was brought in, on a very wide tray, and the waiter said, "this is for all of you", and as they all wanted to start munching, the tortoise made a halt and reminded them what his agreed name was ("all of you") and they all left the food for Mr tortoise, while they regretted their agreement to such a name .
Then the second wave came, it was repeated that "this food belongs to all of you", and this time th ebirds didn't bother because as agreed the food belongs to Mr tortoise, and then the third, fourth and fifth wave came in succession with the same tag, all the birds were so angry that some had to shed a year because they were hungry but they couldn't eat anything because all the waves of food brought in had the tag " it's for all of you".
So when it was time to return back they all angrily collected back their feathers from the tortoise and flew away from the venue, and the tortoise who has heavily eaten had no choice but to jump down from the skies back to earth, he didn't die but broke his back big time.
<center> SUMMARY </center>
The Tortoise had a very good good chance to survival but he blew it because of greed, if only he wasn't too greedy he would have still had the feathers and he wouldn't have broken his back the way he did.
<center> WHAT I LEARNT FROM THE STORY </center>
Each time I reflect at this old story growing up I tend to learn something new from the story.
Back then I learnt it does not pay to be greedy, and growing old, this same story thought me that never try to outsmart or pay evil to those who put themselves on the line to help you.
Thanks for this opportunity @belenguerra, and Gracias @steemcurator01 and @steemcurator02