The hare and the tortoise both realized that they have their limitations to cross plain fields or watery ponds to reach their goal. Being friends with zeal to reach the goal they both decided for the mutual cooperative path to reach the common goal the quickest manner.

They decided that the hare would carry the tortoise on his back through the plain fields and reach the pond side. And at this pond side the tortoise would carry the hare on its back to cross the pond, then again switch over with the hare carrying the tortoise to reach the final destination.
Having decided this, the hare asked the tortoise to climb on its back, carried its load and quickly reached the pond side. Here the hare asked the tortoise to get off the back and carry him over its back to reach the other side of the pond.
The tortoise would not get off the back here. The hare kept waiting. But there was no movement from the tortoise. The hare asked, ‘Hi! What’s the matter? Wake up! We are at the pond side. It’s your role now to cross me on your back to the other side of the pond.’
Still, no answer!. The hare raised its voice and asked – ‘Hey! What are you doing? Get off my back and let me get on yours. We have to cross the pond now.’
Still, no answer and no movement by the tortoise.
Another bigger shout from the hare started the tortoise to begin wriggling over the hare’s back and the tortoise said – ‘Neither do I have any intent to get off your back nor do I have any intent to carry you on mine’.

All this started the hare’s back to pain and the hare shouted harder to get off the back. The tortoise would not get off the back, leave aside even have any thoughts of carrying the hare on its back.
Soon after, the hare did a tumble. The tortoise fell off the back on the ground. The tortoise started mumbling and grumbling for the hare threw it off the back and then began thinking of reaching back to the start point from where the hare had carried it up to this point.
The hare made a ‘U’ turn, reached the start point, again made a turn and changed the path to avoid the pond and proceeded towards the destination.
Sounds very strange as to why do the tortoise not cross over the pond alone having reached so far, instead of grumbling and thinking of going back to the start point?
Strange is the New Age as it rolls over from the time gone by!!