Contest|| The Tortoise And The Hare|| Entry by @bsaad

image source

Thank you very much @steem-ghana and @delakloe for this contest. A contest like this brings back memories buried in the sands of time. Though the stories may have been forgotten, it is an undeniable fact that these stories shaped us one way or the other into who we are today. I would also like to share a story which had a great impact on my life and still has roots in my life even till this day. This is a story almost every Ghanaian child has heard while growing up in these black lands. It is the story of The Race Between The Tortoise And The Hare.

Here goes....

Not so long ago, all the animals in the world lived together in a forest. Though it wasn't all peace everyday, cooperation was at its utmost high because every animal understood the role they played and played it to the best the could. Mutual respect was the glue that kept the forest running for so long.

Though it was generally peaceful in the forest, random skirmishes would usually occur between the animals on bad days. It was one of those days when the hare was making good natured fun of the tortoise as he always does.
" You walk too slow. Do you ever get to where you are going?" he asked looking at the tortoise scornfully.

The tortoise let a moment of anger get the better of him and he replied "yes and I am pretty sure I get there faster than you do". " I can beat you in a race" he added.

All the animals at the scene were amazed at the statement the tortoise had made because it was known to every animal in the forest that the tortoise was the slowest of them all. The words left the mouth of the tortoise faster than he walks but the tortoise wasn't ready to retract what he said. There was quite a commotion and news of this incident kept spreading. It wasn't long until the news fell upon the lion, the king of the forest.

The lion summoned the hare and the tortoise in an attempt to find an amicable solution to the problem. However, there seemed to be no solution to this problem since each party wouldn't budge on their stand. The king of the forest picked an auspicious day for the race since it was the only solution to the problem.

The much anticipated day came and all the animals gathered to witness this memorable race. The distance was marked and the runners set at the start line ready to have the run of their lives. The monkey who was in charge of signaling the start of the race hit a drum to start the runners off.

The hare started the race with his fastest speed and soon after, the tortoise was left in the dust of his outburst. This strategy was meant to make the tortoise se just how ridiculous it is to be in a race with him. Within a short period, the hare was already out of sight of the tortoise. This however did not discourage the tortoise from continuing with the race.

The hare after seeing that the tortoise hadn't given up decided damp the spirit of the tortoise even more. He decided to take a nap halfway the race and wait for the tortoise to catch up so he can humiliate him even more. However, this wasn't the wisest decision the hare could make. The short nap soon turned into a deep slumber.

The tortoise progressing slowly but steadily soon reached where the hare was and passed quietly. The hare slept peacefully while the tortoise progressed steadily towards the finishing line. It wasn't long until the hare woke due to the cheering from the spectators and the crowd. To the surprise of the hare, the tortoise was almost across the the finish line. The hare run his fastest speed but still wasn't able to cross the finish line before the tortoise. The tortoise won the race putting the hare to shame.

The End.

---

This story certainly had an impact on my life while growing up. To some extent, it has shaped my life and given me different perspective to some situations in life. These are some of the lessons I derived from the story.

• Don't give up before the battle even starts.
• You are never late, just make a start.
• Life is a marathon and not a sprint. Progress slowly but steadily.
• Don't rub your ability in other people's face, you just might regret it.

We told and listened to stories for the fun of it but most often than not, we picked up life lessons which brought out the best version of ourselves. This was the beauty of the late night bonfire.

I hope you enjoy reading!