The Tortoise And The Hare The tortoise was not swayed by the hare’s words.

BY: Aesop Slowly, she continued to put one foot in front of the
other.

“I really have to look very closely to tell if you are

moving or standing on the spot. How long does it
take you to walk ten yards? A whole day?” the hare
continued to bawl.
The hare was known throughout the forest for its
That’s when the tortoise stopped. “You go ahead
strength and speed. Effortlessly, he could cover
and make fun of me. So far, I’ve always arrived at
long distances in a very short time without breaking
my destination. And if I think about it carefully, I
a sweat.
even think I would beat you in a race,” said the
tortoise, smirking.
One day, the hare hobbled past a tortoise that was
laboriously making its way through the forest. The
Hearing this, the hare rolled on the floor laughing.
hare stopped and started laughing.
Only after a few minutes did the hare calm down
again and agree to the race.
“With your short feet and big shell, you are the
slowest animal I have ever seen! Take good care
The two quickly agreed on the fox as the referee
you don’t accidentally fall asleep while you’re
and met a short time later at the old birch tree, the
running!” cheered the hare, holding his belly with
agreed starting point of the race.
laughter.
“Whoever arrives first at the big pond has won the
race,” the fox announced. “Are you ready? Three,
two, one – go!” he shouted and opened the race.
As if struck by lightning, the hare jumped off and
hopped away. After a short time he had already
covered half the distance. He turned around and
found that the tortoise had only advanced a few
steps.
“If it’s that easy, I still have enough time to make a
short detour to the carrot field,” thought the hare.
To the cheers of the watching animals, he hobbled
straight to the big field and nibbled a few carrots
with relish.
When he got back to the running track after a few
minutes, he saw that the tortoise was still near the
starting line. With difficulty, it put one foot in front
of the other and slowly crawled through the forest.
“Now hurry up!” the hare called to her and turned
around. The birds, mice and foxes watching the
spectacle cheered the hare on. Prompted by the
applause of the audience, the hare performed
several tricks and daredevil jumps.
However, the numerous carrots and all the
movement had made the hare tired. Therefore, just
before the finish line, he lay down in the grass to
rest a bit. No sooner had he lain down than he was
fast asleep.
Suddenly, he was jolted out of his reverie by loud
cheers and applause. He opened his eyes and could
hardly believe what he saw. The turtle set foot over
the finish line and had won the race.
“Congratulations, dear turtle. You have won the
race!” shouted the fox. All the animals of the forest
congratulated the turtle and celebrated the
incredible victory together with him.