Deep in a lush forest, a severe drought dried up all the water ponds, threatening the animals. A cheerful, talkative tortoise lived there with two wise geese who were preparing to fly away to a safe lake far up in the mountains. The tortoise begged them, 'Take me with you! I will dry up here!' The clever geese devised a brilliant plan: 'We will hold each end of a strong wooden stick in our beaks, and you must bite tightly onto the middle with your mouth. But remember the golden rule: you must keep your mouth firmly shut no matter what happens, or you will fall!' They launched into the sky, soaring high above green fields and rolling hills. Children playing below looked up and shouted in amazement, 'Look at that! Geese carrying a tortoise on a stick!' The proud tortoise felt an urge to shout back, 'Hey, those are my ideas!' Opening his mouth to speak, he lost his grip on the stick and tumbled down before learning his lesson the hard way.