Slow and steady wins the race Or, Pride Goes Before a Fall

Long ago there lived a Hare in a forest. ( a short story ) He was always proud of his speed. A tortoise also lived nearby. The hare always teased the tortoise for his slow speed.( a short story )  The hare said. “You have as many legs as I have. ( a short story ) But I am sure you can’t run as fast as I can. Perhaps, you can’t run at all.” At this, the tortoise became very angry and said, “You can run fast, no doubt.( a short story )  But I think you can talk even faster than you can run.” ( a short story ) Then the tortoise made a proposal to run a race with the hare. ( a short story ) The hare gladly accepted his proposal and said, “listen friend tortoise, you are simple going to waste your time and my time as well.( a short story )  You have a good idea about my speed. To beat you to me is as easy as taking some tender grass from the field.” The tortoise replied, “I know your speed but there is still something that I know but you don’t know I am going to capitalize on that.” the hare said, “I am really amused but would you please tell me what you are going to capitalize on?” the tortoise said, “that’s secret. You will know it only after the race is over.”( a short story )  However, they both went to a Fox and asked him to be the judge of their contest. The fox agreed. Other beasts of  the forest were also invited. On the appointed day, they met a cross road. The judge read out some rules to be followed by both of them.( a short story )  The destination of the race was also marked. ( a short story ) Finally, the unequal race began. The hare, from the beginning, started running at the top speed and soon left the tortoise far behind.( a short story )  Crossing almost half of the distance the hare looked back. He found no sign of the tortoise. The hare smiled and said to himself, “I am really a fool. I have run so fast for nothing. I am perhaps ten times as fast as a tortoise. Why should I run so fast in the hot sun with the slow speed tortoise? I will start again when the tortoise will about to catch me and before that I can take rest for a while.” The hare took rest and at one point he fell asleep. ( a short story ) On the contrary, the tortoise continued running as fast as he could. On the way he found the hare sleeping and silently ran past him. While the hare was sleeping, the tortoise came near the destination. In the mean time, the hare woke up and started running very fast. ( a short story ) But he was too late. When he reached near the destination, he found the tortoise sitting on the last line i.e.( a short story )  the goal. The hare had no way to defeat the tortoise and he failed. Winning the race the tortoise became very happy and the hare felt ashamed of his tall talk. So, we should be great through our deeds and not by tall talks.( a short story )

A wise judge

Once a golden necklace was lost from a rich man’s house.  A few servants worked in that house.( a short story )  Naturally it was suspected that any one of the servants had stolen the necklace. Each of them was asked. But nobody confessed the guilt.( a short story )  So, the master of the house lodged a complaint before the Judge. All of the servants were summoned to the court. But all of the servants denied the charge. ( a short story ) Then the Judge hit upon a plan. He gave each of them a stick of same length and told them to submit them to the court the following day. He told them that the person who had stolen the necklace, his stick would increase an inch. When they returned home, they kept their sticks as they were. But the servant who stole the stick shortened it by an inch. The next day when everybody submitted the sticks, it was found that one stick was short by an inch. ( a short story ) Then the thief was detected and he was given punishment.

A friend in need is a friend indeed

There lived two close friends in a certain village. ( a short story ) They were very fond of travelling. ( a short story ) One day they went to a forest to see the natural beauty. They were walking along the path of the forest. They were so spell bound by the excitement of the forest that they even did not notice that they had entered into the deep forest.( a short story )  After that, they noticed that they had lost their way.( a short story )  They knew it very well that the forest was abode of various wild animals. So, they promised to one another that they would never leave each other in times of danger. ( a short story ) One friend knew how to climb on a tree but the other did not. Anyway, they were walking through the jungle and searching the way. All on a sudden, they saw a bear coming towards them.( a short story )  They both got frightened. One friend said, “Dear friend, I will climb up a tree. As you don’t know how to climb, you had better run away.”( a short story )  The other friend became very disappointed hearing this. But he knew that a bear doesn’t touch a dead body.( a short story )  So, finding no other way, he capitalized the idea and fell flat on the ground like a dead person. When he guessed that the bear was just beside him, he stopped breathing. The bear smelt the body of the lying friend and thought him to be a dead body. So, it did not touch him and went away gently. The friend on the tree saw everything. When the bear away, he got down from the tree. He went to his friend and asked him eagerly.( a short story )  “Dear friend, what did the bear whisper into your ear?” In reply the friend said, “It advised me not to trust a friend who leaves his friend at the time of danger.” ( a short story ) At this, the false friend felt embarrassed and left the place. So, we must be very careful in choosing friends.

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