The Ugly Duckling
Once upon a time, on a sunny farm near a peaceful pond, a mother duck sat on her nest, waiting for her eggs to hatch.
Crack! Crack! Crack! One by one, fluffy yellow ducklings popped out of their shells.
"Peep! Peep!" they cried, looking around at the beautiful world.
But the biggest egg hadn't hatched yet. Mother Duck waited and waited. Finally—CRACK!—out tumbled a strange-looking duckling. He was bigger than the others, with grey feathers and a long neck.
"What an odd little duckling," said Mother Duck. But she loved him just the same.
As the ducklings grew, the grey duckling felt different. The other farm animals weren't kind to him.
"Look at that ugly duckling!" laughed the hens.
"He doesn't belong here!" quacked the other ducks.
The poor duckling felt so sad and lonely. One night, he ran away from the farm to find a place where he belonged.
Through the summer, he wandered alone. He met wild ducks and geese, but none of them wanted to be his friend. When autumn came, he saw beautiful white birds flying south. They were the most wonderful creatures he had ever seen, with long graceful necks and magnificent wings.
"If only I could be as beautiful as them," he sighed.
Winter was cold and hard. The duckling nearly froze in the icy pond. But he survived, and finally spring arrived.
The duckling flew to a quiet lake. He saw the beautiful white birds again, swimming gracefully on the water.
"They'll chase me away," he thought sadly. "But I don't care anymore. I would rather be near these beautiful creatures than live alone."
He swam toward them and bowed his head, ready for them to peck at him.
But then he saw his reflection in the water. He wasn't an ugly grey duckling anymore! He had grown into a beautiful white swan with a long, graceful neck!
The other swans swam over and welcomed him. "You're one of us!" they said. "You're the most beautiful swan we've ever seen!"
Children on the shore pointed and said, "Look at that beautiful new swan! He's the loveliest of them all!"
The swan who had once been called ugly ruffled his feathers with joy. He had found where he belonged at last. And he lived happily ever after.
The End