The Ugly Duckling

On the bank of a pond, a big grey chick hatched from the last egg. He was not like the yellow ducklings, and they laughed at him a little. The chick grew sad and went to live alone among the reeds.

In autumn he was cold, in winter he sheltered from the wind, but he never stopped swimming and looking up at the sky. One day white birds with long necks flew over the pond. "How beautiful," thought the grey chick.

Spring came. The chick had grown, and he decided to swim closer to the white birds — even if they laughed too. But the swans swam over themselves and nodded to him kindly.

He leaned toward the water and saw his reflection: he had become a white swan with strong wings! It turned out he had simply taken longer than the others to become himself.

Children on the bank threw bread to the birds and said, "Look, that new one is the most beautiful." But the swan was just quietly glad, and did not put on airs.

That evening the flock settled to sleep by the warm shore. The young swan tucked his head under his wing, rocked on the little waves, and fell asleep. Goodnight.