Sagostund! Yertle the Turtle

On the faraway island of Salamasond, Yertle the Turtle was king of the pond.
A nice little pond, it was clean, it was neat. The water was warm, there was plenty to eat.
The turtles had everything turtles might need. They where all happy, quite happy indeed.
They were, until Yertle, the king of them all, decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.
"I'm ruler" said Yertle "of all that I see, but I don't see enough! That's the trouble with me.
With this stone for a throne I look down on my pond, but i cannot look down on the places beyond.
This throne I sit on is too, too low down, it ought to be higher!" he said with a frown.
"If i could sit high, how much grater I'd be, what a king. I'd be ruler of all that i see!"

So Yertle the Turtle king lifted his hand, and Yertle the Turtle king made a command.
He ordered nine turtles to swim to his stone and using these turtles he built a new throne.
He made each turtle stand on another ones back, he piled them them all up in a nine turtle stack.
And then Yertle climbed up, he sat down on the pile, What a wonderful view, he could see most a mile.
"Oh my!" Yertle cried "Oh the things I now rule! I'm king of a cow and I'm king of a mule!
I'm king of a house and what's more beyond that, I'm king of a blueberry bush and a cat!
I'm Yertle the Turtle, oh marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that I see!"

All through that morning he sat there up high, saying over and over "A great king am I!"
Until long about noon, then he heard a faint "Sigh..." "What's that?!" snapped the king.
He looked down at tha stack and he saw at the bottom, a turtle named Mack.
Just a part of the throne this plain little turtle looked up and he said "I beg your pardon king Yertle.
I've got pains in my back, my shoulder and my knees. How long must we stand here your majesty?"
"Silence!" the king of the turtles barked back! "I'm king! and your only a turtle named Mack!
Stay on your place while I sit here and rule! I'm king of a cow and I'm king of a mule!
I'm king of a house and a bush and a cat! But that isn't all! I'll do better than that!
My thone shall be higher!" his royal voice thundered. "So pile up more turtles!
I want now two hundred! Turtles! More turtles!" he bellowed and braid.

And the turtles way down in the pond were afraid. They trembled, they shook, but they came, and they obeyed.
From all over the pond they came swimming by dozens. Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.
And all of them stepped on the head of poor Mack. One after the other they climbed up the stack.
Then Yertle the Turtle was perched up so high, he could se 40 miles from his throne in the sky!
"Hooray!" shouted Yertle "I'm king of the trees, I'm king of the birds and I'm king of the bees!
I'm king od the butterflies, king of the air! Ah, what a throne, what a wonderful chair!
I'm Yertle the Turtle, oh marvelous me! For I am the ruler of all that see!"

And again from below in the great heavy stack, came a groan from that plain little turtle named Mack.
"Your majesty, please. I don't like to complain, but down here below we're feeling great pain.
I know up on top you're seeing great sights, but down at the bottom, we too should have rights.
We turtles can't stand it! Our shells are all cracked, besides we need food, we're starving" groaned Mack.
"You hush up your mouth!" Howled the mighty king Yertle "You have no rights to talk to the worlds highest Turtle!
I rule from the clouds! Over lands, over seas! There's nothing, no nothing that is higher than me!!
While he was shouting he saw with suprise, that the moon of the evening started to rise.
"What's that?!" snorted Yertle "Say what is that thing, that dares to be higher than Yertle the king?!
I shall not allow it! I'll go higher still! I'll build my throne higher, I can and I will!
I'll call some more turtles, I'll stack 'em to heaven. I need about 5607!"

But as Yertle the Turtle king lifted his hand, he started to order and give the command,
that plain little turtle below in the stack, that plain little turtle whos name was just Mack
desided he's taken enough. And he had. And that plain little lad got a little bit mad.
And that plain little Mack did a plain little thing, he burped. And his burp shook the throne of the king.
And Yertle the Turtle, the king of the trees, the king of the air and the birds and the bees,
the king of a house, a cow and a mule, well that was the end of the turtle kings rule.
For Yertle, the king of all Salamasond, fell of his high throne and fell, plunk, in the pond.
And today the great Yertle, that marvelous king, is king of the mud, that is all he can see.
And the turtles of course, all the turtles are free, as turtles, and maybe all creatures, should be.
The end.