Once upon a time in a land far far away...

A prince, Roger, looked out of his castle window high above the land and wondered what else could be out there. His father, the king, had always told him one day he would be able to explore and see whatever he wanted in the land. Roger hated being patient. He had spent the last sixteen years exploring and he loved exploring the castle, but never understood why he could not explore outside the castle property. The king would always just promise one day and that Roger must obey because he knows not what lies out there and is not old enough to go out.

And so it was, one night Roger decided on his own that he was old enough and he must go explore. He crept out of his room and quietly through the castle, trying to make as little noise as possible. He felt guilty, knowing his father had always told him to just be patient. But he just couldn't wait any longer. He finally reached one of the doors to exit the castle.

Roger thought to himself again if he was making the right choice. After much thought, he unlocked the door, turned the knob, and looked out.

All he saw was trees and hills, the moon barely providing enough light for his path. He creeped out and shut the door behind him, unlocked. At first, he was overwhelmed by nature and the trees and was angry his father never let him out, thinking there was no danger. Once he got closer to the edge of the forest, he started to get a tad concerned about danger. He felt uneasy but decided he had already made it this far. He continued to creep into the forest, barely able to see what was ahead of him. The trees were now getting bigger and the moonlight started to dwindle as the tree canopies covered it. He felt scared.

Suddenly, he heard some rustling not too far away. He looked around but could barely see and was unsure what lurked around him. A large boar jumped out and stabbed him with his tusk. Roger had never experienced this kind of wild animal before. Roger fell, unable to get up, and quickly took his last breath.

In the morning, the king was awoken and told a door had been left unlocked. He immediately checked Roger's room and fell to the floor when he saw his bed empty. Guards went and looked for Roger, eventually bringing his body back to the castle.

The king was distraught and could only keep thinking to himself if only Roger had listened. He wondered what he could have done different, if anything at all. He wondered if this was his fault and if he would feel this blame forever.

Flying Turtle by Grandville

Author's Note

I created this story after the Turtle and the Geese. In The Turtle and The Geese, the turtle had been approached by the geese. The geese had then befriended the turtle and attempted to gain the trust of the turtle. So they came up with a plot to help the turtle travel, since he was too slow on his own. They advised him they would carry him on a stick, with both of them on the ends and him in the middle. They could help him fly, but he had to keep his mouth shut. Unfortunately, the turtle did not listen and spoke in the air, causing him to plummet to his death. The turtle lost his life because he was too curious and would not listen to what he had been told.

The plot and theme are similar but Roger replaces the turtle as the one who will not listen. The king replaces the geese who attempt to help the turtle and give clear instructions. The theme is losing one's life because of not listening and choosing one's own desires. The turtle dies after not listening to the geese, as Roger then dies not listening to his father. However, both would have lived if they had listened. I liked the plot and theme of the original story but wanted to make it more applicable to real-life characters.

Bibliography

Two Turtle Jatakas by Ellen Babbitt.