One More Step

The Power of One More Step

Once upon a time, in a small village surrounded by hills and forests, lived a young boy named Ethan. Ethan was 14 years old. He lived with his mother in a small house made of bricks and mud. His father had died when he was very young. His mother worked as a cleaner in a nearby town to feed and educate him.

Ethan was an average student. He was not very fast, not very smart, and not very strong. But he had a big dream. He wanted to become a marathon runner. He had once seen a marathon on television and was amazed by how runners kept going for hours without stopping. From that day, he wanted to run like them.

Every morning, Ethan would wake up before sunrise, tie his worn-out shoes, and go for a run. The road was rough and full of stones, but he kept going. Some days he would fall. Some days he would feel tired. But every day, he told himself the same thing: “Just one more step.”

His neighbors laughed at him. They said, “You are too weak to be a runner. You don’t even have proper shoes!” His friends told him to give up and play games instead. But Ethan didn’t listen. He believed in his dream.

One day, a sports teacher from the city school came to their village. He was looking for young talent to train. Ethan heard about this and decided to meet him. When he reached the school field, many boys had already gathered. All of them looked stronger and more confident than Ethan. But he joined the line without fear.

The teacher made all the boys run five rounds around the field. By the second round, many had stopped. By the fourth round, only three boys were still running. Ethan was one of them. His legs hurt. His throat was dry. But he kept saying, “Just one more step.” He finished all five rounds, second in place.

The teacher was surprised. He asked Ethan, “How did you keep going when others gave up?” Ethan smiled and said, “I just kept taking one more step.”

The teacher was impressed. He invited Ethan to join the city training camp. Ethan was overjoyed. But there was a problem. The camp needed a fee, and Ethan didn’t have the money. When he told his mother, she didn’t hesitate. She sold her only gold earring, the last memory of Ethan’s father, just so Ethan could go.

At the camp, training was much harder. The coach was strict. The weather was hot. The food was different. Many times, Ethan felt like quitting. But he remembered his promise. Every time he felt pain, he told himself: “Just one more step.”

Months passed. Ethan became stronger and faster. He started winning local races. Then, he was selected for the state-level marathon. It was his biggest race ever. The day of the marathon came. Thousands of runners gathered. Some were professionals. Some had trained for years.

As the race began, Ethan ran at a steady pace. Slowly, he passed many runners. After two hours, only a few were ahead of him. But suddenly, his leg started hurting badly. His mind screamed, “Stop! You can’t go on!” But his heart whispered, “Just one more step.”

So he took one step. Then another. Then another. He didn’t stop.

Finally, he crossed the finish line—third place! It was not first, but it was enough to win him a scholarship and a spot on the national junior team.

Ethan returned to his village a hero. The same people who had laughed at him now clapped for him. His mother’s eyes were full of tears, not from sadness but from pride.

Years later, Ethan became a well-known marathon runner. When asked the secret to his success, he always said, “Believe in yourself and keep moving forward. No matter how hard it is, just take one more step.