The sun peeked over the tall green reeds, right onto Mama Duck's comfy nest. Inside, eggs were starting to wiggle and crack! Pop, pop, pop went the little shells, and out came fluffy, yellow ducklings. "Cheep, cheep!" they chirped, happy to see the world.

But one egg, the biggest one, was still quiet. Mama Duck waited. Finally, CRACK! Out tumbled a bird, but oh dear, he wasn't yellow and fluffy. He was big, and grey, and looked a bit… different.

"Quack?" said Mama Duck, a little surprised.
His brothers and sisters giggled. "You look funny!" they quacked. Even the chickens in the farmyard pointed their beaks and clucked when they saw him.

Poor big grey bird. He just wanted to play, but everyone was a bit mean. "He's too big!" squawked one duckling. "And so clumsy!" honked a goose passing by. He tried to swim like his brothers, but he splashed more. He tried to waddle neatly, but his big feet got in the way.

Mama Duck tried her best. "Be nice!" she’d scold. But it was hard. The big grey bird felt so sad and lonely. He would often hide in the reeds and watch the other little birds play.

One day, he just couldn't take it anymore. With a little sigh, he waddled away from the farmyard, all by himself. He walked and walked, hoping to find a place where he belonged.

He met some wild geese. They were a bit loud but didn't mind his looks too much. But then, BANG! Hunters came with their dogs, and the geese flew off in a fright. The big grey bird hid in the reeds, trembling, until it was quiet again.

He found a little cottage where an old woman lived with a bossy cat and a fussy hen. "Can you lay eggs?" clucked the hen, looking down her beak at him. "Can you purr and catch mice?" meowed the cat, swishing its tail. The big grey bird couldn't do those things. He just wanted to swim and be with friends. So, he quietly left the cottage too.

Winter came, cold and snowy. The poor bird shivered and tried to find food. It was a very tough time, and he missed having a warm place to sleep.

Then, spring sunshine melted the ice. The big grey bird felt a bit stronger. He stretched his wings, which felt very big now. He saw some of the most beautiful birds he had ever seen, swimming on the clear water. They were white, with long, graceful necks. They were swans! Oh, how he wished he could be like them. But he thought, "They'd never want a clumsy grey bird like me."

He felt a strange pull towards them. "I'll go to them," he thought, feeling a little brave and a little scared. "Even if they chase me away, I just want to be near them for a moment."

He swam out onto the lake, his head bowed low, expecting them to peck him or laugh. But as he got closer, he saw his reflection in the still water. He gasped! He wasn't a big, clumsy, grey bird anymore. He was… he was a swan! A beautiful, white swan, just like them! His feathers were white and smooth, and his neck was long and elegant.

The other swans swam over. They didn't peck him. They welcomed him with gentle nods and soft calls. "You're one of us!" they seemed to say.

Some children playing by the pond pointed. "Look!" one shouted. "There's a new swan! And he's the most beautiful of all!"

The new swan felt a warmth spread through him. He wasn't sad or lonely anymore. He ruffled his lovely white feathers and swam happily with his new family, remembering all he had been through, but so glad to finally be home, where he truly belonged.

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