The Rat and the Elephant's Challenge

A tiny Rat, tired of being ignored, scurried up to the mighty Elephant and squeaked, "I challenge you to a contest! Let us see who can stay underwater the longest." The Elephant laughed so hard the ground shook. "You? Challenge me? Very well, little one." They went to the river. The Elephant took a deep breath and submerged his entire body. The Rat, meanwhile, simply crawled into the Elephant's ear just before he went under. After a very long time, the Elephant, his lungs bursting, came up for air with a great gasp. He looked around for the Rat. "I have won!" he trumpeted. Just then, the Rat crawled out of his ear and said, "Not so fast, my friend. I was under the water with you the entire time." The Elephant was speechless. He had been so focused on his own power that he had not noticed the small creature who had used his own body against him. The Rat, having won the challenge through cleverness, not strength, earned the respect of all the smaller animals in the forest.