مسابقه‌ی بزرگ

The Big Race

A dog saw a group of animals across the road. He walked over to meet them.

“What are you doing?” he asked them.

“I just sold them tickets to a race between the rabbit and the turtle,” the duck responded.

The dog was extremely excited. He felt fortunate that he happened to be there. “I don’t have anything to do today,” the dog said, “I want to buy a ticket, too.”

The dog sat down to observe the race. It would be many kilometers in length. The rabbit and the turtle stood next to each other.

They waited for the race to start. The dog wondered why the turtle agreed to run against the rabbit. Being fast was not a characteristic of turtles. The rabbit was going to win easily.

Suddenly, the race began. The rabbit ran extremely quickly. The turtle walked slowly. After a minute, the rabbit looked back. He saw that the turtle was far behind him and was breathing quickly because he was so tired. The rabbit smiled and slowed down to a walk.

A minute later, the rabbit said, “I’m winning, so I’ll take a rest.” He sat and began to consume some grass. Then, he let his eyes close. He wasn’t the winner yet. But there was no risk of him losing the race. He went to sleep.

Hours later, a loud sound woke him. All of the animals were talking loudly and looking at the field. He felt fear for the first time. The turtle was almost at the finish line.

Now, the rabbit realized his mistake. But the race was over. He gave the turtle an opportunity to win, and the turtle took it. The duck handed the turtle his prize. It was the happiest day of the turtle’s life.

The dog was happy for the turtle. “He isn’t fast,” the dog thought, “But he tried his best and did something great.”