The Ugly Duckling

In a beautiful pond surrounded by tall grass, a mother duck sat on her nest of eggs. One by one, they cracked open, and out came fluffy yellow ducklings.

But one egg was larger than the others. When it finally hatched, out came a bird that looked nothing like his brothers and sisters. He was gray, awkward, and much bigger than the others.

"What an ugly duckling!" the other ducks quacked. "He doesn't look like us at all!"

The poor duckling was very sad. Wherever he went, other animals made fun of him. Even the chickens and turkeys pecked at him.

"He's too big," they said. "Too gray. Too strange looking."

The duckling felt so unwanted that he ran away from the farm. He lived alone through the harsh winter, hiding in the reeds, cold and lonely.

But the duckling didn't give up. He survived the cold winds and freezing water. He grew stronger each day.

When spring finally arrived, the duckling saw some beautiful white swans swimming in a lake. "How beautiful they are!" he thought. "I wish I could be like them."

He decided to approach them, even though he was sure they would reject him like everyone else.

But when the swans saw him, they swam toward him with joy! "Welcome, beautiful friend!" they called.

The duckling was confused. He looked at his reflection in the water and gasped. He wasn't an ugly gray duck anymore—he had transformed into a beautiful white swan!

"You're one of us!" said the swans warmly. "You just needed time to become who you really are."

The ugly duckling finally found where he belonged. He wasn't ugly at all; he was just different from the ducks. He was a beautiful swan all along.

**Moral Lesson:** True beauty comes from within. Be patient, be yourself, and you will find where you belong.