Kanga, the kangaroo, jogged a little where she stood. She tried to loosen her body. She felt nervous as she stepped on the start line. She secretly wished that all other participants in the race would stumble and fall.
“I keep wishing for this though I know it will never happen,” thought Kanga.
Soon, the chequered flag went up and the whistle was blown. The race began. All the animals ran ahead in no time leaving big clouds of dust behind.
When the dust settled, everyone saw that Kanga, too, remained behind.
Zack, the zebra was Kanga’s coach. He could not believe his eyes. “Go Kanga! Go! Go!” Zack screamed.
Hearing Zack’s voice, Kanga came out of her daydream. She started hopping quickly, but it was too late.
Many animals were about to reach the finish line. But Kanga didn’t give up. To make up for her lost time, she pushed a monkey from behind. It was a bad idea because the monkey fell and hurt his knee.
Despite this, Kanga did not win the race. Zack was unhappy. It showed on his face. “What happened?” Zack asked Kanga.
“The whistle wasn’t loud enough, and the chequered flag did not go up either,” said Kanga.
“It did, Kanga. And the whistle is the same one that has been used for years,” said Zack.
“Maybe it is broken now,” said Kanga.
“Stop it! I heard the whistle. It was loud and clear,” shouted Zack.
“Were you daydreaming again? And why did you push others on the track? That is not sportsmanship,” said Zack.
“Others also push us on the track. What’s wrong with that?” replied Kanga.
“Maybe some do, but not us. Our club wants to win because of our talent. Playing smart is one thing Kanga, but cheating to win is another,” explained Zack.
Kanga didn’t say a word. She just felt angry about everything and everyone around her.
Zack and Kanga had been practicing for three years to make Kanga the best runner in the jungle. Kanga was good at running. With just a few long hops she would make others disappear behind her. Zack knew that she could be the best.
But she thought more about others than improving herself.
“Concentrate!” Zack used to tell her during practice.
“Focus on your game,” Zack always whispered to her before any race.
Zack wanted her to think about her own performance. But Kanga always looked at others to check how others were faring. She had even started pushing others now. Zack scolded her, but that was not enough.
After the fight with Zack, Kanga went hopping alone. She felt too angry and upset to go and meet her friends.
Kanga ate some soft green grass and went to have some cool water at the pond. Many animals would come to the pond to drink water.
As Kanga was sipping water, she heard someone say, “You hoped quite well in the race!” She looked up, surprised, to see Gary, the giraffe.
Gary was in the same sports club, but he was training under another coach.
“What?” asked Kanga.
“I said, nice hopping in the race,” told Gary.
“Yeah, but I did not win the race. Now everyone is laughing at me because I forgot to start when the whistle blew,” said Kanga sadly.
“It is okay. Such things happen sometimes,” said Gary.
Kanga said, “My coach isn’t happy that I pushed the monkey. Why are you are praising my hopping?”
“Because I liked your hopping. Your hops were filled with energy. You could have won the race if you had started on time,” said Gary.
“You have long legs. Do you think you won the race because of that?” asked Kanga.
“Could be, but I cannot hop,” said Gary.
Kanga did not understand what Gary was trying to say. Gary looked at her confused expression and explained, “See Kanga, the rhino has strength, the horse has power, and the cheetah has strong muscles. I have long legs. And you can hop. Each one of us has our own strengths.”
Gary was right. Kanga remained silent.
“It is about you, Kanga. Think about what you have. Use your strengths wisely. Make them better by practice. Then you too can win someday,” said Gary with a friendly smile.
Kanga realised what her coach Zack had been trying to tell her all this while.
“You are right Gary. My coach tried to explain this to me many times, but I did not understand,” said Kanga, looking sad.
Kanga decided that she would meet Zack and say sorry to him.
“Thank you so much, Gary. And hearty congratulations for winning the race,” Kanga smiled at Gary, without a hint of jealousy in her mind.
“Thank you, Kanga. Good game to you too!” cheered Gary happily.