“The Corner StoryTeller” ™
“Thomas the Brave Turtle”: A Fable for Children Based on a Tale of Leadership, Courage, and Risk
Once upon a time...
In the middle of a great forest, there was a company called Forest Flyers, where all the animals worked together to build flying wagons for animals all over the land. Queen Owl, a wise old bird with sharp eyes and a warm heart, led the company.
One sunny morning, Queen Owl gathered her team of forest leaders.
“We have a new idea,” she hooted. “A flying wagon that can go faster, farther, and carry more berries than ever before! But, ” she paused, “it hasn’t been tested, and building it will cost a lot of acorns.”
She looked around the table at her top leaders:
Felicity Fox, the VP of Fluffy Design,
Beaver Bob, the VP of Building and Gnawing,
Rabbit Rina, the VP of Rapid Delivery, and
Squirrel Sam, the VP of Storing Stuff Safely.
“Will any of you lead the new project?” asked Queen Owl.
The room got very quiet.
Felicity fluffed her tail. “It’s just too risky, Your Highness. If it flops, it’ll ruin my reputation.”
Beaver Bob smacked his tail on the table. “I’m too busy with what’s already working. No time for silly stunts.”
Rabbit Rina twitched her nose. “We don’t have data! How can we hop into something that might fail?”
Squirrel Sam clutched his acorns. “I can’t risk losing what I’ve stored!”
Queen Owl sighed and turned to the corner of the room. There sat Thomas the Turtle, the Deputy Leader of Planning and Pondering.
Thomas was quiet. Always thinking. Constantly writing things down in his little leaf notebook.
“Thomas,” said Queen Owl gently, “what do you think?”
Thomas Thinks It Through
Thomas didn’t answer right away. He tucked into his shell for a moment. Then popped out slowly and said:
“Well... It’s risky. It might not work. However, if it does work, it could help animals throughout the forest. That matters more than looking smart in meetings or keeping all my acorns lined up in a row.”
Queen Owl tilted her head. “Does that mean...?”
Thomas nodded. “I’ll lead the project.”
All the other animals gasped.
“You’re nuts!” cried Squirrel Sam.
“You’re doomed!” warned Beaver Bob.
“You’re too slow for this kind of thing,” whispered Rabbit Rina.
But Thomas didn’t flinch. He just smiled and said, “I may be slow, but I’m steady. Let’s do it the right way.”
The Wagon That Almost Flew
Thomas gathered a quirky team: a sleepy owl who only worked at night, a chatty porcupine who couldn’t stop brainstorming, and a young mole who saw things no one else did.
They designed the new flying wagon with care, courage, and lots of coconuts (don’t ask, porcupine’s idea).
But when they tested the wagon... it wobbled. It sputtered. It crashed into a pile of leaves.
Twice.
The project didn’t work.
The other leaders smiled politely and tried not to say, “I told you so.”
Thomas gathered his team, bowed his head, and said, “We failed. But we learned. And we tried something no one else dared to try.”
The Real Reward
At the next forest meeting, Queen Owl flew to the center.
“Thomas,” she said. “You were brave. You tried, even when others said no. You put the forest first.”
She flapped her wings and dropped a scroll.
“You’re promoted to Forest Courage Captain. Your job? Teach everyone how to try, even when they’re scared.”
Felicity Fox raised her paw. “You’d do it all again, even knowing it wouldn’t work?”
Thomas smiled and said, “Doing the right thing isn’t the same as doing the easy thing. Even turtles know that.”
And so...
Thomas taught all the young forest animals how to think carefully, take bright chances, and not be afraid of making mistakes.
And while he never built a flying wagon that worked quite right, he helped build something far more critical:
A brave forest.
Moral of the Story:
Trying something new can be scary, but being brave means doing what’s right, not what’s easy.