Storytelling Week 6: How the tortoise got its shell

Cute Baby Tortoise Eating a Strawberry

Once upon a time, there was a very special king. He wanted to have the biggest party with the most elaborate food, drinks, and decorations. He wanted to invite anyone and everyone. The messengers would go out and invite everyone off the streets and even send out invitations to everyone that they knew. His servants and pets were in charge of the food, drink, and decorations.

The king owned a chicken and a tortoise. The chicken was short, skinny, but very fast. Since, the chicken was so fragile, the king only asked the chicken to go around town and to gather food. The king told the chicken that he was not allowed to get anything heavy. If he needed help carrying something, the chicken should ask the tortoise for help.

The tortoise was very tall and muscular. Since, the tortoise was able to handle more weight in what he was returning to the king. The king asked the tortoise to go all the way across town to get the most expensive wine in the kingdom. The king wanted gallons and gallons of it. It was very special and the king thought that everyone would be sure to talk about the party if they had the wine.

The tortoise was more than happy to travel all the way across the town to get the wine. However, on his way back from getting the wine, the chicken called for his help. The chicken needed helped carrying some of the food. The tortoise stopped to help the chicken on the way back to the king’s castle.

Since, the chicken did not have a lot in his hands; he hurried back to the castle. The tortoise, however, was stuck walking super slow because he had such a heavy load of wine and food. The tortoise then heard thunder. He picked up his pace; however, he did not make it back in time for the party. He was across the street when it started to rain really hard. The tortoise then took shelter under the wine and the food. The moon was shining bright and the tortoise was extra tired from traveling across the town. The tortoise fell asleep.

The next morning when he woke up he had a shell on his back! All of the wine and food magically turned into a shell and the tortoise was stuck walking on all fours. He walked across the street to the castle. However, the king did not realize who he was at first. The chicken recognized his voice and they let him back in and loved him even more than before. The king had to let the tortoise know, that even without the wine, the party was a success!

The End!

Author's Note:
In the original story, the tortoise does not make it back in time because he drank too much of the wine. He then gets locked out of the party because it began to rain. The tortoise gets buried by the palm trees and the wine and the tortoise dies. However, the earthenware pot and dust caked together to make his shell. Medicines were used to bring the tortoise back to life. 

I tried to keep the main story line, but changed up a few minor details. I kept the chicken and the tortoise, but changed the god to a king. I changed up the tortoise's journey for the wine and a little bit how he got his shell. I also, did not want him to die so I changed how the story ended.


Bibliography:
How the tortoise got its shell
This story is part of the West African Folktales unit. Story source: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).