Can't be bothered(Raiyyan) CAN’T BE BOTHERED.


Many years ago in the animals’ kingdom, the bird, the twine and the tortoise were friends. The three shared the same tree as a home. While the bird lived on the branches, the twine grew around the trunk and the tortoise lived at the base of the tree among its large buttress roots.
The tree friends were very different in character so it is a little strange how they got along in their lives.

The bird, who thought himself very handsome, liked to show off by singing loudly from the tree top. He wanted the world to hear his songs. He loved the attention from everyone around him, especially the female birds, and it didn’t bother him even when his singing disturbed the peace of other animals in the forest at times when they wanted some quiet.

The twine was rather lazy. Of the three friends, he spent all his time on the tree trunk without moving an inch. He listened and talked to both of his friends about dreams he’d had while sleeping but never bothered to work hard to make any of them come true. Many years came and went with the twine still in the same place. His favorite saying whenever any of his friends asked for a favor was that he couldn’t be bothered to help.

The tortoise was a shy but wise and friendly animal. Although slow in her movement, she managed to do a lot on her own. She often walked around the forest to gather food for herself. On some days, the bird would fly down to sit with her at the base of the tree where all three friends would chat and trade stories. But on most days, they all stayed on their different parts of the tree.

Sometimes when the bird sang very loudly, the tortoise would ask the twine to tell the bird to reduce his voice so the hunters wouldn’t hear him or try to find him. But the twine often responded in his favorite speech, “I can’t be bothered.”

Whenever the bird flew down to chat with the old tortoise, she would advise him to be a lot more cautious, especially during the hunting season. The bird would listen and promise to change, but continued singing loudly just the same whenever he sat in the branches of the tree.

One day as most of the animals in the animals’ kingdom napped in their homes during a warm afternoon, the bird as usual sang this time, at the very top of his voice and calling to the winds to carry his beautiful songs to the mountains which lay many leagues away.
He purposely ignored the tortoise who pleaded with him to lower his voice and the twine who continuously said he couldn’t be bothered either, was deep asleep.

A wandering hunter who had heard the bird from far away followed the voice until he finally saw the bird sitting in his tree. The bird who was too busy singing had not noticed the hunter sneaking upon him because his voice was too loud.
The hunter hid behind a nearby tree as he pulled out his gun and shot the loud bird. The bird fell to the ground close to where the old tortoise sat. When the tortoise saw the hunter walking towards her old friend the bird, she hid in her shell hoping the hunter would not see her. But as the hunter bent down to pick up the bird, he saw the tortoise and picked her up too.
The hunter did not have a sack to carry the two animals and as he looked around, he saw the twine wrapped around the trunk of the tree, so he took out his knife, cut the twine and used it to tie both the bird and the tortoise together.

As the hunter carried his game he whistled happily the same tune he had heard the bird singing as he made his way home.
And as the hunter carried them to his home, the selfish twine wept. He regretted not helping the tortoise tell the bird to lower his voice. His favorite saying, “I can’t be bothered,” had cost them all their lives.

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