Thread by @Dstoryteller_1

STORY TITLE : TORTOISE AND THE BIRDS

After series of consultation with the street lords, the story telling can now begin, fall your friends and family

#thestory_teller

Once upon a time, all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky. They were very happy and began to prepare themselves for the great day. They painted their bodies with red cam wood and drew beautiful patterns on them with uli.

#thestory_teller

Tortoise saw all preparations & soon discovered what it all meant. Nothing that happened in the world of the animals 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.
#thestory_teller

There was a famine and Tortoise had not eaten a good meal for two moons. His
body rattled like a piece of dry stick in his empty shell. So he began to plan how he would go to the sky.
Tortoise had no wings, but he went to
the birds and asked to be allowed to go.
#thestory_teller

“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 to come with us you will soon begin your
mischief."

#thestory_teller

"You don't know me," said Tortoise. "I am a changed man. I have learnt that who makes trouble for others is also making for himself."

Within a short time they agreed that he was a changed man, and they each gave him a feather, with which he made two wings
#thestory_teller

At last the great day came and Tortoise was the first to arrive at the meeting-place. When all the birds gathered , they set
off in a body. Tortoise happy & voluble as he flew among d birds, & he was chosen as the man to speak because he was a great orator.
#thestory_teller

"There is one important thing which we must not forget," he said as they flew on their way. "When people are invited to a great feast like this, they take new names for the occasion. Our hosts in the sky will expect us to honour this age-old custom.’
#thestory_teller

None of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that Tortoise, in spite of his failings in other directions, was a widely travelled man who knew the customs of
different peoples. And so they each took a new name.
#thestory_teller

When they had all taken, Tortoise
also took one. He was to be called All of You .
At last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts were very happy to see them. Tortoise stood up in his many-coloured plumage and
thanked them for their invitation.
#thestory_teller

His speech was so eloquent that all the birds were glad.they had brought him, and nodded their
heads in approval of all he said.
Their hosts took him as the king of the birds, especially as he looked somewhat different from the others.
#thestory_teller

After kola nuts had been presented and eaten, the people of the sky set before their guests the most delectable dishes Tortoise had ever seen or dreamt of. The soup was brought out hot from the fire and in the very pot in which it had been cooked.
#thestory_teller

It was full of meat
and fish. Tortoise began to sniff aloud. There was pounded yam and also yam pottage.cooked with palm-oil and fresh fish. There were also pots of palm-wine.
#thestory_teller

When everything had been set before the guests, one of the people of the sky came forward and tasted a little from each pot. He then invited the birds to eat. But
Tortoise jumped asked:"For whom have you prepared this feast?"

"For all of you," replied the man.
#thestory_teller

Tortoise turned to the birds and said: "You remember that my name is All of You. The custom here is to serve the spokesman first and the others later. They will serve you
when I have eaten."
He began to eat and the birds grumbled angrily.
#thestory_teller

The people of the sky thought it must be their custom to leave all the food for their
king. And so Tortoise ate the best part of the.food and then drank two pots of palm-wine, so that he was very full and his body filled out in his shell.
#thestory_teller

The birds gathered round to eat what was left and to peck at the bones he had thrown all about the floor. Some of them were too angry to eat. They chose to fly home on an empty stomach.

But before they left each took
back the feather he had lent to Tortoise..
#thestory_teller

And there he stood in his hard shell full of food and wine but without any wings to fly home.
He asked the birds to take a message for his wife, but they all refused. +
#thestory_teller

Parrot, who had felt more angry than d others,changed his mind & agreed to take d message.
"Tell my wife," said Tortoise, "to bring out all d soft things in my house and cover d compound with them so that I can jump down from d sky without very great danger."
#thestory_teller

Parrot promised to deliver the message, and then flew away. But when he reached Tortoise’s house he told his wife to bring out all the hard things in the house.

And so she brought out her husband’s hoes, machetes, spears, guns and even his cannon.
#thestory_teller

Tortoise looked down from the sky and saw his wife bringing things out, but it was too far to see what they were.
When all seemed ready he let
himself go. He fell and fell and fell until he began to fear that he would never stop falling.
#thestory_teller

And then like the sound of his cannon he crashed.
His shell broke into pieces. Tortoise’s wife sent for a medicine man in the neighborhood him who came and gathered all d bits of shell and stuck them together.

That is why Tortoise’s shell is not smooth.

#thestory_teller

This story is gotten from Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart' one of my favorite books. It's an igbo folktale.

If you guys have any folktales for me, Dm is open or send me a mail [e-mail]

Advice, suggestions, criticism, they are welcome.
#thestory_teller

Let me know what I'm doing wrong or right.

Do not forget to rt please, tell your family and friends that @Dstoryteller_1 is in town

Another story coming up soon, on notification as you follow me

Enjoy your afternoon