The Tortoise and the Geese

The Tortoise and the Geese - A Panchatantra Story

Once upon a time, in a pond lived a tortoise. He became friends with two geese who used to visit the pond regularly. They spent hours chatting with each other, and one day, the tortoise expressed his desire to fly like the geese. The geese laughed and said, "That's impossible! You have a heavy shell on your back. You can't fly!"

The tortoise felt sad and decided to prove them wrong. He said, "I might not be able to fly, but I can certainly travel with your help."

The geese were curious and asked, "How?"

The tortoise replied, "If you hold a stick with your beaks and I hold on to the middle of the stick with my mouth, you can fly with me to other places."

The geese were impressed with the tortoise's idea and agreed to help him. They found a sturdy stick and asked the tortoise to hold on to it. Then, they flew up into the sky with the tortoise holding on to the stick.

As they were flying, a group of animals saw them and were amazed. They had never seen a tortoise fly before. The tortoise felt proud and shouted, "Look at me, I am flying!"

The geese were carrying the tortoise over a village when the villagers saw them. They were surprised and started shouting and throwing stones at the geese. The geese tried to fly away quickly, but the tortoise was heavy, and they couldn't fly fast enough. v One of the stones hit the tortoise's shell, and he lost his grip on the stick. He fell down and hit the ground hard. The tortoise was badly injured, and the geese were sad to see their friend hurt.

From that day on, the geese realized that their friend's desire to fly was not worth risking his life. They decided to visit the tortoise at the pond and spend time with him on the ground. The tortoise was grateful for their friendship and learned that sometimes, it's best to stay grounded and be happy with what you have.