Once upon a time there was mole, a fish and a bird.
They decided to have a competition.
The first task they set themselves was to swim across the lake.
In jumped the mole. He moved his arms through the water but it just rushed between his claws. The bird tried next. He flew into the water but the water weighed his wings down and he soon had to give up. Then in dived the fish, he swam swiftly to the other side of the lake.
Now the next task was to make a tunnel. The bird tried first. He pecked and pecked at the ground and made a small hole but he had to give up because he became so tired. The fish tried to peck the ground but he had to give up sooner than the bird. Next came the mole. He pushed his snout to the ground and in no time at all he was burrowing into the ground making a magnificent tunnel.
The final task was to climb to the top of an old oak tree. The fish wriggled to the foot of the tree but could not even attempt to climb the rough bark. Up rushed the mole. He stretched out his claws and hung on to the bark for a short time but made very little movement up the tree. The bird looked on quietly, he fluffed up his feathers and flew smoothly to the top of the old oak tree.…………………
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