Way out in the sunny countryside, near an old farmhouse with a big, green pond, Mama Duck was sitting on her nest. She was very patient, waiting for her little eggs to hatch. "Crack, crack!" went one egg. "Peep!" said a tiny yellow duckling. Soon, there were lots of fluffy, yellow ducklings waddling around.

But one egg was much bigger than the others, and it still hadn't hatched. "My goodness," clucked Mama Duck, "this one is taking its sweet time!"
Finally, the big egg wiggled and cracked. Out popped a bird, but oh dear! He wasn't small and yellow. He was big, grey, and looked a bit clumsy.
"Well," said Mama Duck, looking him over, "he's certainly different. But he's my duckling, and as long as he can swim, that's what matters!"

She led all her ducklings to the pond. Splash! In they all went. The big grey duckling swam just as well as the others, maybe even better! Mama Duck was relieved.

But the other animals in the farmyard weren't so kind. The chickens pecked him. The turkey gobbled at him rudely. Even his own brothers and sisters nipped him and said, "You're so big and ugly!"
The poor duckling felt miserable. "Why am I so different?" he wondered sadly.
Every day was the same. He was pushed and teased until he couldn't bear it anymore. One night, he decided to run away.

He flew over the fence and wandered out into the wide world. He met some wild ducks, but they just laughed. "You're far too ugly to stay with us!" they quacked. So, he kept going.
He found a little cottage where an old woman lived with a cat and a hen. The cat could purr and arch its back. The hen could lay eggs. "Can you lay eggs?" clucked the hen. "Can you purr?" meowed the cat. The duckling couldn't do either, so they thought he was useless. He felt lonely and left again.

Autumn came, and the leaves turned gold and red. One evening, just as the sun was setting, he saw a flock of beautiful, large white birds flying high above. They had long, graceful necks and made a lovely sound. "Oh," he sighed, "if only I could be so beautiful and fly with them!" He watched them until they disappeared, feeling a strange longing in his heart.

Then winter arrived. It was cold, so cold! The pond froze over. The poor duckling had to keep swimming in a small patch of open water to stop it from freezing completely. He was tired and hungry. It was a very hard time.

But spring finally came! The sun shone warmly, the ice melted, and the flowers began to bloom. The duckling felt stronger. He flapped his wings, and to his surprise, they were big and powerful! He lifted off the ground and flew high into the air.

He flew over gardens and fields until he came to a beautiful, clear lake. And there, gliding on the water, were three of those magnificent white birds he had seen before – swans!
He felt a sudden shyness but also a strong pull towards them. "I will fly to them," he thought. "They will probably peck me because I am so ugly, but it's better to be pecked by them than by the ducks and chickens."

So, he landed on the water and swam towards the beautiful swans. As he got closer, he bent his head down, expecting them to be unkind. But what did he see in the clear water? He saw his own reflection!
He wasn't a clumsy, grey, ugly bird anymore. His feathers were pure white. His neck was long and graceful. He was a swan!

The other swans swam around him and welcomed him with gentle strokes of their beaks. "You are one of us!" they seemed to say.
Some children came to the lake with bread. "Oh, look!" they cried. "There's a new swan, and he's the most beautiful of all!"
The young swan felt a joy he had never known. He rustled his feathers and held his graceful neck high. He had been through so much sadness, but now he understood. He wasn't an ugly duckling after all. He was a beautiful swan, and he had found where he truly belonged.

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