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Stanley the snail was tired of being slow. Every morning, the ladybug zoomed past him, and the ants marched in a hurry, not a care in the world. Even the earthworm, who didn't have any legs, seemed to get places faster. Stanley wanted to be a champion. He wanted to be fast. He decided to train for the Great Garden Race, a race that was held every year between the garden creatures, even though it was mostly a lot of quiet meandering.

His friend, Myrtle the mushroom, thought this was a wonderful idea. "You must practice," she said in a whispery voice. "Start with the small leaf, then work up to the big dandelion." Stanley trained all week. He slid across dew-kissed leaves, he climbed up mighty blades of grass, and he practiced his "shell-wobble," which was supposed to give him a burst of speed but mostly just made him dizzy.

Finally, the day of the race arrived. All the garden creatures gathered on a patch of clover. The ladybug was there, looking smug. The ants were in formation. There was even a grumpy toad named Walter who was just there for the snacks. The race began!

Stanley started off with a strong, gooey start. He was in the lead! For about three inches. The ladybug flew past. The ants scurried. Walter the toad just sat there. Stanley, with determination in his slimy heart, pushed on. Suddenly, he heard a shout. "Myrtle! Your hat is flying away!"

He looked up and saw Myrtle's favorite mossy hat, her most prized possession, caught on a gust of wind. It was fluttering toward a large puddle. Stanley knew what he had to do. He turned around, completely forgetting the race. He slid faster than he ever had before, pushing his little body to its limits. He reached the puddle just as the hat was about to dip in. With a mighty stretch, he pushed the hat to safety on a dry stone.

He was a hero! He looked back at the race, which was now mostly just everyone eating crumbs from a discarded sandwich. Stanley had come in last, but he didn't care. He had saved Myrtle's hat. Myrtle hugged him, or as much as a mushroom can hug, and declared him the fastest friend in the garden. And that, Stanley decided, was even better than winning a race.