After Hawk stole Tortoise's flute, Tortoise went to the tree where Hawk nested and waited. He heard Hawk playing the flute, and then Hawk told his chicks, "I'm going out now. Take good care of my flute!"
"Yes, Father," said the chicks.
After Hawk flew away, Tortoise climbed up into the nest. "Your father changed his mind, little ones! He wants his flute after all," said Tortoise. "He told me to come get it and bring it to him."
The chicks gave Tortoise the flute, and the next time Hawk asked to borrow it, Tortoise knew better: he said no.
Inspired by: "Tortoise and Fowl" in Talking Animals by Wilfrid Hambly, 1949.
Notes: You can read the original story online. This completes the story that started here: The Tortoise, the Guinea-Fowl, and the Fruit Tree. In a variant of this story, it is hawk's mother who gives tortoise the flute back, and the hawk is so angry that he kills her; here's that version: A Tortoise and a Fowl.
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