2.4 Explore Elements of a Short Story
Can you...
The Hare and the Tortoise
ack to a time long ago, there lived a hare who liked to boast of his speed to any of the animals in the forest who would listen to him.
"I have never yet been beaten!" Hare said. "When I put forth my full speed, no one can beat me. I challenge anyone here to race with me."
Tortoise said quietly, "I accept your challenge."
"That is a good joke," said the hare. "I could dance round you all the way to the finish line."
"Keep your boasting till you've beaten me," answered the tortoise. "Shall we race?"
So a course was fixed and a starting point was made. All the animals came out to watch.
Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped. To show his contempt for Tortoise, he decided to lie down to have a nap. He fell asleep without a worry.
Tortoise plodded on and plodded on. He did not go very fast, but he never stopped. When Hare awoke from his nap, he was shocked. He saw Tortoise just near the winning-post. He started running right away. Despite all his strength and speed, Hare could not run fast enough to catch up.
Tortoise crossed the finish line and the other animals cheered for him. Then said Tortoise, "Plodding wins the race."