A very long time ago there was no such animal as a turtle. There were only lizards. Lizards were fast and agile but hunted by birds of equal speed. The birds were knowledgable compared to the dumb lizards. They knew how to trick the lizards into coming out of hiding. Lizards very much like to hear birds’ songs and to dance about to the sweet trills and chirps. When they dance about, they move from under the rocks which they hide, and the singing birds scoop them up and carry them away to be eaten.

One lizard who’s name was Turtle was not as dumb as his fellow lizards. He thought to himself, “I do like to dance about to the birds’ songs, but if I do, I shall certainly be eaten, for I will dance right out from under my hiding rock and into their sharp claws.” and he was right. He spent many days deciding whether to dance or resist the temptations to dance. “I must find a way I can do both.” he concluded. “I shall find a hiding rock that will move with me while I dance.”

The lizard went out of his hiding rock and ran as fast as he could to another hiding rock and then to another, checking each one to see if they moved with him while he danced. Soon he neared a tide pool where a very kind and wise hermit crab lived. The crab noticed the lizard was in danger of being taken by birds, so he gave the lizard his shell. The lizard squeezed into the shell but it did not fit well. His legs had no place to go and he was terribly large for the tiny shell. His legs burst through the shell as the whole thing stretched. “I am so sorry,” the lizard cried to the crab, “I have ruined your shell.” “Do not worry, I have plenty more spares. Now you are safe and you can dance at the same time.”

The lizard tried dancing, but the shell slowed him down so he could not dance. “Oh this will not do.” he cried, “I cannot dance in this shell of yours. I must give it back to you and find a new hiding rock.” He tried desperately to leave the shell, but he was stuck. “Oh no, oh no, oh no! I am stuck and cannot leave this shell!” The crab, only trying to comfort the poor lizard, pointed out that while he could not dance, the birds could not eat him with his shell on, and he could still walk even though it was only a very slow pace.

The lizard walked slowly home. He was very glad he did not have to scramble from rock to rock, but was angered by the slow pace at which he had to walk. Lizards peered out at him as he passed their hiding rocks to look at the brave lizard who had got himself a hiding rock that he could carry with him. “Turtle has a moving hiding rock” was the news of the day. All the lizards wanted a hiding rock like Turtle’s. They ran to his old hiding rock to ask him where he got it.

When Turtle got home, he pushed and squeezed, but he was too big to fit under with his shell. He then noticed the many many lizards under his old hiding rock. When they asked him where he got the shell, he told them all of the crab. The lizards were jealous of his handy home which moved with him as he went from place to place, but they did not know they wouldn't be able to dance or run.

The lizards ran from rock to rock to get to the crab’s tide pool and begged him for shells. He gave the shells he had to give and kept one for himself. Many lizards did not get shells. The ones who did were shocked to find they couldn’t dance or run, but when they tried to leave their new homes behind they were sad to find they couldn’t. The other lizards laughed and jeered and mocked them saying, “You cannot run about like us. You cannot even dance. You cannot walk about more briskly than a tiny snail can. You are just a turtle now, and we are happy how we are.” They ran off to dance and play while the Turtles walked slowly home.

This is how turtles got their shells.

Other examples of stories you could write:

How the raccoon got its mask.

How the giraffe got its neck.

How the lion got its mane.

How the elephant got its ears (or trunk).

HAVE FUN!!

Deep in the Sahara desert, there lives the hardy camel. it walks about the parched land , dining on thornbushes, and drinking only every third friday. a remarkable beast, no one will argue, with long legs, a long neck, and strangest of all- a hump. how the camel came by this strange mishapen back is a story to be told.

Many years ago, camels had no hump. they were hardy travellers, brave and clever. there was scarce a place that camels had not trodden upon, with their even-toed feet.

just like today, camels were prideful beasts, they never would accept other beasts to be their equal.

Of all the animals that camels loathed, condescended to and competed with the most, were horses. and to be honest, the feeling was very much mutual. camels did not get along with horses. not then and still not now.

The horses laughed at the camel’s lack of hooves and mane, and their ugly bifurcated toes. the camels , typically not very verbal in their response, just gave the horses a long, cold stare, or occasionally spat at their feet, missing or not as the case required. such was the mood, until one day, the desert vulture , flew up to a horse and a camel , who were in the midst of a taunting/cold-staring engagement.

“friends!” the vulture said “why need you to quarell thus?”

