"How Turtle Flew South"

as adapted, rewritten and retold by Joe Wos.

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was Turtle. Now Turtle was very different than he is now. For one thing, Turtle didn't have all those cracks in his shell. No, not a single one. Turtle had a beautiful, sparkling shell that all the other animals admired.

Another thing different about turtle was this: Turtle wasn't slow! Turtle was fast! He was faster than Lion, faster than Tiger, faster than Cheetah! The reason Turtle was so fast was he was impatient. He was always in a hurry, always in a rush, always wanted his way and always wanted it right now! Sound familiar?

One autumn day, Turtle went out looking for something to eat. He looked high and low but couldn't find anything. Winter would be here soon and all the food was dying off.

"If I don't find something to eat, I'm going to starve!" Turtle thought to himself. "Oh what, oh what, am I going to do?"

Turtle walked on a bit further and noticed it was getting chilly.

"It's getting cold; it's getting chilly. I'm going to freeze!" he thought to himself. "I'm going to starve, and I'm going to freeze! Oh what, oh what, am I going to do?"

Turtle walked on further still and noticed something falling from the trees. He looked up and saw leaves dropping.

"The trees are falling apart!" Turtle cried. "Oh no, the trees are falling apart! I'm going to starve, freeze and be covered with leaves! Oh what, oh what, am I going to do?"

Now whenever Turtle was really worried, he would visit his very best friend in the whole wide world. His very best friend was Bird. He stopped at Bird's tree and shouted up, "Bird! Bird! What are we going to do? There's no food, it's cold, and the trees are falling apart! And … wait a minute!"

Bird looked like he was getting ready to go on a trip.

"Whatcha doing?" Turtle asked.

"I'm getting ready to fly south for the winter," Bird replied.

"Fly south?" Turtle asked. "Why?"

"Well," Bird said, "I'm going to fly south because that's where all the food is."

Turtle's eyes got real big. "All the food went down South?" he asked. "Why?"

 "Well," Bird said, "all the food went down South because it's warmer down there."

"It's warm AND there's food? Are the trees falling apart?" Turtle asked.

"No, silly Turtle, the trees aren't falling apart. It's warm and sunny and beautiful all the time. That's why I'm flying south!"

"Then I'm going to fly south, too!" Turtle said.

"You can't fly!" Bird squawked.

"I can't? Why not?" Turtle asked.

"Well, you can't fly south because you don't have any wings! You're a turtle and not a bird!" Bird said.

"But I really want to fly south!" Turtle begged.

"It doesn't matter. You're a turtle and not a bird. You can't fly!"

"But I really, really want to fly south!" Turtle whined.

Bird tried to reason with him. "You can't fly! You might have a pretty, shiny shell, but you can't fly without wings!"

Turtle started to stomp his feet and pout. "But, I want to go, I want to go, I want to go, I want to go!"

Finally, Bird couldn't take it anymore. "Fine, fine, stop your pouting. I know a way we can both fly south. But, you have to listen very carefully and do exactly what I say."

Bird reached down with his claws and picked up a stick. "Turtle, listen very carefully," he said. "With my claws, I am going to hold onto this twig. Turtle, with your mouth, I want you to grasp the other end of this twig. Whatever you do, don't open your mouth and don't let go of this twig. Because if you open your mouth and you let go – WHOOOOOSH – you'll go down 'til you hit the ground!"

"Don't worry, I'll hold on," Turtle said.

"All right, Turtle, are you ready?" Bird asked.

 "Yes, I am!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive!"

"Then hold on tight and don't open your mouth and don't let go! Because if you do – WHOOOOOSH – you'll go down 'til you hit the ground!"

Turtle held on tight, and Bird began to flap his wings.

"WAIT!" Turtle shouted.

"What's wrong?" Bird asked.

"I forgot to pack my suitcase. I need my scarf and my pajamas and my pink, fuzzy bunny slippers. I need my suitcase!"

"Fine, fine, go back and get your suitcase, but please hurry!"

"I always hurry. I'm a turtle," Turtle snapped.

So Turtle went and got his suitcase with his scarf, pajamas and pink, fuzzy bunny slippers.

"Now are you ready?" Bird asked.

"Yes, I am!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive!"

"Then hold on tight and don't open your mouth and don't let go! Because if you do – WHOOOOOSH – you'll go down 'til you hit the ground!"

Bird started flapping his wings.

