Archive-Turtle Tales: The Singing Turtle(episode 167)

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series.

The Singing Turtle is an adapted folktale from Japan where a turtle helps a hard-working man to earn money by singing.

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Once upon a time, there lived two brothers. These two brothers lived with their mother a little further away from the city. Now, one of them was a hard worker.   He worked hard and did not waste his time being lazy.

Whereas, the other brother was a lazy bone and did not work at all. He preferred to sleep in his bed all day long.

Their mother had been sick and the family had always been poor. The hard-working brother's earnings were always spent by the lazy brother. Every day the hard-working brother went to the town with his lunch and came back in late the evening. During his lunch break, the hard-working brother would go to the river and have his lunch by the river.

One day, the hard-working brother told his brother that he's going to the city, “I’ll be back late in the night. There are some sticks I have gathered. I will sell them and make some money,” saying that, he left.

But as luck would have it he could not sell even a single stick by lunchtime.

The poor brother was upset. He knew his brother and mother were relying on him.

Children, what should the hard-working brother do now?

So, as usual, during the lunch hour, he went to the river. But instead of having his lunch, he started weeping. When he was weeping, the hard-working brother heard a voice.

“Why are you crying?” asked the voice.

The hard-working brother looked down wondering where the voice was coming from.

Then the voice asked him to look down. When the hard-working brother did so, he saw the voice was that of a turtle.

He was even more surprised when the turtle said, “I would like to help you. I am a singing turtle and if you take me to the market, I can help you fetch good money.”

The hard-working brother was confused and wondered, “But why would you help me?”

“I have been eating the crumbs you left behind after your lunch. I am indebted to you,” said the turtle politely.

The hard-working brother thanked the singing turtle for extending help and took him to the market. He was able to earn a handsome amount as people were excited to hear a turtle sing.

 Children, can you imagine what songs he sang?

That’s good.

The hard-working brother took his earnings and the turtle to his house. He narrated the entire story to his family. The next day when he was washing up the turtle, the lazy brother snatched the turtle and said, “I can earn more than you can.”

With that, the lazy brother took the turtle to the market. The lazy brother ordered and ordered the turtles to sing but that only made the turtle go back into his shell. The townspeople blamed the man for lying to them and said that it was an ordinary turtle anyway and not a singing turtle.

Angrily, the lazy brother left him in the market and stomped his way home.

Children, is that a good thing to do?

 The turtle slowly made his way back to the hut. Once home, the turtle told everything to the hard-working brother and the mother.

Upon hearing the story that mother told both the brothers, “Bad habits chase away the good things in life. You should be nice and polite to everyone.”

The Lazy brother apologized and promised to be polite and also work hard.

The hard-working brother and the turtle were delighted by this change of heart of the lazy brother.