Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 1 | Page 78

The Inquisitive Tortoise
St. Stephen's College Preparatory School, Tam, Alma - 8
Strolling leisurely around the deep and mysterious woods, Mr. Tortoise grinned from ear to ear as it was a
gorgeous day. “If only I could fly in the sky, it would be fantastic!” He wondered to himself blissfully. Mr.
Tortoise had a heavy spiral shell on his back and he was extremely tiny. Mr. Tortoise was overjoyed and
wore a cheerful grin on this face.
An instant later, Mr. Tortoise caught a glimpse of a gigantic pheasant soaring in the
sapphire blue endless sky. The pheasant spread open its wide wings and glided gracefully with the mighty
wind. Mr. Tortoise found it unbelievable because he wanted to fly too! “Woo!” he gasped. “That was
absolutely amazing!” He felt extremely shocked, so his mouth hung wide open. Mr. Tortoise wanted to
imitate the pheasant badly. All of a sudden, a fabulous idea flashed into his mind.
In no time, Mr. Tortoise attempted to imitate the fierce pheasant because he wanted to
fly! He gathered all sorts of twigs and leaves and stuck them on his spiral shell. The huge mollusc used them
to make fake wings! He tried with all his might to clamber up the mushroom. Soon afterwards, he crept
slowly up the stalk of the spotted mushroom. Mr. Tortoise was thrilled to bits, so his eyes lit up. He
imagined that he could soar and glide smoothly just like the graceful pheasant. Mr. Tortoise took off from
the mushroom and fluttered his fake wings. He hoped that he could fly.
“THUD!” Unfortunately, Mr. Tortoise stopped in mid-air, tumbled down at lightning
speed and smashed into the hard ground. Mr. Tortoise felt sore, and he was slightly bruised. He was
disappointed, so he hung his head in shame. In great despair, Mr. Tortoise stared at the clear blue sky.
Suddenly, he noticed that a massive hot air balloon was floating in the sky. An idea struck his mind, “A
balloon is great for me, I want to have a second try!” He muttered to himself. Mr. Tortoise took a multi-
coloured balloon from the pit excitedly and tied the balloon tightly around his hand. Before long, he hastily
clambered on the mushroom stalk, took a gigantic deep breath, counting “one, two, three” and took off
from the mushroom with full confidence. He believed that he could fly. Regrettably, Mr. Tortoise fell
down at breakneck speed and smashed down with a thump. Mr. Tortoise shook in fright, let out a whimper
of pain. His heart was breaking and he fainted.
When Mr. Tortoise awoke, he learnt that he was perfect just the way he was! He realized
that he had his unique talents to be proud of. He was strong enough to carry his home on his back, and he
could hide and protect himself from danger. He never needed to be in a hurry and could enjoy his life. At
last, Mr. Tortoise stared at the sky again and murmured, “I’ll never try to fly again!”