This is the folktale behind the structure of the Tortoise's shell as told to kids for generations now. It is usually told in the third person POV but I switched it up to the Peripheral First Person POV. Enjoy.
We asked Tortoise along. Well, he forced himself on us but to be gracious, our commander asked him to come with us to the banquet in heaven.
We could not come up with a plan to get him up there but the famine on earth was so bad that Tortoise’s brain was working extra hard. After two minutes of twittering among ourselves on the futility of it, he stretched his neck out and piped up. “Scuse me, gracious birdies, I think I have a solution, that is if you don’t mind.”
Blink.
Blink.
He didn’t speak so RedWing, thinking him to be shy, encouraged him with a stretch of his wings and a gentle “let’s hear it.”
“Thank you. I was just thinking, if you all could, not to impose on you, but if you would indulge me, I think I will be able to fly jolly well along with you if you will each donate a feather and glue them on my peds. Not that I mean to inconvenience you or rob you of your lovely plumage…” he trailed off.
There was a collective silence as we all tried to think through this idea.
“Oh! Sod it! I don’t even know what we are doing wasting time here. Let’s just go, we will try to bring some food along for you, mister. We are over 200, if each of us carries some food with our beaks or claws, I bet you won’t be able to finish it in three days,” WingDark ranted as he looked into the sky impatiently.
“Calm down, WingDark,” Commander Jay soothed. “Tortoise, we have invited you along and will help you get there.”
He spread out his wings and hovered over us, picked at a bright red feather on his left wing with his beak and dropped it beside Tortoise. “Let each bird drop a plume for Tortoise. We shall retrieve them afterwards. Snazzy, Breezy, take charge of fixing the feathers. Wingdark, adjust our estimated flight plan, we move in fifteen." Our ever calm commander moved to a nearby tree and watched us from there.
The flock moved in an orderly manner and dropped a feather each in a pile started by Commander Jay, all but WingDark, who stood at an angry distance. Well, I didn’t drop any either but that was because I was the lead bird for the first half of the journey. I felt I needed all the advantage I could have in these trying times. The famine was really getting tough on us and the banquet was part of Heaven’s Famine Alleviation Programme as they have been unable to get rain to resume his duties on earth. No one knows why he locked his office and ran from his duty post for over a year.
I had been chosen because of my great strength and expected to flap very well to create wind draughts for those behind me. I was given extra seeds to eat this morning so I could help the flock defy gravity with their famine-emaciated bodies. Wingson, an older and more experienced squadron leader will take over from me when we get halfway up while Commander Jay will lead the breach of the clouds. In fact, all the older birds would have rotated to the lead by then as they had experience entering the heavens. We younger birds will be at the back, watching how to do the manoeuvre.
Snazzy and Breezy were done glueing on the feathers in 10 minutes and started practice runs with Tortoise while the rest of us stifled laughter. Tortoise looked like he was the official clown. They had paid more attention to functionality than beauty when glueing the feathers, resulting in Tortoise looking like the painting of a rainbow that got left in the rain – a drum of runny colours.
Amidst the loud angry chirping among ourselves, I spied WingDark whispering fiercely to Commander Jay, who was very still. If any part of his body moved, you could not know it. I paid attention. I knew he would erupt like molten magma soon. His edicts were famously uttered in a firm, stable voice no matter the terrible intent they carried. The table got quieter as everyone noticed WingDark and Commander Jay.
Commander Jay stood up and walked on the long table our hosts had set and laid with gold-coloured clothes. He walked all the way down and back, strutting in his proudest bird stance. On his way back, he stopped in front of Tortoise, who was the only one engrossed in eating; the only one with food in front of him.
“We want our feathers back, T.”
“What?!” He asked with his rice-filled mouth and a nervous smile.
“You heard me, birds.” The commander said as he reached out for his reddish plume that had been glued to Tortoise’s right forearm, and turned away.
His statement released anarchy.
