Once upon a time, in a big forest, there lived a hare and a tortoise. The hare was very fast. He could run quickly. He was proud of himself. He always said, “I am the fastest animal in the forest! No one can beat me in a race!”
The tortoise was slow. He walked very slowly, step by step. The hare always made fun of him. He laughed and said, “You are so slow! You can never win a race!”
One day, the tortoise got tired of the hare’s teasing. He said, “Hare, let’s have a race. Let’s see who wins.”
The hare laughed loudly. “You want to race with me? You are so slow! I will win easily!” But he agreed.
The animals in the forest heard about the race. They came to watch. The fox became the referee. He said, “The race will start from this tree and end at that big rock.”
The race started. “One, two, three, GO!” The hare ran very fast. In just a few seconds, he was far ahead. The tortoise was very slow. He walked step by step.
The hare looked back and saw the tortoise far behind. He laughed and said, “The tortoise is so slow! I have plenty of time. Let me rest under this tree.”
The hare lay down under the tree and soon fell asleep. He slept for a long time. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept walking. He did not stop. Step by step, he moved forward. He slowly passed the sleeping hare.
After some time, the hare woke up. He looked around and saw that the tortoise was near the finish line! He jumped up and ran as fast as he could. But it was too late. The tortoise had already crossed the finish line!
All the animals cheered, “The tortoise won! The tortoise won!”
The hare was shocked. He had lost the race! He felt ashamed. The tortoise smiled and said, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Moral of the Story:
Slow and steady wins the race. – If we work hard and keep going, we will succeed.
Never underestimate others. – Do not think you are better than everyone.
Overconfidence can lead to failure. – If you are too proud, you may lose.
This story teaches us that patience, hard work, and determination help us win in life.