How The Tortoise Got The Cracks On His Shell

Long ago, in a time when animals could talk and lived like people, the sky held a great feast. All the birds were invited. Delicious food, sweet fruits, and joyful music awaited. But there was one problem—only animals that could fly could attend.

Now, Tortoise was clever and full of pride. When he heard about the feast, he wanted to go, even though he had no wings. So, he hatched a plan.

Tortoise went to the birds and spoke sweetly. “Friends,” he said, “why don’t you all lend me a feather each? With your help, I can build wings and join you in the sky. I, too, want to honor the great feast.”

Moved by his words, each bird gave Tortoise a feather, and soon, he had enough to fly.

Before the flight, he asked to be called by a new name—“All of You.” The birds found this odd but agreed.

When they arrived in the sky, the hosts of the feast welcomed them warmly. “This feast,” the Sky Chief said, “is for all of you.”

Tortoise smiled slyly. “As you heard,” he said, “the feast is for me—since my name is All of You.”

And with that, Tortoise ate all the best food, leaving the birds hungry and humiliated.

Angry and betrayed, the birds each took back their feathers, leaving Tortoise stranded in the sky.

With no way to fly back, Tortoise begged for help. He asked the birds to tell his wife to bring out soft things—mats, clothes, anything—to cushion his fall.

But the birds, still angry, told his wife to bring out hard objects—mortars, pestles, and stones.

Tortoise leaped from the sky, expecting a soft landing—but instead, he shattered his shell on the hard ground.

His wife rushed to gather the broken pieces and patched them together. But the shell never looked the same again.