Once upon a time, in the heart of a peaceful countryside, a tale of resilience, self-discovery, and transformation unfolded. This beloved story of the ugly duckling who overcame loneliness and hardship to find his true identity reminds us that beauty and strength often lie within. Join us as we journey through this classic fairytale, where the power of hope and perseverance leads to an unexpected and magnificent ending.
The Ugly Duckling
There was once a mother duck. She had laid a little pile of perfect blue-green eggs in her nest, and she sat on them patiently, lovingly, for exactly 28 days, checking them and turning them just right so they would all hatch into perfect, healthy ducklings.
After exactly the right amount of time, the eggs started to shake and wobble, and slowly they began to crack. First, smooth, dainty little beaks appeared, and then cute little yellow faces, and finally fluffy little bodies emerged from the eggshells, and the tiny little baby ducklings started cheeping adorably at their mother.
But there was one egg left. It was bigger than the rest and a dull grey colour. While the cute little ducklings all shook their little tails and started getting to know each other, the last egg just lay there. It didn’t move.
The mother duck was very sad. Even though she knew that not all eggs hatch, she felt sure she had done everything right for her eggs, and she couldn’t understand why this one was taking so long. But she was a good mother, and she carried on warming the egg and turning it carefully with her beak until finally, after 8 more days, the egg finally wobbled and cracked.
The crack revealed a long black beak, a dull grey face, and a clumsy and awkward body. The ugly little duckling tried to cheep cutely at its mother, but only an unpleasant hissing honk came out, and all its fluffy yellow brothers and sisters laughed.
The mother duck shushed the naughty ducklings and told them not to be unkind. She nuzzled her new baby and kept him tightly under her wing to keep him warm and safe and show him that he was loved and wanted. He quickly became stronger and bigger than all of his siblings, even though they were older than him. After a few days, he was ready to swim with his mother and leaped into the pond with great enthusiasm and excitement. The water felt wonderfully cool on his scrawny black legs, and he dived and splashed to his heart’s content.
His brothers and sisters watched from the pond’s edge. They didn’t feel ready to swim just yet, and they became even more hateful of the ugly duckling. They didn’t like how closely their mother kept him, and now they didn’t like that he was showing them up with his swimming skills either. They decided he would have to go.
So one evening, while the mother duck was out finding some juicy slugs for their dinner, they crowded around the ugly duckling and pushed him cruelly out of the nest.
“We don’t want you here! You don’t belong with us!” they said. The ugly duckling was heartbroken, but he knew deep down that he was different somehow. So he left the nest, the pond, and his beloved mother duck, and went out to find his own way in the world.
He padded his way across the moonlit farm to a river, where he slid into the gentle current and drifted away.
After a short while, the ugly duckling felt something cold and slippery touch his webbed foot. He felt suddenly very small and very alone on the river. It touched him again, and he started to paddle faster, and then he felt something very sharp clamp down on his foot. He screamed and flapped his stubby little wings and kicked his feet to get away. He shook the thing off and made it to the riverbank to see the Pike dive back down under the black water, its sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. The ugly duckling wondered if perhaps the river was the safest place for such a little thing.
He waddled along down the riverbank a little further. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of orange, heard the gnashing of jaws, and suddenly a fox was upon him, trying to gobble him up. He leaped back into the river, thinking to take his chances with the pike again, and the fox slunk away.
The rest of the night was spent between the river and the bank, avoiding rats, otters, and even an enormous owl who swooped down to try to snatch him up in her claws.
When the sun finally came up, the ugly duckling was exhausted. As he paddled down the river, he saw a little cottage with a neat little vegetable garden and a rickety wooden shed. The door was slightly open, and so he quickly went inside. It was warm and safe in the shed, and the garden was full of delicious juicy slugs.
The ugly duckling made himself a shaggy little nest out of bits and bobs he found in the shed, and decided to stay a while. The little old lady from the cottage found him there, but instead of shooing him away, she laid a handful of fresh peas from her garden by his nest and let him be. She was glad of the help with the slugs, and he was no bother, even if he was rather unsightly.
The ugly duckling stayed there in the shed all winter, occasionally taking quick dips in the river to wash, but never staying in the water long enough to really enjoy himself, for fear of the riverbank creatures who might have him for lunch.
As spring started to brighten the garden, the ugly duckling found that his little nest had become rather too small, and he was finding it very difficult to squeeze through the gap in the doorway of the shed.
The little old lady could tell it was time for him to go. She gave him one last handful of peas, stroked his head, and waved him off as he stepped into the river. He didn’t want to go. But something in his heart told him he had to move on.
He paddled down the river bravely, and was surprised that the other creatures on the riverbank seemed to give him a wide berth.
He came to a lovely wide part of the river, where the water was calm and still, and there before him, he could see what seemed like a thousand beautiful white birds with long elegant necks and huge graceful wings. They filled the water and the sky like snowy confetti, and he had never seen anything so wonderful.
Worried that they would laugh at his ugly appearance, the ugly duckling kept his head low and paddled on, eager to get through without being mocked and teased, but desperate to stay longer to watch the lovely birds.
He noticed that as he swam through the birds, they seemed to be stopping to look at him and turned to track his progress down the river. He paddled harder, worried that the jeers and laughter would soon start, but instead, he could swear that one dipped its head in a gesture of respect. The ugly duckling lifted his head, and couldn’t believe it when the birds met his eye and smiled. Not a pitying or sympathetic smile, but hopeful and friendly smiles. Why weren’t they laughing at him?
He slowed his paddling and let the ripples of water go still around him. The current of the river was so slow and still there it was like glass. The ugly duckling looked down at his reflection and froze. Gone was his long black beak. Gone was his dull grey face and clumsy, awkward body.
In its place was a smooth white body, powerful white wings, and a slender curving white neck leading to a handsome black and orange beak. The ugly duckling smiled. He had grown into the most magnificent swan!
Also read: The Little Mermaid
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