A talkative turtle called Tom lived in a lake deep inside a forest. He would talk all day long with anyone- from tiny ants to giant elephants. But Tom liked to talk most with his best friends-a pair of geese called Bo and Mo. The three friends lived in the same lake.
One day, they noticed that the water in the lake was drying up. It hadn’t rained all year. Many animals in the forest were leaving the forest in search of water.
Bo and Mo decided to leave too. With a heavy heart, they came to say goodbye to Tom.
“But why are you saying goodbye?” asked Tom “Without water, there soon won’t be any fish in the lake. I too want to leave.”
“We would love to take you along,” Bo said sadly. “But you cannot fly. How will you come with us?”
“Oh, that’s not a problem. We just have to find a sturdy log of wood. You hold the log with your beaks and fly. I will hold on to the wood with my mouth. That way we can all leave together,” Tom said.
Mo looked worried, “That’s a nice plan. But Tom you love to talk. When we are up in the air you can’t open your mouth.”
Tom laughed, “I can keep quiet when it’s important. Let’s go guys! It’ll be an adventure.”
The three friends left the next morning. Tom was excited. He had lived all his life on the ground. Now he could see mountains from a height. Even the tall elephants looked tiny from the sky. He wanted to discuss all this with his friends. But remembering Mo’s words, he kept his mouth shut.
The three soon passed over a village. The villagers had seen geese fly before. But never had they seen geese flying with a log of wood between their beaks.
“What is that?” the villagers shouted, “Is that a ball they are carrying?” asked one villager.
“No, no. It’s a bundle of clothes,” shouted another.
“Hey, what will geese do with clothes,” laughed another.
Tom was confused. “What are these villagers blabbering?” he wanted to ask.
But the moment he opened his mouth, he dropped straight to the ground. He hit his head on a rock and fell unconscious.
When Tom opened his eyes, he saw Bo and Mo standing over him. Seeing Tom’s confusion, Bo spoke, “You fell when you opened your mouth even though we had asked you to keep it shut.”
“The villagers were kind. They took care of you and then left you near a lake,” said Mo.
Tom looked around. They were at a beautiful lake.
“I think this is a nice place to call home, isn’t it?” the geese asked Tom.
But Tom had learnt his lesson. He simply nodded without opening his mouth.
