The Turtle
I never thought it would end like this...
There I was, sitting and listening to all of the King's men debate my death. I heard about being roasted alive, chopped into pieces and even more - but I won't include those gory details here. BUT I HAD TO SIT AND LISTEN TO IT ALL! How did I get here, you ask?
Charles and I go way back. Oh, sorry, forgot you are a new friend of mine! Charles is one of the king's men. Throughout my time swimming the ponds in the outskirts of the kingdom, Charles would bring me food while sitting on the edge of the pond. I would climb up into the grass and watch the sunset with him. I laughed at all of the outrageous stories from his days working for the king, and he would be proud when I told him about all of the fish I tackled and ate that day. Our friendship was like no other.
Until one day, he stopped coming to visit. I would see him pass by with the other king's men. They would be discussing funny stories of the king; Charles, of course, always received the most laughs for his experiences. He was a funny guy, and that's what I liked most about him.
It had been a few weeks since Charles had visited me, but one day, I saw him walking toward the pond. I was ecstatic thinking about the good laughs we would share. Suddenly, he picked me up out of the water, without speaking a word, and threw me and my other friends into a cage. I noticed they were transporting me to the kingdom. At first, I thought this meant we would be spending more time together, but as the days past, I saw less and less of Charles. Instead, I only saw the King's pesky sons. They would jump in the water, trample over the pond weeds and algae and make fun of the fish. I usually swam away to hide when the boys came, but one day I was not quick enough...
They screamed and gawked at me, demanding I be removed from their new "play area." They were then forcing me to sit among the king!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charles walking in. In the meantime, the others were planning my death. I hoped and prayed for a miracle - but he started to suggest another option for my death... being thrown into rough waters. ARE YOU SERIOUS!? AFTER ALL THOSE TIMES WE SHARED AND LAUGHS WE- wait... throw the turtle into the water...? CHARLES MY MAN!
It was then that I decided to speak up. "Oh please do not throw me into the water! I cannot withstand the rough waves or rocky terrain. I will die instantly if that is my fate."
A few hours later, I found myself happily swimming away into the distance.
And for that, I have Charles to thank. What a friend.
Charles, if you're reading this, thank you! I owe you big time!
Author's Note: This story is based off of the Jataka Tale "How The Turtle Saved His Own Life" by Ellen C. Babbitt. In this story, a turtle is mistaken for a demon in a lake of fishes and destined for death. It is not until the turtle hears the idea of being thrown into rocky water that he speaks up. Knowing that is the only fate he could survive, he tricks the King's men and begs for any fate but that. The turtle then survives and finds a way out of death. Out of all the Jataka Tales I read through, this one was my favorite. After I read through this story, the turtle came to life in my mind, and I decided to write this story from the perspective of the turtle. I also chose to add in the element that one of the King's men was his friend, hence the suggestion to throw him into water. This was one of my more humorous stories that I have written, so it was fun to expand on it for my project. I hope that when my readers find this story, they can smile and laugh at the quirky jokes I added in! Enjoy!
There I was, sitting and listening to all of the King's men debate my death. I heard about being roasted alive, chopped into pieces and even more - but I won't include those gory details here. BUT I HAD TO SIT AND LISTEN TO IT ALL! How did I get here, you ask?
Charles and I go way back. Oh, sorry, forgot you are a new friend of mine! Charles is one of the king's men. Throughout my time swimming the ponds in the outskirts of the kingdom, Charles would bring me food while sitting on the edge of the pond. I would climb up into the grass and watch the sunset with him. I laughed at all of the outrageous stories from his days working for the king, and he would be proud when I told him about all of the fish I tackled and ate that day. Our friendship was like no other.
Until one day, he stopped coming to visit. I would see him pass by with the other king's men. They would be discussing funny stories of the king; Charles, of course, always received the most laughs for his experiences. He was a funny guy, and that's what I liked most about him.
It had been a few weeks since Charles had visited me, but one day, I saw him walking toward the pond. I was ecstatic thinking about the good laughs we would share. Suddenly, he picked me up out of the water, without speaking a word, and threw me and my other friends into a cage. I noticed they were transporting me to the kingdom. At first, I thought this meant we would be spending more time together, but as the days past, I saw less and less of Charles. Instead, I only saw the King's pesky sons. They would jump in the water, trample over the pond weeds and algae and make fun of the fish. I usually swam away to hide when the boys came, but one day I was not quick enough...
They screamed and gawked at me, demanding I be removed from their new "play area." They were then forcing me to sit among the king!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charles walking in. In the meantime, the others were planning my death. I hoped and prayed for a miracle - but he started to suggest another option for my death... being thrown into rough waters. ARE YOU SERIOUS!? AFTER ALL THOSE TIMES WE SHARED AND LAUGHS WE- wait... throw the turtle into the water...? CHARLES MY MAN!
It was then that I decided to speak up. "Oh please do not throw me into the water! I cannot withstand the rough waves or rocky terrain. I will die instantly if that is my fate."
(The turtle swims away. Web Source: Pixabay)
A few hours later, I found myself happily swimming away into the distance.
And for that, I have Charles to thank. What a friend.
Charles, if you're reading this, thank you! I owe you big time!
Author's Note: This story is based off of the Jataka Tale "How The Turtle Saved His Own Life" by Ellen C. Babbitt. In this story, a turtle is mistaken for a demon in a lake of fishes and destined for death. It is not until the turtle hears the idea of being thrown into rocky water that he speaks up. Knowing that is the only fate he could survive, he tricks the King's men and begs for any fate but that. The turtle then survives and finds a way out of death. Out of all the Jataka Tales I read through, this one was my favorite. After I read through this story, the turtle came to life in my mind, and I decided to write this story from the perspective of the turtle. I also chose to add in the element that one of the King's men was his friend, hence the suggestion to throw him into water. This was one of my more humorous stories that I have written, so it was fun to expand on it for my project. I hope that when my readers find this story, they can smile and laugh at the quirky jokes I added in! Enjoy!