The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen Narration by Ari Ross Once upon a time,
It was a beautiful summer in the countryside.
The wheat fields were golden,
The oats were green,
And the wildflowers dotted the meadows.
By a quiet pond shaded with tall trees and overgrown grasses,
A mother duck sat patiently on her nest.
She was waiting for her eggs to hatch.
Finally,
One by one,
The eggs began to crack.
Chirped the little ducklings as they broke free of their shells.
The mother duck looked at her fluffy new babies with pride.
All except one.
There was one large egg left in the nest,
Much bigger than the rest.
She waited and waited.
And finally,
The big egg cracked open.
Out came a rather large grey bird with messy feathers and a long neck.
He didn't look anything like the others.
He doesn't look like a duck at all,
Said the mother,
Tilting her head.
Could he be a turkey chick?
We'll see.
The next day,
She led her brood to the pond.
If he can swim,
He's a real duck,
She said to herself.
To her relief,
The strange grey baby dove right in and swam beautifully.
Well,
He's not a turkey at least,
She murmured.
He must be one of mine,
Even if he is a bit odd.
From the very beginning,
The other ducklings teased him.
He's so big,
They all laughed.
And what an ugly face.
The farm animals were even worse.
The chickens pecked at him.
The cat hissed.
And the ducks refused to play with him.
Leave him alone,
The mother duck quacked.
He may look different,
But he has a kind heart.
But no one listened.
The teasing never stopped.
So,
One day,
The grey duckling ran away.
He wandered through fields and meadows,
Searching for a place to belong.
He came to a marsh where wild ducks lived.
Can I stay here for a while?
He asked.
Sure,
Said one of the wild ducks.
As long as you don't marry one of our daughters,
You're far too ugly.
The duckling hung his head and kept moving.
Later,
He met two wild geese who thought he might join their flock.
You're not very good looking,
Said one.
But you fly well.
Why not come with us?
Before he could answer,
Bang!
Bang!
Hunter's guns echoed through the air.
The geese were struck down and the ugly duckling had to flee for his life.
He stumbled into a little cottage where an old woman lived with her cat and her hen.
She let him stay.
But life there wasn't easy either.
The cat bragged about his whiskers and the hen clucked about laying eggs.
They mocked the duckling for not doing either.
You don't make eggs,
Said the hen.
You can't purr,
Added the cat.
What's the point of you?
The duckling left again.
Autumn arrived and the leaves fell from the trees.
The air turned cold and he wandered farther and farther alone.
Then came winter.
Snow blanketed the land.
Lakes and ponds froze.
The duckling nearly froze too.
He was rescued by a kind farmer who brought him inside and warmed him by the fire.
But the farmer's children scared the duckling with their shouting and poking.
So he ran away once more.
He survived the long hard winter hiding in the reeds and bushes,
Shivering and hungry.
At last spring returned.
The sun grew warmer and the flowers began to bloom.
Birds returned to the skies and the frozen lakes melted.
One morning the duckling stretched his wings and discovered they were strong.
He flapped them once,
Then again and suddenly he was flying.
He soared into the air and landed by a sparkling lake.
There,
Gliding across the water,
Were three magnificent white birds.
They were swans.
They moved with grace and elegance,
Their feathers gleaming in the sunlight.
The duckling stared in awe.
He swam toward them,
Slowly,
Shyly.
Please don't tease me,
He thought.
Just let me stay near you.
But the swans welcomed him kindly.
They didn't mock or shoo him away.
He bowed his head and looked at his reflection in the water and gasped.
Gone was the awkward grey bird with messy feathers.
In his place was a graceful,
Beautiful swan.
He didn't know how or when it happened,
But the truth was clear.
He was not a duckling at all.
He had been a swan all along.
Children came to the lake with bread and pointed at him,
Smiling.
Ooh,
Look at that one,
They said.
He's the most beautiful swan of all.
The once ugly duckling raised his head high,
No longer ashamed.
At last he had found where he belonged.
A moral of the story.
What makes us different may just be the thing that makes us beautiful when we grow into who we're meant to be.
The End
