English short story for children - The Hare and the Tortoise:
The Hare and the Tortoise:
There once was a speedy Hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, the Tortoise challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.
The Hare ran down the road for a while and then paused to rest. He looked back at the tortoise and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?"
The Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax."
The Hare and the Tortoise StoryThe Tortoise walked and walked, never ever stopping until he came to the finish line.
The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise that they woke up the Hare. The Hare stretched, yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise had already crossed the finish line.
Moral: Slow and steady wins the race.
This is the story that we have all grown up with. But recently, two additions have been proposed to the story.
Addition 1
After being defeated by the tortoise, the hare did some soul-searching. He knew that though he had tried hard in the beginning, he was not consistent, and had grown overconfident. He was determined to undo his mistakes, and invited tortoise for another race. This time, the rabbit was careful to run the whole distance, and of course, emerged the winner.
Moral: Fast and consistent may be better than slow and steady.
Addition 2
Well, after emerging the loser in the second race, the tortoise thought long and hard. He knew that in any traditional terrain, the hare would win, if he was fast and consistent. Therefore, he thought of a non-traditional terrain for the race. Then he invited the rabbit for another race. This time the rabbit laughed out loud, thinking that the tortoise was out of his head. But the tortoise insisted that there should be another race and the terrain woA Unique Experience:
It was a cold and windy night. My friend and I had met after a long time, and were chatting for hours. We did not notice the time passing by, and soon it was close to ten in the night. We decided to take an auto rickshaw to go to our house.
It started raining, and we hurried to get into an auto rickshaw and reach our place. None of the auto rickshaws stopped for us, except one.
The driver asked us where we wanted to go and we told the place. Without saying anything about the fare, he said, "Please get in!" We thanked him and got in.
Since it was very cold, I asked the driver to stop at any small restaurant or a tea shop. We wanted to have a cup of hot tea. The driver stopped near a small restaurant.
We ordered tea, and asked the driver to join us and have a cup of tea. The driver refused. I insisted, but he refused again politely.
My friend asked, "Will you not take tea from this shop or what?"
The driver replied, "No Sir, I don't feel like having tea now."
I asked again, "But, why? A cup of tea will do no harm."
Smiling, the driver replied, "Thank you sir, but I'm sorry."
My friend asked, "Are you against eating or drinking outside?"
The driver said, "No!"
I was really surprised at his behavior and asked my friend not to compel him.
In 15 minutes, we reached our house. We paid the fare and the driver thanked us.
On an impulse, I stopped him, as I really wanted to ask him why he refused to drink tea with us at the restaurant.
He thought for a moment and replied, "Sir, my son passed away this noon in an accident. I don't have enough money for his funeral. So I took a vow not to drink even water, until I earn enough money for my son's funeral. That's why I didn't drink tea when you offered. Please don't misunderstand."
We both were shattered and offered him more money for his son's funeral.
He politely refused, "Thank you for your generosity sir. In one or two hours, if I get one or two more customers, I will earn the money I need." And he left the place.
We were amazed at his strength of character and integrity.uld be decided by the tortoise. The rabbit agreed to the idea.
The race began. The rabbit was leading in front, with the tortoise far back trundling along. Around half way through the race, they came across a river. The rabbit halted on the bank of the river, wondering how to cross the river. Meanwhile, the tortoise approached the river slowly, got in to the water, swam across, climbed up on the other bank, ran the last few kilometers, and won the race.
Moral: when your capabilities are below par, choose a playing ground that gives you a natural advantage.