Shrill chirps filled the hall as everyone jostled everyone to reach for their plume and some pulled at theirs extra hard to get back at the glutton we had gone to extra lengths to bring along. His cries and tears only served to excite my crew the more as some pecked at his head and neck for effect.
Amidst all that, WingDark flew up, called for peace as he hovered and once we had a semblance of calm, Commander Jay quietly ordered Tortoise to leave our table. He was in tears and did not bother to argue. He crawled to the doorway and turned his back to us.
“What do we do next? The young ones are droopy.” PettyBeak said into the air.
“I will speak to our host. Thankfully, it’s just the first day of the feast,” Commander Jay replied as he threw a dark look towards Tortoise, definitely ruing his presence.
“BraveWing, how did we even get to this sorry state?” My forever crush, MistyWings, whispered to me.
“Don’t mind the silly, crafty Tortoise. Remember when we slowed for Commander Jay to lead the flight? Tortoise told him then that he would like to be called “Everyone Allofyou” when we get here so no one would ask why a Tortoise was in the company of birds. Commander Jay agreed, I guess because he was more focused on the tactical manoeuvres our flight needed at that point.”
“He’s a horrid, selfish being. I’m glad I pecked at his neck.” At this heartily said statement, I laughed out loud but quickly controlled myself as eyes started turning our way. I excused myself as if to relieve myself and flew off the table immediately.
The head of security at the banquet cornered me and asked what the furore at our table was about.
“Sardot, my personal person! Don’t mind the Tortoise. He begged us to bring him along to the banquet until we were ashamed to say no. We even donated wings for him to fly. On our way here, he said he should be called “Everyone Allofyou” when we get here so no one would ask why a Tortoise was in the company of birds. Well, we got here and our hosts informed our leaders that most bird groups invited for the Famine Relief Banquet showed up today so they won’t be serving individually but would drop trays of food for each group. When the first attendant came, he dropped the tray and said: “this is for everyone.” Tortoise carried the tray and gobbled up all the food. The second attendant came, dropped the tray and said: “this is for all of you”. Tortoise carried the tray and guzzled all the food. Same with the third and fourth attendants but the issue has been resolved now. We told him to leave our table.”
“I see… That serves him right. I’ll have my men watch him. He seems too crafty for his own good.”
“That’s a good idea, Sardot.”
Thankfully, the banquet was up for three more days so we were able to put the upsetting usurp experience behind us. We ate, drank and were merry all through.
As we trooped out of the banquet on the third day to go back to earth, Tortise was at the door, pitifully begging everyone to help him take a message to his wife. No one waited to listen except PettyBeak. She listened intently and I was wowed by the motherly instinct that made her agree to help Tortise, who was surely stuck in this realm.
“Must be because she’s expecting that’s made her kinder,” MistyWings whispered as she noticed me hovering and watching the exchange.
“Hmmm...,” was all I said since I had no knowledge of such matters.
“So, you want me to go to your house and tell your wife to bring out all the soft furnishings so that you can throw yourself down from here and land on them by 12 noon, right?”
“Yes, please. Please and thank you,” Tortise said in his characteristic diffidence that we had now learnt to disregard.
“That’s no problem; I can do that for you,” PettyBeak replied and flew away.
“She really should not help him,” MistyWings grumbled.
“Let’s stay out of it. We did agree to bring him anyway,” I cautioned.
“Your husband said to tell you to bring out all the metal furnishings, instruments and iron utensils you have in the house by 12 noon today,” PettyBeak screamed at Tortoise’s wife, hovering too high above to be queried.
“What? What does he need them for?” The wife asked, baffled.
“Your husband said to tell you to bring out all the metal furnishings, instruments and utensils you have in the house by 12 noon today,” PettyBeak repeated as she flew off.
MistyWings started rolling in the air, laughing her wings off and I gladly joined her before we moved away to join some of our group who were faffing around. WingDark broke our trolling party some minutes later with news he reeled out in a screech. Tortoise had bravely jumped down from heaven, trusting PettyBeak and his wife had arranged things for him. Instead, he was lying somewhere in great pains while his uncle glued the pieces of his broken shell back on.
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