Mossback’s Marvelous Machine

Mossback the Tortoise promises a machine that can think for you — but some critters aren’t so sure. When Rix and Whimsy uncover the truth, the whole forest learns a lesson about shortcuts and cleverness. Real thinking, it turns out, can’t be cranked out — it must be grown from the inside!

By Ross Boulton (c)2025

In a nook of the forest where moss beds grow thick,

Mossback the Tortoise hatched quite a slick trick.

He hammered and tinkered and glued with a spin,

Then wheeled out a "Thinking Machine" made of tin.

"Step right up!" Mossback cried with a grin,

"My marvelous machine thinks smarter than kin!

Just whisper a question straight into its spout—

And the cleverest answers will quickly come out!"

The creatures all flocked to the marvelous show,

Lining up questions they just had to know.

"Should we build bridges?" chirped Wrenna the small.

"Yes!" squawked the Machine, "And tear down them all!"

"Who should lead winter?" young Finchlet inquired.

"Whoever is loudest!" the Machine then inspired.

Rix twitched his whiskers. Whimsy scrunched his nose.

"Something smells fishy," said Rix as he froze.

They crept 'round the back, their paws soft and sly,

And peeked through a crack with a wide-open eye—

Behind all the gears and the clanking display,

A parrot in spectacles squawked night and day!

It simply repeated the last words it heard,

And blasted them back like a muddled-up bird!

The creatures all gasped, and Mossback turned red,

Scratching his shell and drooping his head.

"No machine does your thinking!" cried Owl with a bow,

"Real thinking takes questions—and patience—and 'how.'"

From then on the creatures learned what was wise:

Ask many questions—and trust their own eyes.

✨ Moral:

"Real thinking can't be bought — it must be grown."

💡 Did You Know?

In real life, not every machine is as smart as it seems! Sometimes computers, websites, and gadgets just repeat whatever the loudest voices say — even if it isn’t true. That’s why real thinkers ask questions, peek behind the curtain, and trust their own good sense. Smart thinking takes patience, curiosity, and a little bit of digging — not just pushing a button!