A Hare lived in a forest with many other animals. Everyone knew that he was the fastest running animal. This made him feel arrogant. Many animals in the forest did not like him.
One day, the Hare was roaming around when he saw a Tortoise walking slowly. The Hare went to the Tortoise and said, “Why are you walking so slowly? You should learn to walk faster. Look at me. I am very fast.”
The Tortoise patiently replied, “I carry my house with me. Hence I walk slowly and I enjoy my pace.”
The Hare was not happy. He wanted the Tortoise to praise him. So, he challenged the Tortoise to a race. He thought, ‘The Tortoise cannot run. He will be embarrassed and will apologise to me.’ But the Tortoise happily accepted the Hare’s challenge.
“Three, two, one, go”, the race was flagged off. The Hare scampered fast, whereas the Tortoise walked calmly.
After covering some distance, the Hare halted under the shade. He turned around to see the Tortoise, but the Tortoise was nowhere to be seen. So, he decided to rest for a while under the tree and then cover the rest of the track.
Within no time, the Hare fell asleep. When he woke up, to his dismay, it was already dusk. He ran towards the finish line with his full might, only to see the Tortoise crossing the finish line.
The Hare was furious. He yelled, “How can you win? You were so far behind.” The Tortoise smiled and said, “I was slow but I was steady. This helped me win the race.”
