Once upon a time, there lived two ducks and a turtle in a pond. They were good friends and always helped each other.
One summer the pond dried up. The ducks decided to leave and go to another pond. The turtle understood that he would miss his friends and became sad.
The turtle said: Like yourselves, living in this dry pond is hard for me and I also wouldn’t like to miss you. Do something and take me with you?
The ducks thought for sometime and then they said: We will take you if you promise to accept what we are going to ask you to do.
They then brought a bamboo. We will hold the bamboo with our beaks and you have to bite in the middle of the bamboo and hang on yourself, the ducks said. Then we can fly, but you mustn’t open your mouth at all.
The turtle accepted, and held onto the bamboo by its mouth, and the ducks started to fly.
The frog saw the flying turtle and was amazed.
Look at that, everybody, a turtle is flying, frog shouted.
The turtle was proud of himself. Yes, I can fly. No turtle can do what I can. I am very clever. I am the only flying turtle in the world.
The turtle was silent for a while, but soon lost its patience.
It wanted to tell every one that it is the best and the only flying turtle in the world. So the turtle just opened its mouth to say it.
The turtle opened its mouth and fell down on to the ground.
This story is taken from Farsi Literature book of grade two of Iranian primary schools.
Translated by Morteza Tabatabaee
January 2004