Somewhere in the world, on a seashore, there lived a pair of tittibha birds, husband and wife. In the course of time, the female was expecting a family. As the time to lay her eggs came near, she said to her husband, “My dear, it’s almost time for me to lay my eggs. Look for some good safe place where I can lay them.”
“Dearest,” said the male tittibha, “this coast is very nice. You can lay the eggs here.”
“But,” said she, “on nights when the moon is full, the Sea here sends its waves so high that they can drag off even a wild elephant. No, find some better place, away from here.”
When the male tittibha heard this, he laughed and said, “What a thing to say! The Sea wouldn’t dare harm my children! Lay your eggs here and stop worrying!”
Now, the Sea heard this and thought to himself, “What kind of impudence is this, from a bird the size of a worm! For fun, I’ll take away his eggs and see what he does.”
In the course of time, the female laid her eggs. One day shortly afterwards, when the two birds had flown off in search of food, the waves of the Sea came higher and higher and swallowed up the eggs.
When the birds returned, the female went to her nest and found it empty. She wept bitterly and said to her husband, “You fool! The waves of the Sea have swallowed my eggs. I asked you to find somewhere else for me to lay them, but you, stupid thing that you are, wouldn’t listen to me! They say: ‘Those who refuse to follow the advice of friends who wish them well, come to grief, like the foolish turtle who fell off the stick.'”
“How was that?” asked the male tittibha.
And his wife told him: THE STORY OF THE TURTLE WHO FELL OFF THE STICK
