The Swans and the Foolish Tortoise

A tortoise and two swans were good friends. One year, there was no rain, and the pond they lived in dried up. 

"Bring me a stick," the tortoise told the swans. "I will bite it in the middle, and you two must bite it at the edges. You must then fly, and the three of us will go to another pond together." 

"You must keep your mouth closed the whole time," the swans warned the tortoise. "Otherwise, you will fall straight to Earth and die." 

The tortoise understood. When everything was ready, the swans flew off with the stick, with the tortoise biting it in the middle. 

During the journey, some people saw the swans and the tortoise. "Look how clever these swans are," they shouted excitedly. "They are taking the tortoise with them." 

The tortoise couldn't stand this; he wanted to tell the people that this idea first occurred to him. Just as he began to speak, he lost his grip on the stick, fell straight to Earth, and died. He would have safely made it to the new pond if he had kept his arrogance in check.