The Wily Tortoise, Imonikhe Ahimie [books for new readers TXT] 📗

birds to molt in a most copious fashion. Staying up almost all night, the Tortoise carefully went about collecting the feathers he required and sticking and stitching them together until he had two very serviceable wings indeed.

 

At first light, the Tortoise was at the Eagle’s house where the wings were strapped upon his back and, climbing on to the Eagle’s back, the pair took to the air and set off on their journey to that wonderful garden. They flew and flew, the Tortoise providing assistance by flapping his wings and soon they were flying over the sea. Looking down from on high, all that the Tortoise could see was that seemingly unending expanse of water. There was absolutely no sign of dry land to be seen; the Eagle’s description of their destination had been absolutely true. Finally, though, the Tortoise espied a thin line on the far horizon. As they pursued their course, it became clear that here was land at last. They had arrived at that wonderful island garden.

 

The garden island was everything that the Eagle had described; if anything, it seemed, at least in the eyes of the Tortoise, that the Eagle had understated the richness of the garden. The Tortoise was beside himself and found it impossible to control himself. Not having had a decent meal in months, the Tortoise engaged in a greed-driven orgy gorging himself so much that he could hardly move! He couldn’t remember ever having eaten such a satisfying meal.

 

“This”, the Tortoise said to himself, “is the life!”

 

After the pair had eaten their fill, they both lay back and had a nap. Then, it was time to begin the journey back home. The Tortoise picked six large palm fruits to take back home with him. The Eagle who had picked up just one stared at him in amazement. He advised the Tortoise not to carry more than one palm fruit with him; on account of the size and weight of the individual palm fruits, carrying more than one was likely to be a great burden. In any case, the Eagle continued, why burden oneself? The garden was going nowhere and the fruits would still be available for them to eat of and to pick on the morrow when they came there again. But the Tortoise refused to heed the Eagle’s advice. Six fruits, he declared, were just the right number for him to carry; they would not, in any way, cause him any trouble. The Eagle was extremely skeptical but, as the Tortoise was extremely insistent on his ability to handle the fruits, he gave up the argument and they set off on the homeward journey.

 

As they flapped across the wide sea, the Tortoise began to appreciate the value of the Eagle’s advice, for the weight of the fruits that he had carried soon began to tell on him. It was with a sinking heart that the Tortoise watched as, one after another, the fruits that he carried dropped out of his arms and fell down into the deep blue sea. When the sixth fruit, the last one, slipped out of his clutches and fell into the uncaring sea, the Tortoise could no longer bear it. Without a thought and issuing an anguished cry, he leapt off the Eagle’s back and followed that last palm fruit straight into the sea.

THE QUEENDOM BENEATH THE SEA

 

Now, it so happened that on this very day one of the great deities of the sea, Yemojai, was holding court and all of her subjects had come to pay their respects to the great queen. There were the merfolk and the fishes; the seals and the octopi; all manner of sea-dwelling folk were present there at the great assembly. It was right in the midst of this great gathering that the Tortoise found himself when he came to the end of his great drop! The sea-dwellers were so angry at the Tortoise’s rude intrusion that they set upon him, gave him a very sound beating, and then bound him up in stout cords. They then began to debate as to what would be the appropriate punishment for one who had so desecrated the court of the great queen.

 

As the discussions proceeded, the Tortoise realized that he was in quite dire straits and that it would require all his vaunted cunning to escape from this predicament that his own greed had placed him in. so as his hostile hosts were debating his immediate future, a future that seemed likely to be of extremely brief duration, the Tortoise was engaged in deep thought trying to find a way out of the mess he found himself.

 

So deep in thought was he that from the moment that he had been captured and bound, the Tortoise had not uttered a single word. Seeing that their captive seemed to be completely unmoved by his capture and the debate that was going on all around him concerning his fate, the assembly gradually talked less and less until there was complete silence.

 

When the whole debate had come to a stop, the Tortoise turned his head, which was about the only part of his body that he could move, so stoutly was he bound, toward the great throne upon which Yemoja was seated.

