Why the Tortoise Has a Cracked Shell

Long ago in a small village near the forest, there lived a clever tortoise named Toma. Toma loved food more than anything else, but he didn’t like to work for it.

One day, the birds in the forest were invited to a grand feast in the sky. There would be plenty of delicious food for everyone.

Toma wanted to go too, but he could not fly.

So he went to the birds and said, “My friends, please lend me some feathers so I can join you.”

The kind birds agreed. Each one gave Toma a feather, and soon he had beautiful wings.

Before they left, Toma said, “At the feast, let us all take new names.”

The birds agreed.

Toma quickly chose the name “All of You.”

When they arrived at the feast, the hosts said, “This food is for all of you!”

Toma stepped forward and said, “Yes, I am All of You!” and began to eat everything by himself.

The birds were angry and disappointed. When the feast ended, they took back their feathers and flew away, leaving Toma in the sky.

Toma called down to his wife, “Bring out soft things so I can land safely!”

But the birds whispered to her to bring out hard things instead.

Toma fell from the sky and crashed onto the ground. His shell broke into pieces.

Though it later healed, it remained cracked forever.

And that is why the tortoise’s shell is not smooth.

Moral: Greed and trickery lead to trouble.