The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, in the warmth of summer, in a beautiful countryside surrounded by green fields and deep blue lakes, a mother duck sat on her nest. She had laid several eggs and was now waiting patiently for them to hatch. One fine morning, one by one, the eggs began to crack, and out came several fluffy, yellow ducklings.

But there was one egg that was larger than the rest. It sat still and didn’t crack. The mother duck grew curious but continued waiting. Finally, with a loud “crack,” the big egg broke open, and out came a large, grey duckling with a long neck and drooping feathers. He didn’t look like his brothers and sisters at all.

The other ducklings stared at him. “What an ugly duckling!” they quacked. Even the mother duck was surprised, though she didn’t say anything unkind. She simply hoped he would grow into his looks.

As the days passed, the poor grey duckling was teased and bullied by the others. “You don’t belong with us!” they would shout. The chickens in the yard pecked at him. The other animals laughed. Even the farmer’s children pointed at him and made fun of how strange he looked.

Sad and lonely, the ugly duckling decided to run away. He crossed fields, waddled through woods, and swam across rivers. He met many animals along the way. First, he met some wild ducks. “Can I stay with you?” he asked shyly. But they laughed. “You’re too ugly to be one of us,” they quacked and flew away.

Then he met some geese. They were friendly at first, but soon hunters came with loud guns, and the duckling barely escaped. He ran as fast as he could, flying short distances, hiding in bushes. Cold and tired, he finally found an old cottage owned by a kind old woman who lived with her cat and a hen.

The woman thought he might be useful. “Maybe he’ll lay eggs,” she said. But the cat and hen didn’t like him either. “Can you purr like me?” said the cat. “Can you lay eggs like me?” said the hen. The duckling couldn’t do either, and they made fun of him every day. After some time, even the old woman grew tired of him. So, the duckling left the cottage and wandered out again into the cold.

Autumn came, and the leaves turned golden and brown. The duckling was all alone. He watched flocks of beautiful white birds flying in the sky. Their long necks, graceful wings, and bright feathers made them look like angels. He had never seen anything so beautiful. He felt a strange connection to them. “If only I could be like them,” he whispered. But the swans flew away, and he was left in silence.

Winter arrived, and the lakes froze. The poor duckling had no shelter. He barely survived the cold, snow, and hunger. A farmer found him frozen in the snow and took him home. The farmer’s children wanted to play with him, but the duckling was scared. He thought they were going to tease him again, so he flapped and fluttered and knocked over a few things. The farmer’s wife grew angry and sent him back out into the cold.

When spring finally came, the ice melted, and the sun warmed the earth again. The duckling was bigger now, though still alone and sad. One day, he saw the same beautiful white birds he had seen before. They were swimming gracefully on a lake. He was drawn to them, though he didn’t dare go near.

“I am too ugly,” he thought. “They will never accept me.”

But something inside him said, “Try.”

So, he swam toward the swans, head held low, heart beating fast. As he came closer, the swans turned to look at him. He expected them to chase him away. But they didn’t. Instead, they looked at him with calm, kind eyes.

The duckling looked down into the water and gasped. Reflected in the water, he did not see a grey, ugly duckling anymore. He saw a beautiful white swan — with smooth feathers, a long elegant neck, and eyes full of life. He was not a duckling at all. He had been a swan all along!

The other swans swam around him and welcomed him with soft honks and gentle movements. He was one of them — and he had always been one of them, though he hadn’t known it.

From that day on, he lived happily among the swans. People came to the lake and admired the beautiful birds. “Look at that one!” they said, pointing to him. “He’s the most beautiful of them all.”

The ugly duckling who had once been mocked and mistreated had grown into something extraordinary. Not only was he beautiful on the outside, but he was kind and strong from all the hardships he had faced.

He never forgot his past, but now he was proud of who he had become.

Moral of the Story:

Never judge yourself or others by appearance. Everyone has their own time to shine. What seems like a weakness today may turn out to be your greatest strength tomorrow