Once there was a tortoise who envied the birds for their ability to fly in the sky and see the world.

The tortoise, burdened by its heavy shell and short legs, couldn’t run fast, let alone fly.

One day, the tortoise met two ducks.

After hearing the tortoise’s troubles, the duck said, “We can help you fly and see the world. You just need to bite onto the middle of this stick while we bite the ends, and we can lift you up and fly.”

“But remember, you must not open your mouth, or you will fall.”

The tortoise happily agreed.

So the two ducks lifted the tortoise into the air.

As the tortoise joyfully admired the world from above, two crows flew by and were astonished. 

“Look! Why are two ducks carrying a tortoise in the air?” 

“Need you ask? This tortoise must be the king of tortoises!”

Hearing this, the tortoise felt quite proud and happily said, “Of course…”

But before it could finish its sentence, it fell from the sky and was shattered to pieces.

This story shows that vanity can easily lead to tragedy.