The Famine
Long ago, in a time when the land lay dry and the harvest had failed, hunger crept into every home. Nobody felt it more sharply than Tortoise. His belly growled day and night, and no amount of scheming had put a single yam in his pot.
Then one morning, as he shuffled along a dusty path, he heard the birds chattering excitedly overhead. A great feast was being held in the sky, they said, and every bird had been invited. There would be pounded yam, rich stews, palm wine, and more food than anyone could finish.
Tortoise's eyes lit up. He had no wings, but he did have a sharp mind.
The Plan
That evening, Tortoise hurried to the birds and bowed low. "My dear friends," he said sweetly, "what a wonderful honour to be going to the sky. Please, take me with you. I have a gift for words, and I will make the feast merry."
The birds were doubtful. They knew Tortoise and his tricks. But he pleaded and flattered until, one by one, they each gave him a single feather. Soon he had a pair of fine wings, and when the morning came, up he soared among them, laughing with delight.
"Before we arrive," Tortoise announced, "it is the custom of the sky people to take a new name for a feast. I will choose mine."
"And what will it be?" asked the birds.
Tortoise smiled slyly. "All of You."
The Feast
The sky was glorious. Long tables groaned under steaming bowls and golden dishes, and the air was thick with the smell of spices. The hosts welcomed the guests and asked, "Who is this stranger among the birds?"
"I am called All of You," said Tortoise grandly.
When the food was carried out, the hosts declared, "This feast is for all of you."
Tortoise did not wait. He pulled the biggest dishes toward himself and ate, and ate, and ate, while the birds watched in stunned silence. By the time he was done, there was nothing left but scraped bowls and a few crumbs.
The birds had come all that way, and they went home with empty stomachs.
The Fall
Their patience snapped. One by one they plucked back their feathers, until Tortoise stood alone on a cloud, wingless and trembling.
"Please," he cried, "how will I get down?" He turned to Parrot, who was known to be kind. "Carry a message to my wife. Tell her to cover the ground outside our house with soft things, so I can land safely."
Parrot agreed. But Parrot had gone hungry too, and he had been paying attention. When he reached Tortoise's home, he told the wife, "Your husband says to gather every hard thing you own. Spread out the stones, the pots, the tools, everything."
She did exactly as she was told.
Tortoise leapt from the cloud, certain that a soft landing awaited him. Instead, he crashed down onto the rocks and clay pots below, and his shell shattered into a hundred pieces.
The Mending
Tortoise lay groaning in the dust, but he lived. Slowly and carefully, he gathered up each fragment and pieced his shell back together. That is why, to this very day, the tortoise's shell is covered in cracks and patches.
And the elders still tell this story to remind us: take more than your share, and you may lose everything you gained.