One bright morning, in a field full of crunchy carrots and sweet clover, lived a Hare who was very, very proud of his long legs. "I'm the fastest creature in the whole wide world!" he would often boast.

Nearby, lived a Hedgehog with his wife. Mr. Hedgehog had short, stubby legs, and he waddled more than he ran.

One day, the Hare saw Mr. Hedgehog out for his morning stroll. "Well, hello there, Mr. Hedgehog!" called the Hare, twitching his nose. "Still using those little legs of yours? I bet I could run to the end of this field and back before you even reach the first turnip!"

Mr. Hedgehog, who was usually quite cheerful, felt a bit cross. "My legs might be short," he said, "but I'm cleverer than you think. I bet I can beat you in a race!"

The Hare threw back his head and laughed. "You? Beat me? That's the funniest thing I've heard all day! Alright, let's race. We'll run down this long furrow in the farmer's field, to the very end and back."

"Agreed!" said Mr. Hedgehog. But he had a secret plan. He hurried home to his wife. "My dear," he said, "we look exactly alike, don't we? I need your help. You go to the far end of the furrow and hide. When the Hare gets there, just pop your head up and say, 'I'm already here!'"

Mrs. Hedgehog giggled. "What a clever idea!" she said, and off she waddled to the other end of the field.

Soon, Mr. Hedgehog and the Hare stood at the starting line. "Ready, set, GO!" shouted the Hare, and he zoomed off like a furry rocket. Mr. Hedgehog ran just a few steps, then quickly ducked down and hid in the furrow.

The Hare reached the other end of the field, huffing and puffing a little. And who did he see? Mrs. Hedgehog, peeking out with a smile. "I'm already here!" she called out cheerfully.

The Hare's jaw dropped. "What? How is that possible?" he gasped. "You must have cheated! Let's race back!"

"Alright," said Mrs. Hedgehog, and she quickly ducked down.

The Hare turned and sped back towards the starting line, even faster this time. When he arrived, panting heavily, there was Mr. Hedgehog (the real one!), looking quite refreshed. "I'm already here!" Mr. Hedgehog said calmly.

"This is impossible!" cried the Hare, his ears drooping. "Again! We must race again!"

So, back and forth they "raced." Each time the Hare reached one end of the furrow, a hedgehog would pop up and say, "I'm already here!" The Hare ran faster and faster, getting hotter and more tired with every trip. He ran and ran, back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, after many, many trips, the poor Hare was so exhausted he just flopped down in the middle of the furrow. He couldn't run another hop.

Mr. Hedgehog calmly waddled over to him. "Well, Mr. Hare," he said, not unkindly, "it seems my short legs did pretty well today, with a little help from my cleverness."

And from that day on, the Hare was a little less boastful. He learned that being fast isn't everything, and sometimes, being clever is even better. And he never, ever made fun of someone's short legs again.

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