The Tortoise and the Lion (A Short Story)

Hey everyone. How is your day going? Today doesn't feel right for me. To be fair, it started last night when the light went out. I expected the light to be back in no time but that didn't happen. Since we were not prepared for the electricity going out, we didn't buy petrol for the generator. I couldn't sleep at night because of the heat. It was so bad, it kept everyone awake. After a long night of tossing and turning, I was glad to see the daybreak. I depend heavily on the electricity to work because my devices need to be on at all times and I've been struggling with that all day. It doesn't help that I have a ton of work to do and no time to stop. Despite all these, I'm still thankful for my life. I know no matter how I feel, I don't have it worse and I have to be grateful.

Today, in order to put things in a lighter mode, I want to tell a story. This is a popular fable about the tortoise. I remember reading it to my younger brother when he was much younger but I have changed it a lot as I cannot remember exactly how it goes or even the title lol.

Once upon a time in the animal kingdom, the animals were facing a period of severe famine. The plants were dying and the animals were growing too thin. So, the herbivorous animals could barely find food to eat and the carnivorous animals were also lacking prey. They were desperate and seeking every means to sustain themselves.

One day, the lion who is the king of the jungle called a meeting with all the animals and asked that they bring him a good meal everyday and if they don't, he would eat whoever it was their turn to bring him the food together with their families. This went in for a while and when someone couldn't provide a reasonably sized animal for him, he ate them and their family.

It was getting to the tortoise's turn and he knew he did not have the physical strength or ability to hunt for animals. He thought about what to do and even the other animals wondered what his fate would be. He couldn't set traps either because he was too slow and would be caught before he escapes. After staying up all night thinking about his dilemma, the tortoise finally found an answer.

The next day, he went to the Kings Palace to make a proposal. He told the lion that he will prepare a nice meal for him and the lion would also prepare a nice meal for the tortoise and whoever provided the best meals would be king. The lion laughed and told the tortoise to leave his presence but the tortoise mocked him and asked him if he was scared. This angered the lion because he knew the tortoise was slow and could not hunt for even the small animals not to talk of providing a good meal for him.

The lion stood with pride and accepted the foolish proposal from the tortoise. He planned to make the tortoise and his family slaves before eating them all. That was to to teach them a lesson not to insult him. The showdown was to happen at noon the next day. The tortoise went home to prepare for the event while the lion went to sleep.

The next morning, the lion set out and gathered the best vegetable he could find. Most of them were dying because of the famine but he gathered enough, more than the tortoise would need and he was satisfied with himself. At noon, all the animals gathered around, drummers drummed and people danced. When it was time for the presentation, the lion brought out the large amount of vegetables he had gathered. The other animals were in how, some of them salivate while the rest felt bad for the tortoise. The tortoise took a seat and ate as much as he wanted. He complained that the leaves were dying and not fresh but it didn't bother the lion.

When it came to the tortoise's turn, he brought out a boiling pot filled with meat. The delicious smell wafted through the village and some animal's stomachs started grumbling. The lion was a bit surprised but he felt he must have cooked an already dead animal, therefore the meat wouldn't be fresh either. The lion sat down and took a bite and he was shocked to find that the meat was fresh, delicious and completely boneless. The lion kept eating till he had his fill. He then agreed to step down from the throne if the tortoise tells him his secret and the tortoise told him that he may not be able to hunt other animals but he could hunt snails. From then, the tortoise took over as king while the villagers brought vegetables to him everyday

The end.

Thanks for reading. If you are in Ukraine, my prayers are with you.