The Tortoise visits the City in the Sky by Imonikhe Ahimie (best books to read fiction TXT) 📕

After some considerable time had passed, the Tortoise pulled himself together and, considering that the Vulture ought to have delivered his message to Mrs Tortoise by now, he looked down from his perch in the sky. True enough, just as he had estimated, the Vulture must have delivered his message for he could discern movement in and around his backyard as items were brought out from inside his own house as well as from the houses of his neighbours and set up in a pile in his backyard. Although he could not make out any specific items, how he blessed the goodness of the Vulture in his heart.

After several hours, the toing and froing slowed down and soon came to a complete halt; it seemed to the Tortoise that everything was set. Taking a deep breath and sending a quick prayer to all deities, known and unknown, and to all of his illustrious ancestors, as well as to those who were somewhat less than illustrious, the Tortoise jumped and began his homeward journey.

The return journey from the clouds seemed much longer in the Tortoise’s mind than had been the trip to the clouds. He fell and fell, and then he fell and fell some more; it seemed that he would never come to the end of his great fall. But, as the saying goes, there is no journey, no matter how long, that does not have an ending. The Tortoise’s great drop from the clouds, like every other journey, came to an end and he landed just as he had hoped he would: right in the middle of the great pile that sat squarely in his backyard.

It was very many hours later that the Tortoise regained consciousness, and when he did he found himself in the care of the doctors; he also found himself in extremely excruciating pain, for every single bone in his body as well as his shell, which until this time was a beautifully smooth one piece shell that was the envy of all who beheld it, had been broken into pieces.

The Vulture had played a one-off on the Tortoise that was worthy of the Tortoise himself! Indeed, the Vulture had delivered a message to Mrs Tortoise, but not the message that the Tortoise had sent. Instead of telling Mrs Tortoise to bring out all of the soft furnishings that she had in her home, the Vulture had informed her that her husband required every piece of hard furnishing that they were possessed of, as well as those hard furnishings belonging to their neighbours! So, her mortars and pestles as well as her grinding stones; her farming implements as well as those of her husband; even her husband’s implements of war! In addition, of course, Mrs Tortoise had solicited for, and received, similar items from all of her neighbours. It was these items that had made up that great pile that the Tortoise, looking down into his compound, had seen from the clouds just before he made his fateful jump.

For very many months, the Tortoise was in the care of the doctors; indeed, many a time, it was thought that he would not survive this ordeal. But the expertise of the doctors coupled with the loving care provided by his long suffering wife ensured that he did survive. But as for that smooth shell which had once been his pride and joy, it was beyond the ability of the doctors to replicate. All that they could do, and did, was to stick and stitch the shell together; essentially a patchwork. And that is why the Tortoise has been going about ever since with a very rough shell indeed.

Publication Date: 09-12-2015

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Dedication:
For my grandma Joanna Abunovbo Okiei, nee Obokhare (1910 - 1980) When the stories started, they never stopped!