The Ugly Duckling

In the warmth of summer, a mother duck sat upon her nest. One egg after another cracked, and the little ducklings tumbled out, yellow and lively. But one egg was larger than the rest, and it took a long time to break. When at last the young bird came out, he was big, gray, and awkward, with a neck too long for the farmyard’s liking.

The others soon began to mock him. Ducks pushed him aside, hens pecked at him, and even his brothers and sisters did not wish to be near him. The mother duck tried at first to defend him, but the voices around them were harsh. The young bird could not understand what he had done wrong. Every glance felt like cold rain.

At last he ran away into the wide world. The reeds bent in the wind, and the ponds reflected gray skies. He met wild ducks, heard the terrifying sound of hunters, and wandered through fields as winter came on. Once he nearly froze fast in the ice, and though he was rescued, he remained frightened and lonely. Still, through all those difficult days, he kept living and growing.

When spring returned, the sun softened the ice and green shoots appeared along the water. The young bird saw a group of white swans gliding upon the lake. They were so graceful that his heart ached. He swam toward them, thinking he would rather meet their judgment than hide forever.

Then he looked down into the clear water. The face looking back was not an ugly duckling at all, but a beautiful swan. The other swans welcomed him, and children praised him. He bowed his head, not with pride, but with quiet wonder. He had not been a failed duck. He had been a swan in the long middle of becoming.