The Talkative Tortoise

The Talkative Tortoise

A tortoise lived beside a small pond. She was kind, cheerful, and loved company.

She also loved to talk.

She talked about the morning sun, clouds, the tastiest water plants, frogs, insects, yesterday’s rain, and even how pleasant it was to lie on a warm stone.

If someone said, “I saw a beautiful flower today...”

the tortoise immediately replied:

“I saw three! One was white, one yellow, and the third... Wait, I’ll tell you everything!”

Her best friends were two wild ducks. Every year they came to the pond and stayed for several months.

One day the ducks said:

“We’ll soon have to fly on. Beyond the hills there is a great lake. The water is clear, the banks are green, and there are so many water lilies that they look like little plates scattered across the water.”

“I want to go too!” cried the tortoise. “I’ve never seen a great lake. What trees grow there? What fish? What frogs? Is there...”

“There is almost everything you’re about to ask about,” laughed the ducks. “But there is one problem. You cannot fly.”

The tortoise became sad.

Then one duck said:

“We have an idea.”

The ducks found a strong straight stick.

“We’ll hold the ends in our beaks,” they explained. “You grip the middle tightly with your mouth. Then we can carry you to the new lake.”

The tortoise was delighted.

“What a wonderful idea! When do we leave? Will we fly high? Fast? And...”

“Wait,” said the first duck. “There is one very important rule.”

“While we are flying, you must not talk.”

The tortoise blinked.

“Not at all?”

“Not at all. The moment you open your mouth, you will let go of the stick.”

The tortoise promised solemnly:

“I will be silent!”

The next morning the ducks took the ends of the stick, the tortoise gripped the middle, and they rose into the sky.

At first, the tortoise forgot all about talking.

Green fields floated beneath her. Roads looked like thin ribbons, trees like tiny umbrellas, and houses like toy boxes.

“How beautiful!” she wanted to cry.

But she remembered the stick just in time.

She only bit down harder.

Soon they flew over a village.

Children saw the strange travelers and pointed upward.

“Look! Two ducks are carrying a tortoise!”

“What a funny passenger!”

The tortoise heard them and thought:

“Funny? Me? I agreed to this journey myself! And besides, I could explain...”

Her mouth almost opened.

But one duck gave her a very meaningful look.

The tortoise tightened her grip again.

They flew on.

Beyond the next hill, several people were working in a field.

One man looked up and laughed.

“Look at that talkative tortoise! I wonder how she manages to keep quiet!”

That was too much.

“I am not...” the tortoise began.

At that very moment, the stick slipped from her mouth.

“Oh!”

Fortunately, directly below was a large wagon piled high with soft hay.

Poof!

The tortoise landed in the hay and sank so deep that only the top of her shell showed.

The driver stopped the horse.

“Well, what a visitor from the sky!”

The ducks quickly flew down.

“Are you all right?” they asked anxiously.

The tortoise poked her head out of the hay.

“I’m all right,” she said quietly.

The ducks looked at one another.

“Would you like to add anything?”

The tortoise thought.

Then thought a little longer.

For the first time in her life, she did not hurry to answer.

“No,” she finally said. “Right now I’d rather listen to you.”

The ducks smiled.

After a short rest, they took up the stick again. The tortoise gripped it tightly, and this time she did not say a single word for the rest of the journey.

When they reached the great lake, the tortoise saw green banks, sparkling water, and countless water lilies.

Only then did she release the stick and cry:

“How beautiful!”

The ducks laughed.

“Now you can talk.”

The tortoise did not stop being talkative. She still loved stories, jokes, and long conversations.

But now she knew an important secret: sometimes the wisest word is the one you decide not to say.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