On a sunny day in a lovely meadow, Tilly the Tortoise came across her friends, the Hare and the Hedgehog, enthusiastically preparing for a race. “Hello, everyone! What are you doing?” Tilly asked, intrigued. The Hedgehog explained, “We’re setting up a race, but it’s rather boring without a contender. Want to join us?”
Now, Tilly had a sweet tooth, but she was also generally curious and lively. “I will race you!” she declared. The Hare’s laughter rang out. “You race us? Impossible! You are too slow, dear Tilly,” she chuckled. “You’re right, of course. But I am determined to try!” Tilly replied, her determination shining through. The Hedgehog finally agreed, “Very well, then. We will have a race, and you can join us as well, Tilly!”
The race was planned for the following sunny morning. Tilly woke early, brimming with excitement. “I can do this! I might be slow, but I will do my best!” she thought, imagining the rush of crossing the finish line. However, doubts began to creep in as well. “What if I am too slow? Where will the others be when I finish? Perhaps I will just be made fun of again…”
Her friends, hearing Tilly’s internal struggle, rushed to reassure her. “Tilly, remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare?” spoke an elder Tortoise. “The story of a Tortoise who won a race despite being slower than the others? It is not always the fastest who wins!” Others chimed in too, giving her confident, braving spirit. Tilly smiled at their kind encouragement and went to sleep just a little bit more reassured.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast and a pep talk from her friends, the race began. Off rushed the Hare and the Hedgehog. “See? Slow and steady doesn’t work!” spoke one of the supporters. But Tilly heard a voice saying, “Don’t you believe in slow and steady?” And so she kept on walking. Tilly was still moving although everyone else had long disappeared from view. Her friends were cheering her on, but sometimes the cheering was not enough to keep Tilly’s spirits high. “Everyone will have gone by the time I get there,” she thought sadly. But Tilly remembered the Tortoise who won against the Hare and continued to move forward slowly.
Minutes turned to hours, and hours stretched into a day. But Tilly persisted, never faltering in her resolve to reach her destination. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she reached the race’s end. To her astonishment, there was an old grey Hare lying asleep just near the finish line, and a proud little Hedgehog standing nearby with a bouquet of flowers.
“Hooray!” shouted her friends when they saw her approach. The Hare woke up with a start and looked puzzled. “Where did you come from, dear Tilly? I didn’t think you would ever arrive, let alone finish the race!”
Tilly simply smiled, exhausted but happy, and said, “Remember, slow and steady wins the race!”