The tortoise tries to get all the wisdom on earth for himself alone.Once upon a time, a long, long time ago Tortoise awoke one morning and decided very strongly that he was going to own all the wisdom in the world alone. So he packed a few clothes, took some food and travelled for seven days and seven nights through the desert and the evil forest to the home of the most powerful herbalist in the land. He told the herbalist what he wanted, and after presenting some kola nuts and a cock to him, the herbalist made some incantations and handed a gourd to Tortoise.‘This gourd,’ the herbalist informed him solemnly, ‘contains all the wisdom in the world. Take it and go home.’The greedy Tortoise was overjoyed and trembled with excitement, but then a suspicious thought entered his mind and he addressed the herbalist reverently:‘My father', ‘Tortoise said, his right hand on the ground in respect. ‘Do you advise me to return through the desert and evil forest or to go to the nearby village and join a caravan going my way?’The herbalist struggled to answer but at length looking confused said, ‘I don’t know my son.’‘Don’t worry my father,’ Tortoise said his forehead now on the ground in farewell greeting. ‘I will find my way home.’ Tortoise smiled into the ground and thought to himself, ‘he has no more wisdom.’ So Tortoise said goodbye to the herbalist and travelled back to his village.Early the next morning after he returned Tortoise arose, and quietly, without awaking his wife and five children, took the gourd containing all the wisdom in the world where he had hid it in a hole in the ground under his bed and went to his farm. He planned to hide the gourd at the top of a very tall palm tree. As he walked whistling along the path he imagined being an all wise all powerful king with all the foolish animals as his servants and subjects, even the mighty lion and the terrible leopard.When Tortoise got to the tree he placed the gourd in front of him and began climbing up the tree. But he slid downwards again and again because he found it difficult to grip the tree firmly.A hunter stood quietly watching Tortoise climb up the tree and slide down several times. Then the hunter called out to Tortoise, ‘Mr Tortoise, if you are trying to climb the tree, why don’t you put the gourd behind you so you will have enough freedom to grip the tree.'When Tortoise thought about what the hunter said he saw that it made perfect sense, and then he became furious because he realized that the wisdom the hunter offered him was not in his gourd. In great anger he smashed the gourd at the foot of the palm tree. The Tortoise and the SnailI want to tell a story. One which on the surface has a childish feel, but beneath it is a strong life lesson.Told to me many years back, when I was but a child, it is one of the many Ijapa(tortoise) stories which the elders among the Yoruba nation employ when about to teach and thrill the little ones...SourceThe Tortoise and the SnailA long time ago, the tortoise was very good friemds with the snail. Now you see, these two friends even though quite similar with respect their speed, they were yet very different in their work ethics.While the snail was a hardworking and diligent fellow, the tortoise was lazy and despised honest work.Because of their friendship however, the snail allowed his daughter to get married to the tortoise.The tortoise after his marriage, had serious problems in providing food for his wife, the snail's daughter. Being a lazy fellow, he then decides to steal food from the snail's farm. So every night when the snail was asleep, the tortoise would go to his farm and cart away food.When the snail found out that his farm produce were getting missing, he reported the matter to the king. But after days of searching, the thief still remained elusive.So the snail decides to take matter into his hands. He builds a trap designed to catch the thief, and waits outside for the thief to come....Sorry, I must break here. I feel like a child all over again, or am I still one? Nevermind, let's go ahead....When night arrives, the tortoise comes again, cleverly, as only the cunnimg tortoise can. But then he did not anticipate a trap waiting for him. And wham! The tortoise was caught in the trap.The snail approached the tortoise angrily. And even when the tortoise pleaded that he should be merciful as they were inlaws, the snail was determined to pumish the tortoise for his actions.The snail tied the tortoise, and the next morning he takes him to the center of town to display. He places a label on the tortoise as a thief, and keeps him tied to a tree on the middle of the road.As traders were passing through to the market, they hauled curses at the tortoise and insulted him with as many nasty words as they could. All the while, the snail kept telling whoever was willing to listen that tortoise had been stealing from him as long as he can remember.

