The Tortoise and the Hare

One sunny day in the forest, a hare was boasting about how fast he could run. "I'm the fastest animal in the entire forest!" he declared. "No one can beat me in a race!"

The animals gathered around, and a tortoise slowly made his way to the front of the crowd. "I'll race you," said the tortoise quietly.

All the animals laughed. "You? Race against the hare?" they giggled.

The hare laughed the loudest. "This will be the easiest race ever! I'll beat you before you even take ten steps!"

"Let's see," said the tortoise calmly. "Race to the big oak tree on the other side of the meadow."

Bang! The race began. The hare sprinted ahead and was soon far out of sight. He looked back and couldn't even see the tortoise anymore.

"I'm so far ahead," thought the hare. "I have plenty of time. I'll take a little nap under this shady tree, and still win easily."

The hare curled up and fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, the tortoise kept walking slowly but steadily. Step after step, he moved forward without stopping. He passed the sleeping hare, but didn't pause. He just kept going.

Hours later, the hare woke up. He stretched and yawned, then looked toward the finish line. To his shock, he saw the tortoise almost at the oak tree!

The hare ran as fast as he could, but it was too late. The tortoise crossed the finish line first.

"Slow and steady wins the race," said the tortoise with a smile.

The hare learned an important lesson that day: being fast doesn't matter if you don't try your best all the way to the end.

**Moral Lesson:** Consistency and perseverance are more important than speed. Keep going, even when it seems slow.