"WAIT!" Turtle shouted.

"What now?" Bird asked.

"I forgot my teddy bear."

"Teddy bear? Aren't you a little old for a teddy bear?"

"You're never too old for a teddy bear. He's my best friend, and I never go anywhere without him!"

"Fine, fine, go back and get your teddy bear, but please hurry!"

So Turtle went back and got his teddy bear. Now he had his suitcase with his scarf, pajamas and pink, fuzzy bunny slippers and his teddy bear.

"Now are you ready?" Bird asked.

"Yes, I am!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive!"

"Then hold on tight and don't open your mouth and don't let go! Because if you do – WHOOOOOSH – you'll go down 'til you hit the ground!"

Bird started flapping his wings.

"WAIT!" Turtle shouted.

"NOW what?" Bird cried.

"I forgot my toothbrush."

"Toothbrush? You're a turtle! You don't even have any teeth!"

"I know, but I like to keep my shell shiny."

"Fine, fine, go back and get your toothbrush, but please hurry!"

So Turtle went back and got his toothbrush. Now he had his suitcase with scarf, pajamas and bunny slippers, his teddy bear and his toothbrush.

"NOW ARE YOU READY!" Bird yelled.

"You don't have to shout," Turtle said. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive!"

"Then hold on tight and don't open your mouth and don't let go! Because if you do – WHOOOOSH – you'll go down 'til you hit the ground!"

Bird started flapping his wings.

"WAIT!" Turtle shouted.

"What now?" Bird sighed.

"I have to go," Turtle said.

"But we are going!"

"No, I have to, um, GO, go. I have to go to the bathroom really bad!"

"Oh, Turtle, why didn't you think of that before we left! Fine, fine, go ahead, but please hurry!"

So Turtle went, and when he went, he went, and then he returned.

Now Turtle had his suitcase with his scarf, pajamas and slippers, his teddy bear and toothbrush, and he went to the bathroom.

"Now! Are! You! Ready?" Bird shouted.

Turtle smiled sweetly and said, "Why, yes, I am."

 "Are you sure?"

"I am positive!"

"Then hold on tight and don't open your mouth and don't let go! Because if you do – WHOOOOOSH – you'll go down 'til you hit the ground!"

Bird flapped his wings.

And he flapped them again.

And he flapped them again. And they were flying south! They were doing it! They were flying south!

It was so wonderful. Turtle had never flown before. He looked around and saw the clouds up above and the trees down below, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. As Turtle was flying surrounded by all this incredible beauty, he could only think one thing.

"What's taking so long?"

"What is taking so long to get there? Why did they put the South so far from the North? They should have put those two closer together when they started planning all this. What is taking so long?"

He tried to get Bird's attention without opening his mouth. At first, he just kind of shook his head back and forth as he held onto that stick. But Bird didn't notice.

Turtle was getting more and more frustrated. He started moving his whole body, wriggling and writhing, but Bird still didn't notice.

"WHAT is taking so long?" he thought. Now he tried to get Bird's attention by making little sounds without opening his mouth. Grunting and humming. Mmmph, grrrr, mmmph! But Bird still didn't notice!

By this time, poor Turtle was starting to get very angry. So he tried doing all three – shaking his head, wriggling his body and grunting – but Bird still didn't notice.

Finally, Turtle couldn't take it anymore.

"Are weeeee thhhhheeeeerrrrreeeee yeeeeettttt?"

WHOOOOOSH! Turtle went down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down 'til he hit the ground.

Before he hit the ground, Turtle pulled in his arms, pulled in his legs and pulled in his neck and then hit the ground and went spinning out of sight.

Turtle was okay. That beautiful shell saved him! But, poor Turtle, if only he had listened. Remember that bright, shiny, sparkling shell? It got cracks all over it, and Turtle has those cracks to this very day!

Turtle was so upset. He didn't ever want to go near the sky again. So he crawled to the bottom of a lake, but that wasn't far enough away. So he burrowed under the mud at the bottom of that lake. And that is where Turtle spends every winter.

Turtle had always been in a rush, always in a hurry, but he learned an important lesson that day. From that day on, Turtle learned to take his time. That is why turtles move so slowly.

Now all the other animals felt very bad about what had happened to Turtle, so they decided to do something very special for him. They changed the name of that season. In honor of Turtle big adventure and to this very day, we call it Fall.

The End.