 

Speaking in a loud voice, the Tortoise declared that he was shocked, indeed he was horrified, that a folk for whom he had always harbored the highest regard and who he had hitherto believed were a most civilized folk could so ill-treat a guest. The least that they could have done was to have asked him concerning his mission into their country, for such was the manner employed amongst civilized folk in every nook and cranny of creation. Rather, they had attacked him; assaulted him; and here they were debating as to what would be the best manner of putting him to death! As for himself, he was resigned to his fate; knowing that civilization was yet to penetrate to these depths, he would accept whatever it was that they chose to do to him with a happy heart.

 

As usual, the Tortoise was eloquent, reasonable and extremely persuasive and the folk began to feel somewhat ashamed at their hasty reaction, for the barb at their civilized status hit very hard. The deity herself admitted that perhaps her subjects had been somewhat overhasty in their reaction to the Tortoise’s unexpected arrival. It was only right, she declared, that inquiry should have been made as to who he was and what his mission was. Thereupon, she ordered that the cords be removed. The Tortoise was set free, a place of honor set for him right beside Yemoja herself, and the most mouth-watering dishes and the most delicious drinks set before him. When the Tortoise had eaten and drunk to his satisfaction, Yemoja engaged him in conversation. Who was he? Where did he come from? What mission was it that had brought him to her watery queendom?

 

The Tortoise was happy to explain. He was, he declared, the most renowned practitioner of the ancient art of tattooing in all of creation. As the deity herself was undoubtedly aware, tattooing was the highest form of increasing the beauty of the recipients known to all creatures. It was sad to say, however, that the procedure had not hitherto been available for the fishes that made up a substantial proportion of the inhabitants of her watery country. Fishes had been for far too long denied a means of increasing their beauty that was available to all other beings!

 

However, all that had changed. Such were his God-given skills that he had been able to devise a means whereby the fishes of the deep could benefit from a procedure that the rest of creation had long enjoyed. It was his desire to intimate the fishes of this boon that had brought him to Yemoja’s queendom. He had been stunned when on his arrival he had been treated as if he were the greatest criminal the universe had ever known! He! The greatest tattooist that had ever lived! A tattooist without compare! In all of his travels, and he had travelled farther and wider than any being who had ever lived in the pursuit of his art, he had never been so humiliated. As things were then, it was his intention to leave as soon as possible and return to his homeland and try to live down his shame!

 

The Tortoise’s declaration caused a great deal of consternation and Yemoja and all of her worthies, especially the leadership of the fish community, immediately began to plead and humbly offer their most abject apologies. Mistakes would happen, they declared, and to forgive actions carried out in error was a divine attribute which endeared the forgiver to the almighty Creator. So persistent were they that the Tortoise, reluctantly, as it seemed, agreed that he would stay on after all. Since everything had been as a result of misunderstanding he was prepared to forgive and forget for he was not one to hold a grudge. However, were the folk of Yemoja’s queendom prepared to furnish him with all of the materials that he would require in order to practice his art? The deity hastily assured that everything that he required would be provided; he had only to ask. So the Tortoise listed out his requirements. They were to build for him a windowless house that had a couple of fireplaces and a couple of chimneys and the house was to be fitted with a very stout door. In addition, they would have to provide a great quantity of firewood. Notwithstanding the difficulties of building fireplaces and acquiring firewood in her undersea realm, so determined were Yemoja and her subjects to make amends for their impolite reception of the Tortoise that they were happy to agree to the Tortoise’s requests and matters were immediately put in hand to provide all that he had declared that he required.

THE TATOOING

It was quite a week before all of the Tortoise’s requirements were fulfilled, what with fireplaces, chimneys and firewood for use under water. But in due course every one of the requirements set out by the Tortoise was ready and the great work of tattooing the fishes was ready to begin.

 

The Tortoise then declared that only those fishes that were desirous of having their bodies decorated with tattoos were permitted to come into the tattoo house. They were to come into the house in an orderly fashion one after another upon his instructions.