The Story
In the heart of the countryside, beside a peaceful pond, a mother duck sat on her nest waiting for her eggs to hatch. One by one, the fluffy yellow ducklings pecked their way out — until there was one large, odd-looking egg left.
It hatched last, and out came a clumsy, gray creature who didn't look like the others at all.
"What an ugly duckling!" the farm animals clucked and quacked. Even his brothers and sisters pushed him away. The poor creature felt deeply sad and alone.
He decided to run away. Through the autumn and into the cold winter, he wandered alone. He hid among the reeds, shivering and hungry, as the world grew cold around him.
One freezing morning, he was so cold he could hardly move. A kind farmer found him and brought him inside by the fire. As winter melted into spring, the ugly duckling felt a strange new energy growing within him.
He flew — really flew — to a nearby lake. Looking down at his reflection, he could hardly believe what he saw. He was no longer small and gray. He was tall and white and magnificent. He was a swan.
A family of beautiful swans glided toward him and welcomed him as one of their own. Children gathered at the water's edge and pointed: "Look at the new swan — he's the most beautiful of all!"
The swan bowed his long neck, feeling more joy than he had ever known. He thought back on all his lonely days — and realized that the suffering had made the happiness feel even sweeter.