Oban's Myths & Legends
The Hare and the Tortoise (continued)
Aesop fable retold by Oban
Tortoise plodded and shuffled on, round the bend, past the sleeping Hare and on towards the finish point. By now the sun was low over the lake and evening was coming.
Hare stirred as he felt the temperature drop, then remembering the race, he leaped up and hopped off again. In the distance he saw Fox and the other animals gathered near the fallen tree finish point.
“Good. They’re waiting to cheer me when I win,” he laughed as he ran. Then he saw Tortoise on a grassy mound right next to the tree. Fox was talking to her. Hare bounded up as quickly as he could. He couldn’t believe he had lost. Fox nodded to him and asked everyone to be quiet. Then he congratulated Tortoise on winning the race. Tortoise was tired, and drifted off to sleep.
Some of the other animals crowded round Hare to ask him what happened. He should have won, shouldn’t he? His legs were much longer than tortoise’s and he’d won other races in the past. Hare was angry with himself and felt very silly.
What is the moral of this story?
Slow but steady wins the race
When you take it easy because you think you have an advantage over someone, you may be surprised.The End
