The Wise Turtle and Other Tales

By Sylvester Foxglove

A proud king uses magical drums to conquer his rivals, and only his daughter can stop him. A seagull is determined to fly across an ocean, but he learns a painful lesson after reaching his goal. A young girl yearns to become a butterfly, but she must make three sacrifices to achieve her dream. This collection of stories by Sylvester Foxglove will delight young readers while teaching valuable lessons for the world we live in now. Cover illustration by Tere E. Charney.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sylvester Foxglove
• Release date: Jul 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223864370

Book preview

The Wise Turtle

And Other Tales

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Written by

Sylvester Foxglove

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Cover Illustration by

Tere E. Charney

This book is for those who seek

and for that which they are seeking

The Tale of the Foolish Parrots

Once in a faraway forest there lived a community of happy parrots along with a small group of angry crows. The parrots feasted daily on the many fruits of the forest, while the crows picked at the carcasses of dead animals on the ground. Sometimes the crows tried to eat the fruit, but the parrots always drove them away. The parrots loved life and were proud of their rich musical heritage. They passed their days perfecting their singing, and they held competitions to see who was the greatest singer among them.

One day a young parrot went up to a crow and began ridiculing him for his ugly voice. You call that music?! exclaimed the parrot. It’s nothing but hideous noise. Why don't you do everyone a favor and keep quiet?

I wouldn't expect an uneducated parrot like you to understand, said the crow. Your tastes are too vulgar to comprehend the music of our kind.

The parrot told himself this was a foolish boast. But inwardly, he was unnerved by the high-minded disdain of the crow. The next day, after coming in last in a competition, the young parrot again found himself in the company of the crow.

The judges said I could not sing, said the parrot, but at least I can sing better than you.

My songs are far above yours, said the haughty crow, for the music of the crows is not constrained by standard theories of harmony.

The crow went on to give a lecture on how pleasant music was sentimental and false. One must listen only to music that was angry and unpleasant in order to face reality as it was. The crow declared that the parrots would never understand music until they learned to caw as the crows did. The parrot thought this was a strange view of music but wondered whether it might be true.

The young parrot went to a singing competition the next day. Knowing he would lose with a normal song,