Storytelling For Week 12: The Tortoise and the Two Ducks

(15th Century Illustration)

One day a tortoise was walking and saw her two duck friends. They all walk up to say hello and see how each other are doing. The tortoise tells the ducks she doesn't want to have to walk to the market and might be late for her family dinner tonight. The ducks get an idea. They tell the tortoise that they can help. The offer to fly the tortoise. She responds to both ducks in laughter and looks at them like they are crazy. The ducks go and find a stick to show the tortoise what they mean. The tortoise tells them that she doesn't fetch like a dog. They just tell her to bite onto the stick and as she does so she slowly lifts of the ground.

The tortoise can't believe it. She looks down and all three start cheering, as much as possible, for what they accomplished. The ducks tell the tortoise she'll be back in plenty of time. Suddenly, something zooms past them. They look back, but se nothing. They look to their other side and see a group of hawks flying in attack mode. The ducks yell to hold on. The hawks fly by left and right causing the ducks to loose grip on the stick. 

The tortoise can't hold on any longer and falls screaming. She falls down, down, down. The ducks no longer see the tortoise and fear the worst. Suddenly, they hear a yell to the hawks telling them to go away. It's the tortoise riding a hawk fighting back! The tortoise gets in front of the ducks to help protect them on her hawk. Three hawks fly straight toward them. The tortoise drops down at last second and the three hawks are close lined by the stick. The hawks get angrier now and come full force. 

The ducks and tortoise decide to head back home because it is too dangerous. The hawks file in one after another after them. The chase goes on closer to the ground weaving through trees and bushes. The hawks no longer see the ducks or tortoise. Suddenly, the ducks family shows up out of nowhere and starts an all out attack. The hawks, although larger, cannot handle their numbers and are forced to leave. Everyone laughs in celebration and the tortoise jokingly tells the ducks she'll just walk next time. The ducks laugh back and invite the tortoise over for dinner since she wasn't able to make a trip to gather food. The tortoise agrees and enjoys a feast as well as the spoils of victory. 

Author's Note: The Tortoise and the Two Ducks I wrote in third person narrative form because it allowed me to focus on the action in this story more than I normally wanted to. That was the man goal for this story was to add more action to change the fate of the tortoise that originally dies from riding the stick with the ducks. The only change is the reasoning the tortoise falls. Originally it is because of the tortoise cheering to a crowd beneath her while she loses grip on the stick in her mouth. Everything up to the tortoise gripping the stick is true and the rest I changed. 

Bibliography:The Tortoise and the Two Ducks, The Fables of La Fontaine, Elizur Wright, (1882)