One day a hare met a tortoise. She made fun of slow pace of the tortoise and said, "You have as many legs as I have but I am sure, you cannot run as fast as I can. Most probably you can't run

One day a hare met a tortoise. She made fun of the slow pace of the tortoise and said, "You have as many legs as I have, but I’m sure you can’t run as fast as I can. Most probably you can’t run at all!"

The tortoise, calm as ever and chewing on a leaf like it was gourmet salad, replied, “I may not be fast, but I do get where I’m going. Eventually.”

The hare rolled her eyes. “Eventually? That’s just a fancy word for never.”

Annoyed but not rattled, the tortoise challenged her to a race. “Let’s settle this once and for all. Tomorrow, sunrise, meet me by the big oak tree.”

The next morning, animals from all over the forest gathered. Even the squirrels stopped hoarding nuts to place bets. The owl served as referee, wearing tiny glasses and sipping espresso.

“On your mark… get set… GO!”

The hare zoomed off, leaving a literal dust cloud. The tortoise took one slow step… then another… then paused to tie his imaginary shoelace. (Because fashion matters.)

Halfway through the race, the hare saw a patch of wild carrots and thought, “I’m so far ahead, I have time for a snack… and maybe a nap.” So she munched, stretched, and dozed off under a tree.

Meanwhile, the tortoise kept plodding. Slowly. Steadily. And occasionally humming Beyoncé’s "Run the World (Girls)" — because hey, motivation is motivation.

As the sun began to set, the tortoise crept past the snoozing hare and crossed the finish line just as the crowd gasped.

The hare woke up to the sound of applause and saw the tortoise being lifted in celebration. “What? HOW?”

The tortoise smiled and said, “Next time you want to win, maybe skip the snack, the nap, and the overconfidence.”

Moral of the story? Don’t underestimate someone just because they don’t sprint. Slow and steady might not win every race… but it will make a viral comeback on forest TikTok.