Once upon a time there was a
turtle so ambitious and quite annoying to listen to.
Other creatures in the forest avoided his presence for
he always wanted to be the center of attention. He knew
everything. He loved to talk about himself and his
ambitions - his favorite topic was to fly like the
geese. “It would be wonderful to be up so high and look
down on other turtles incapable of doing the same. He
was the only turtle who could do it”, he remarked. The
Elder turtles advised him to speak less of such nonsense
but to no avail.
One day, he called out to a goose
as she was flying off to meet her flock.
“ Teach me how to fly”, the turtle
asked.
“ Sorry, not right now. My flock
is migrating for the cold weather,” the goose answered.
“ But, I want to fly! And I want
to fly NOW!” the turtle demanded.
“ We will have to ask my flock”
the gentle goose replied.
So the goose and the turtle went
together to meet the flock. They asked if anyone could
teach the turtle how to fly. Someone suggested… the
turtle could bite on a strong stick sideways while two
of the geese would hold either end of the stick with
their beaks. Only one thing… the turtle must not speak
while biting the stick or he would fall off.
The turtle’s reputation to be a
bully was known to the geese. They were reluctant to
take him with them flying, besides he did belong on the
ground, and not up in the air. But they were willing to
give him the experience he asked for. So, as they lifted
off the ground, he was reminded again… “Mind you, do not
open your mouth while up in the air!”
So, they flew off. The stick was
in the turtle’s mouth horizontally and held by two geese
in each end. The turtle indeed became the first of his
kind to fly. He was amazed to see the most wondrous
things he ever saw in his life: trees shrinking into the
size of mushrooms, rivers turning into silver snakes,
fields looking like small patches of grass but most of
all, he saw other earthbound creatures looking up to
him. ‘Those poor earthbound creatures must be in awe of
me’, he thought. ‘They should praise me and how
magnificent I am, indeed.’ Caught up in his own delusion
he opened his mouth and shouted… “I am the greatest
turtle in the world!
And, he plunged down to his own
demise.
The End
Moral of the Tale: Filipinos are taught never to boast for whatever
reason, for the higher you bring yourself up, the
harder you land when you hit the ground.
