How the Tortoise Got His Cracked Shell
The tortoise was the cleverest and most cunning member of the animal kingdom.
Long, long ago, in a faraway land called Nigeria, the birds had called a feast in the sky, and all the birds in the animal kingdom were invited to attend.
The tortoise desperately wanted to attend the feast. So, he approached the birds and begged them to each give him a feather to stick to his shell, so he could fly like them and attend the feast.
They graciously agreed and gave him feathers. Then the tortoise suggested that it would be fun if everyone took new names they would answer to at the feast.
The birds agreed. One said he would be called Mighty Bird, another Food Pecker, and so on. When it was the tortoise’s turn, he said his name would be “All of You.”
With names taken, they all set off to the feast together. When they arrived, they saw a huge feast laid out for all the guests.
The food and drinks looked so appetizing and smelled so good — their mouths were watering. They just couldn’t wait to dig in.
Their host welcomed them warmly and then announced:
“All of you, please dig in!”
The tortoise had anticipated this. Out of his cunning and greed, he had chosen the name “All of You” on purpose.
He quickly stood up and declared,
“Since we all agreed to answer to our chosen names, and I am ‘All of You’, the host has invited me to eat all the food!”
To the shock and annoyance of the other birds, the tortoise proceeded to eat all the food, drink all the drinks, and left nothing for anyone else. He did not share, nor did he invite the others to join him.
When the feast was over and it was time to return home, the angry birds took back all the feathers they had lent him, leaving him stranded in the sky.
Without wings, the tortoise had no choice but to tumble down from the sky. He crashed onto the ground, landing on his shell — which cracked into pieces.
That is why, to this day, the tortoise walks around with a cracked shell.