“we are quarelling, over the unseemly nature of my ‘friend’ over here” replied the horse. the camel spat on the ground and offered no words in answer.

“it may be that your disunion, could be resolved. let us have a momentous match. where the best of camels and the best of horse champion the cause of their race. ”

“why, that should be my pleasure to attend, for I am the best of my kind. " said the horse "and though naming my ‘friend’ here as best, may be a non-sequitor, I happen to know that of all the filthy camels he IS their champion, disgusting as he is.”

“very well. ” said the vulture. “then, if you both agree, I shall propose the competition as such: far into the desert, there lives a massive bird, of my kin. it is called the Roc. many have seen such a magnificent bird, but few have come back to tell of its wonders. I propose that you both take haste, bring neither water nor food, run into the desert and procure one of the Roc’s colorful plumage. ”

“very well. I accept. ” breighed the horse with excitment, and started running then and there, before the camel had time to make his acceotance. the vulture and the camel were left behind watching the dust rise.

“that was not a kind thing you did”

said the camel at last.

“perhaps not. but I feel hunger, and hope to feast shortly. you may run after the horse and warn him, if you choose. but I suspect your pride is too great .”

“no, scoundral, you are wrong.” said the camel “I may be proud, and full of contempt, but I am not inclined to stand by as a fellow creature dies tortuously in the sands. I curse you, vulture, for your sinister challenge. ” he said, spat again, and ran after the horse.

As expected , it did not take long for the horse to get into trouble. upon the trechorous dunes, the horse was I’ll-prepared. his hooves quickly sank in the soft debris. and jumping out, he landed back into another trap, then another, and so on. he was nearly exhausted and a-feared. up above, he saw the vultures circle, but they did not fly down to help. he cried for aid, as loud as he could. but none of the birds flew down. until he grew weaker and weaker..

when he woke. he was lying on top of the camel’s back. the beast was laboring under the equine burden and the intense heat.

“you are carrying me, camel” the horse cried. “but it was not necessary, for I was merely resting for a monent, upon the comfortable sand”

“you are a fool. ” hissed the camel, for he was in pain, and thought only of conserving his efforts.

“I would have come out of this the winner. ”

“you would have come out of this as bones, picked clean.”

“no, I would not! look above us. the vultures circle, in expectation of our race.”

“Indeed. they circle so, but not as spectators. but thus I found you, nearly dead. fool. as I said.”

“it is not so. I am the glory of the animals. and nowhere could I not outrun you, and your ugly toes.”

the camel did not spit, for unlike the garralous horse he knew that water was precious in these parts. he could not stare coldly at the horse either, for he was , as you remember, on the camel's bacck and even a flexible camel could not turn his head in such a way.

and so he simmered and the water he was striving to conserve steamed and rose within him. walking onward stoicly, as the horse raved on about his conquest of the desert and the vultures circling above, hoping the camel would at last fail.

when they reached the fertile greens of the riverland, the camel had had enough. he bent his legs, and dropped the camel upon the bank.

as he came upon the water to drink, the camel couldn’t help but see that something had changed in him. his smooth, flat back was now a rounded hill!

You see, my friends, all the hate that the camel had built, all the rage and consternation, had built up as expanding steam within the camel, with no outlet to relieve it.

and so, the back arched and swelled upward taking the shape of the incapacitated annoyance that was the horse.

This change was not lost on the horse, who proceeded to laugh and taunt the camel for his disfigurment.

in a fit if rage, at this ungratful beast, the camel took a sharp bite, out of the horse’s mane, and relieved him of much of it.

as the pain was great, the horse ran away to cry, and be deservedly humilitated by his kin.

the camel, never able to forget, nor forgive, retained his hatred of horses and since then , all camels carry in them the inflated hatred of the conservstive right..emm, I mean the garralous horses..

Rudyard Kipling was not a nice person, but my favorite story by him of all time is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. The story is about this mongoose who is washed down a rain and is wtaken in by this family. The family takes care of him and he becomes friends with outside creatures (I believe it was a bird and a monkey or something). One day, a cobra comes up out of the drain and tries to kill the family and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi kills it and the family loves him;. That's my kid brain remembering it. I had a friend from India when I was a kid (which was rare in my school), and his mom brought in this book when we were in third grade and read it to us. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever because I had never heard of anything killing cobras up until that point, despite all the Animal Planet I watched. This story probably has racist undertones (as I haven't read it recently), but I still think it's worth looking into.