The StoryOnce upon a time a king owned a magical drum. Whenever he beat upon it, a feast appeared. The king invited everyone to the palace to share his wealth, and so the whole land was contented, and no one ever fought.Now the magic of the drum depended on the owner taking care. He must never step on a fallen branch; if he did, the juju would vanish, and nothing but trouble would come to the owner of the drum.Time passed. Everyone loved the king—antelopes and farmers, milkmaids and elephants, bakers and baboons and babies, too, for he was very generous.Now one day Tortoise climbed a tree to collect nuts for his family. "There's never any end to my work," he groaned. Tortoise had begun to feel sorry for himself, and he had begun to envy the king.As he was working, one of his nuts fell to the ground, and down below a woman heard it fall. She turned, picked it up and ate it."You ate my palm nut," Tortoise cried."I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't know it was yours."Now this gave Tortoise an idea. "I work hard all day, every day and now you've stolen my family's food. I must report you to the king as a thief.""Oh Tortoise," the woman said, "I am the king's wife, but if you wish to make a complaint, I will take escort you to the palace."Together they went to see the king, and Tortoise reported the theft."So sorry," said the king. "Let us make it up to you. Take whatever you like from the palace.""I will," Tortoise said, and he wandered around the palace for hours, sniffing this, touching that, and just as the sun was setting, he stopped before the drum."I'll take that drum," he said.The king was a man of his word, so he gave Tortoise the drum. But he didn't tell him about its secrets.Tortoise hurried home. "We're rich!" he cried, and the family was pleased to hear this."Show us how it works," his children begged.Tortoise beat the drum, and a fabulous spread appeared, and for months the family did little but eat. Tortoise stopped working, and he grew fat and lazy. When he wasn't eating he ambled around bragging about his riches, and one day as he was trundling along, he tripped upon a stick.Back home, tired and hungry, he beat his drum, but the juju was gone, so instead of a feast, dozens of enemies poured into the house and attacked Tortoise."We'll make war on your forever!" they cried.Terrified, Tortoise gathered his family and raced to the riverbank. There they hid, and there they have lived ever since, feasting on fallen fruits, on slugs and millipedes, on snails and worms.And that drum? No one knows where it has gone, but everyone searches, and everyone dreams of world peace.

Prince Roland was an unconventional member of the royal family. Unlike most of his brothers, he had never set his eyes on the throne, instead single heartedly pursuing the field of magic and combat.When war broke out against the demons, all his siblings led their troops to the battlefield, hoping to grasp the opportunity to accomplish deeds of honour that would back their claim to the throne.Roland was just as excited about testing his skills on the field, eagerly preparing to join the legions. However, his ambitious brothers were well aware of his martial prowess, and found ways to block him from joining, leaving him within the capital.The battle with the demons finally ended after a long war, but the king was the only one of the royal family who survived to return. When even he died of his wounds shortly after, Roland accepted his fate and took the role as King of the Great Manta Kingdom.Faced with this new fate, Roland can only rely on those around him to provide reliable advice.Will the Roland manage to achieve his goal of becoming a wise king? Or will he eventually lead the kingdom to its ruin?Chapter 1The Warrior who became KingMana, the source of all magic.It was present in all things spiritual. Humans, too, could condense a mana reserve in their bodies through arduous hours of meditation, forming an internal pool for mana to accumulate. This was the first step towards becoming a magic user.However, while it might take months or even years to condense their own mana for most people, there were exceptions to everything.Throughout history, there had been rare appearances of geniuses who could condense mana with ease, and each of them had caused tumultuous waves on their paths to becoming extreme magic users.Roland was born as one such genius, and he naturally understood how special he was.That was the reason why despite being born into the royal family, he had no interest whatsoever in obtaining the throne, instead single-mindedly pursuing the pinnacle of magic.Of course, he was not nearly foolish enough to neglect his physical training either, training both magical and physical aspects to great heights.He was without weaknesses in combat, the strongest that the country had to offer.But because he was always busy with training, not many knew of his appearances, much less his capabilities.This day, too, he sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes closed, carefully circulating the mana in his body in meditation.It was daily a routine for him, diligently meditating for an hour before even taking the