The Turtle Afraid of Growing Old
One morning, Mrs. Turtle woke up from her sleep. She poked her head out to look around, and everything seemed the same as always, but she felt that something unusual was about to happen. Her best friend, the little bird, was still dreaming in its nest. As usual, Mrs. Turtle slowly made her way to the pond to freshen up. When she looked at her reflection in the water, she suddenly noticed her wrinkled face and her old, worn shell. Mrs. Turtle felt very sad. “Oh dear, I’m getting old.”
The sun came up, and the little bird excitedly flew over. “Good morning, dear Mrs. Turtle! Oh, what’s wrong with you?”
“I… I feel so sad,” Mrs. Turtle replied. “Time passes too quickly. Just look at my face—wrinkles everywhere! And my shell is so old and ugly.”
The little bird carefully examined Mrs. Turtle and said, “Well, yes, your shell does need some fixing. But don’t worry! I have an idea. Let’s borrow a handful of stars from the sky to make your shell shine!”
Mrs. Turtle thought this was a good idea. The sky really did lend her a handful of beautiful stars, and her shell sparkled brightly. However, that night, the starlight kept Mrs. Turtle awake.
The next morning, the little bird came to visit again, and Mrs. Turtle, looking exhausted, said, “My shell is too bright! Oh dear, I can’t sleep at all.”
So, the little bird quickly came up with another idea. “Mrs. Turtle, how about we borrow some flowers from the plants to decorate your shell?”
Mrs. Turtle thought this was a great idea, and the plants really did lend her a bag full of flowers. Her shell became colorful and beautiful. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the petals wilted and the sweet fragrance faded.
“It’s no use at all,” Mrs. Turtle said, feeling disheartened.
“Don’t lose hope, dear Mrs. Turtle!” the little bird said cheerfully. “We can ask the wind for help to blow in some clouds, and then your shell will look as soft as a cotton ball!”
Mrs. Turtle thought this was another good idea, and the wind indeed brought in some clouds, wrapping her shell snugly. But soon, Mrs. Turtle felt damp and uncomfortable.
“This still isn’t working,” she sighed, even more disheartened. The little bird was out of good ideas. “Mrs. Turtle, how about we…”
“Enough!” Mrs. Turtle said impatiently. “I feel like you’re just making things worse!”
Frustrated, Mrs. Turtle wandered into the woods, and as she walked, she began to cry.
“Little bird was only trying to help me. I shouldn’t have snapped at it like that,” she thought, feeling regretful. She stopped to rest for a moment, but before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
Meanwhile, the little bird was still thinking of ways to cheer Mrs. Turtle up. “I can’t give up because she’s my best friend. I must help her,” the little bird thought. It flapped its wings and flew high into the sky, singing to the clouds and dancing with the wind, until it finally dove into the embrace of a rainbow.
When morning came, Mrs. Turtle woke up from her nap.
“Oh dear, I actually fell asleep!”
Feeling a bit thirsty, she went to the familiar pond to drink water.
“Wow! What’s happening?” she exclaimed in surprise as she looked at her reflection in the water.
“Do you like it?” the little bird fluttered over, cautiously asking, “Do you like it?”
Mrs. Turtle was overjoyed to see her shell shining with bright colors!
“Oh, it’s so wonderful! So beautiful!” she exclaimed.
“Yes! The rainbow gave me some paint, and look—it’s all on your shell now! You know, besides singing, I also love painting,” the little bird said proudly. It had painted Mrs. Turtle’s shell with beautiful colors while she was asleep.
“Oh, it’s truly beautiful, dear little bird,” Mrs. Turtle said gratefully. “I’m really sorry for being grumpy yesterday. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Please don’t be mad at me! You are my very best friend, right?”
“Yes! You are my best friend too!” the little bird replied happily.
Mrs. Turtle had felt that something unusual was about to happen, and she was right. Now, she no longer cared about the wrinkles on her face or the old shell on her back, because her good friend the little bird was always there for her, no matter what. That was the most important thing of all.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
