The Hare and the Tortoise

Once upon a time, there lived a fast hare in a green forest. He could run faster than any other animal. Because of this, he was very proud. Every day, he laughed at the slow tortoise. "Look at you! You walk so slowly. I can run around the whole forest before you take ten steps!" he said.

The tortoise did not get angry. He just smiled and said, "I may be slow, but I never stop. Let us have a race, and we will see who is better." The hare laughed loudly. "A race? With YOU? Ha ha! Very well, let us race tomorrow morning."

The Big Race Begins

The next morning, all the animals of the forest came to watch the race. The old owl was the judge. He drew a line on the ground and said, "Run to the big mango tree at the end of the forest. Whoever reaches it first will win."

"Ready! Steady! Go!" cried the owl. The hare shot off like an arrow. Whoosh! In no time, he was far ahead. The tortoise started walking slowly. Step by step, he moved forward. He did not run, and he did not stop.

Soon, the hare was so far ahead that he could not even see the tortoise. "Ha! That slow tortoise will take all day to get here," he thought. "I have plenty of time. I will take a nice nap under this tree."

A Long, Long Nap

The hare lay down under a cool, shady tree and closed his eyes. The warm sun and the soft wind soon put him to sleep. He dreamed of winning the race and laughing at the tortoise.

Meanwhile, the tortoise kept walking. Step by step, step by step. He was slow, but he never stopped. He walked past the sleeping hare without making a sound. "Keep going," he whispered to himself. "Slow and steady wins the race."

The sun moved across the sky. Birds sang. Flowers danced in the wind. And the little tortoise kept walking toward the big mango tree.

The Surprising Finish

At last, the hare woke up. He stretched and looked around. "How long did I sleep?" he cried. Then he ran as fast as he could toward the mango tree.

But it was too late! When he reached the mango tree, the tortoise was already there, smiling. All the animals were cheering, "Hip hip hooray for the tortoise!"

The hare felt very ashamed. "I am sorry, dear tortoise," he said. "I was too proud, and I did not respect you. You have taught me a great lesson."

Moral of the Story

Slow and steady wins the race. Never be proud of your speed, and never laugh at others. Hard work always beats pride.