Once there were a hare and a tortoise who lived in a forest. The hare boasted that he was the fastest animal in the whole forest. Everyone knew the tortoise was the slowest. The hare often taunted the tortoise.
“By the time you go to the stream in the morning to get water for breakfast, it’s already evening and you might as well get water for dinner.”
“You’re as fast as six hundred snails on the run.”
Or, “If you slowed down any more, you’d be standing still.”
The tortoise was annoyed, but she kept going at her own pace.
“I always get where I need to. And on time,” said the tortoise.
The hare thought that perhaps the tortoise thought that if she wanted to, she could outrun him. He decided to show her who was the fastest. And not only her. He’ll show it to the whole forest so no one would doubt it.
“How about a race? Whoever reaches the finish line first will be the fastest animal in this forest,” the hare offered the tortoise.
The tortoise agreed.
The animals got together and held a race for the hare and the tortoise. Everyone came to see convinced that the hare would win. Because there was no faster runner far and wide.
How could a tortoise outrun a hare?
The wolf started the race and the hare took off. The cloud of dust rose behind him. The tortoise took off at her tortoise pace. Soon the hare was out of sight.
The hare ran through the forest and in a little while, he could see the decorated finish line at the end of the race. Suddenly he stopped. It occurred to him that he could humiliate the tortoise even more and show her how to run through the finish line. So he lay down in the grass and had a rest. He munched on some sweet carrots and enjoyed having a heap of time before the tortoise gets there. The sun’s rays tickled his snout, warmed his fur pleasantly, and the hare’s eyes slowly closed.
Meanwhile, the tortoise was heading to its destination. It steadily crawled past the sleeping hare. The hare suddenly opened its eyes and wanted to run. But it was no use. All he saw was the tortoise crossing the finish line and winning the race to the cheers of the other animals.
From then on, the hare has had to keep telling her she is the fastest animal in the forest. Her strong will and perseverance helped her finish the race and beat the hare. She didn’t give up right at the beginning, even though her victory might have seemed impossible. The hare had learned its lesson. He never bragged to anyone again.
