Once upon a time, in a beautiful forest, there lived a friendly tortoise. He was good friends with two geese who often visited the nearby pond. The tortoise loved to hear stories about the places the geese travelled to, far beyond the forest. He often wished he could see those places too.
One day, the tortoise said to the geese, "Oh, how I wish I could fly like you and see the world! Can you take me with you on your next journey?"
The geese thought for a moment and then one of them said, "We can take you with us, but you'll have to promise to keep your mouth shut during the flight. If you open your mouth, you might fall."
The tortoise eagerly agreed. The geese found a strong stick and asked the tortoise to bite onto it with his mouth. Then, they each grabbed one end of the stick with their beaks and flew into the sky, carrying the tortoise between them.
As they soared over the forest, the tortoise was amazed by the view below. He saw rivers winding through the trees, fields of flowers, and animals going about their day. He was so excited that he almost forgot the geese’s warning.
As they flew over a village, the tortoise heard people below exclaiming, "Look at those geese carrying a tortoise! How strange!"
The tortoise felt proud and wanted to tell them how he was flying. Forgetting his promise, he opened his mouth to speak. But the moment he did, he lost his grip on the stick and began to fall towards the ground.
But luckily, the tortoise landed softly in a thick bush. He was surprised but unharmed.
The geese quickly flew down to check on their friend.
The tortoise looked up at the geese and said, "I should have listened to your advice. I was too eager to speak and almost got hurt."
The geese smiled and helped the tortoise out of the bush. "We’re glad you're safe, and we hope you’ve learned to be careful," they said.
The tortoise nodded. "I have learned my lesson. From now on, I will be more careful with my words."
The geese and the tortoise remained good friends, and the animals of the forest often shared the story as a gentle reminder to think before speaking.