The Tortoise and the Hare - By Aesop's Fables

Once upon a time there was a hare who’s always boasted how he had the ability to run faster than anyone else. He was always teasing the tortoise because it was so slow. Then one day, the annoyed tortoise yelled back: “Who do you think you are? There’s no doubt you are fast, but even you can be beaten!” The hare burst into laughter.

“Me? Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, of course! I bet nobody in the world could win me, I’m too fast. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Annoyed by such boastful act, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A course was planned, and the next day at daybreak they stood at the starting line. The hare yawned sleepily as the tamed tortoise trudged off slowly. After the hare saw how slow his rival was, he decided to fall asleep on his feet, and to have a quick nap. “Take your time!” he said. “I’ll have 40 winks and catch up with you in a minute.”

The hare woke with a start from a peaceful sleep and looked round, looking for the tortoise. But he was only a short distance away, having barely covered a third of the race. With a sigh of relief, the hare decided might as well he has breakfast also, and off he went to eat some cabbages. The heavy meal and the scorching hot sun made his eyelids droop. With a careless look at the tortoise, which is now halfway along the course, the hare decided to have another nap before swinging past the finishing line. And smiling at the thought of the look the tortoise’s face would have when it saw the hare sped by, he fell fast asleep and was snoring happily.

The sun started to sink, and the tortoise that had been plodding towards the winning post since morning, was only a yard from the finish. At that very point, the hare woke up. He could see the tortoise a speck in the distance and he ran as fast as it could. He leaped and bounded at a great rate, his tongue lolling, and gasping for air. Just a little more and he’d be first at the finishing line. But the hare’s last leap was just too late, for the tortoise had beaten him. Poor hare! Tired and in disgrace, he slumped down beside the tortoise who was silently smiling at him.

“Slowly does it every time!” said the tortoise.

Living Books - The Tortoise and The Hair (YouTube)

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=MY&v=iNGB2eCv54M)

Story was adapted from FairyTales.Co (http://www.fairytales.co/the_tortoise_and_the_hare.html)