The Hare and the Tortoise Short Story

The Hare and the Tortoise

           Once upon a time there lived a hare in a jungle. He was very swift and smart. He used to visit a nearby pool to quench his thirst. Once he came across a tortoise there. The tortoise was slow, but steady. Soon they became fast friends. The hare was proud of his swift speed. He used to make fun of tortoise. He teased him of his laziness and slow speed. The tortoise bore it all with smiling face. But the hare’s repeated ironic remarks made him furious. One day he challenged him to run a race to decide once for all. The proud hare laughed heartily and accepted it at once.

           On the appointed day, they reached a fixed place. They fixed a distant point as their destination. The race started. The hare ran as fast as he could. Within no time, he was out of the sight of the tortoise. He was over confident of his success. He was sure that the tortoise would take the whole day to reach the fixed point. Intoxicated by these thoughts, he decided to take some rest. He lay down under the shade of a tree and soon fell asleep. Meanwhile, the tortoise continued walking slowly but steadily. He did not lose heart. After some hours, he passed by the hare who was enjoying a sound sleep.

           He was dead tired but he continued walking. He was determined to reach the winning post before the hare. The inspiration did not let him quit. Finally, his dreams seemed to come true. He was about to reach the fixed point but the hare was still behind. On the other hand the hare woke up after a long sleep. He thought that the tortoise would be still far behind. Lost in such purple thoughts, he reached the final post. But he was ashamed to see the tortoise already there.

Possible Morals:

1) Slow and steady, wins the race.

2) Pride hath a fall.