Entry Post by @ngozi996 for Your Favourite Children's Stories.

Hello everyone I'm going to tell you a story my father told I and my siblings while we were young,we were about 8 or 9 years old. Enjoy!!

Once upon a time,all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky. They were very happy and started preparing for the great day. They painted their body with red camwood and drew beautiful patterns on them with uli.

Tortoise saw all these preparations and soon discovered what it all meant. Nothing that happened in the animal world ever escaped his notice. He was full of cunning.

As soon as he heard of the great feast in the sky, his throat began to itch at the very thought. There was a famine in those days and tortoise had not eaten a good meal for two months,so he began to plan how he would go to the feast in the sky.

Tortoise had no wings so he went to the birds and asked to be allowed to go with them
'we know you too well' said the birds when they had heard him. You are full of cunning and you are ungrateful,if we allow you come with us, you'll soon begin your mischief.

'You do not know me' said Tortise. I am a changed man,I've learnt that a man who makes trouble for others is making trouble for himself.

Tortoise had a sweet tongue, and within a short while all the birds agreed that tortoise was a changed man and they each have him a feather with which he made two wings.

At last the great day came and tortoise was the first to arrive the meeting place. As they were about to take off,tortoise said to them, you know that it's a new place we're going to, it's not good for us to just go like that,let's choose names,so we can be identified by our names, and also have a spokes person to speak on behalf of us all,it's the tradition for going to a new place. This seemed a nice idea to the birds and none of them knew of this age old tradition, so they agreed,inspire of tortoise shortcomings they knew he wasa widely travelled man who knew about the customs and traditions of other people. When they had all taken a name, tortoise also took one. His name was going to be 'ALL OF YOU'.

At last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts welcomed them,tortoise stood up and thanked them for their invitation,he spoke with so much eloquence that all the birds were glad they allowed him come with them and they nodded their heads.

Their hosts took him as the king of he birds especial as he looked somewhat different from the others.

When it was time to eat,their hosts set before them delectable dishes. It was full of meat and fish. When everything had been set,the hosts said this food is for all of you.
Immediately the birds wanted to pounce on the food,the tortoise reminded them that his name was all of you,and the food was brought for him,that was how the tortoise finished all the food set before them while all the birds grumbled.
After the food came drinks and the birds were also told that it was for all of you,again the tortoise drank all while the birds boiled in anger. When the party was over and it was time to go,all the birds angrily collected their feathers from the tortoise and left him there,he asked the birds to send a message to his wife but they all refused,it was only the parrot that agreed. The tortoise told her to tell his wife to bring out all the soft soft things in his house,the bed,chairs and all so he could jump down from the sky. When the parrot got home he told tortoise wife that tortoise said she should bring out all the hard things in his house,his hoe, matchet, axe and all.
Tortoise looked down from the sky and saw his wife bringing things out but couldn't see clearly what he as bringing out. When it seemed all was ready,tortoise jumped down from the sky and with a great thud landed on those hard things and his she'll broke into a thousand pieces. A great healer was later brought but he could not patch all of tortoise shell back together. That is why till today tortoise shell is patched up and down.

Teaching the story left me with: Never be greedy. Be content with what you have.
It also taught me that there are consequences for every of our actions,so we should think well before we carry out any action because we'll be the ones to face it's consequences.

Cc
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