first step out of bed. This had allowed his mana reserve to grow steadily over the years, until it had become the current monstrosity.His sleeping chamber was large, as befitting of a prince, but it was also relatively empty. Roland had preferred it this way, clearing up a large space between his bed and the door, where he occasionally practised his battle techniques.At the far end of the chamber, his personal maid was calmly seated on a chair that was placed against the wall. Her eyes were closed, but she was not resting.Just like Roland, she was meditating.As the personal maid of a training maniac, she had little to do, and Roland had forced her to train together with him so that he would have someone to practise with.After all, people learn faster when there are peers whom they could compare with. This was just like how the existence of a rival would make one strive even harder.The maid slowly opened her eyes, before walking over to his bed side. Her steps were light and silent, unnoticeable to an untrained person."Your Highness, it is time."The maid gave a short bow before saying gently.Hearing the reminder from his maid, Roland let out a deep breath as he ended his state of meditation, then walked to his wardrobe. His steps were similar to hers, producing no sound at all as he made his way across the room."What do you think will be fit for the occasion, Rose?""We have gone through this multiple times, Your Highness. You do not have a choice in this matter. Your outfit is already ready.""Urgh, that's such a troublesome thing to wear though!"Roland complained as he looked at the set of clothes that had already been specially laid out on a rack beside the wardrobe."It is time, Your Highness," Rose reminded once again, ignoring the obvious reluctance of her master."Fine, fine! Dress me," Roland finally gave up and stretched his hands out by his side."Yes, Your Highness," Rose nodded and immediately got to work, her well-trained hands moving in a blur.The set of clothes was truly elaborate and gave off a kingly aura. But the multiple layers had to be fitted together through multiple buckles, making it a chore for someone to don the outfit by themselves

He Provide well for his children, as would any loving parent. for many years he made sure that they they were feed, clothed, and sheltered. when it was necessary, he disciplined them. But their punishment was never excessive; it was always administered to the proper degree.we can only imagine, then, the Pain that this loving father feels at having to make the statement: sons I have brought up and raised, but they themselves have revolted against me. "_ Isaiah2 The rebellious sons referred to here are the people of Judah, and the aggrieved Father is Jehovah God. How tragic!Jehovah has nourished the Judeah's and raised them to an elevated position among the nations. “I went on to clothed elevated position among the nations. “ I went on to clothe you with an embroidered garments and so shoes you with sealskin and to wrap you in fine linen and to cover you with costly material, " he later reminds them through the prophet Ezekiel. Yet, for the most part, the people of Judeans do not appreciate what Jehovah has done for them. They rebel, or revolt3 with good reason, Jehovah prefaces these words.centuries earlier the heavens and the earth heard, as it were,the Israelites receive explicit warning regarding the consequences of disobedience. Moses said: “ I do take as witnesses against you today the heavens and the earth, that you will positively perish in a hurry from off the land to which you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of it. " Now in Isaiah's day, Jehovah call upon the invisible heavens and the visible earth to bear witness judeah's revolt.4 The severity of the situation calls for a straight forward approach. Even in these dire circumstances, however, it is noteworthy_ and heartwarming_that Jehovah presents himself to Judah as a loving parent rather than merely the owner who has purchased them. in effect, Jehovah is entreating his people to consider the matter from the standpoint of a Father who is in anguish over his wayward sons. Perhaps some parents in Judah can even personally relate to such a predicament and are moved by the analogy. in any event, Jehovah as about to state his case against Judah. BRUTE BEASTs Know Better 5 Through Isaiah, Jehovah says: “A bull well knows it's buyer, and the ass the manger of it's owner; Israel itself has not knows, my own people have not behaved understandingly * The bull and the ass are draft animals familiar to those living in the middle East. indeed, the Judeah's would not deny that even these lowly beasts display a sense of faithfulness, a keen awereness that they belong to a master. in this regard, consider what one Bible researcher witnessed at the close of the day in a middle Eastern city: “no sooner had the drove got within the walls than it began to disperse. Every ox knew perfectly well his owner, and the way to his house, not did it get bewildered for a moment in the mazes of the narrow and crooked alleys as for the ass he walked straight to the door, and up to ‘ his master's crib.' " To be continue....