BR 2-14: THE UGRY DUCKLING

Once upon a time, nine ducklings hatched. Eight were pretty and fluffy and yellow, but the ninth duckling did not look like the others. “Ugly duckling! Ugly duckling!” said the eight other ducklings. “Ugly ducklings go away!” Once the mother duck took her ducklings to visit another duck family on the other side of the lake. They teased the ugly duckling. “You can not be a duck!” the ugly duckling cried and he ran away. The ugly duckling hid in some grass. Soon it got dark. The ugly duckling was scared and lonely. He went to sleep. The next morning, the ugly duckling went to look for food. “What kind of bird are you?” asked some wild ducks. The ugly duckling said “I am a duck.” However the wild duck teased him. The ugly duckling ran away from the wild ducks. He ran and ran until he came to another lake, and he stayed there. The ugly duckling stayed all winter. It was cold, and windy, too. One day, the ugly duckling saw some swans flying south. They called “Come with us.” He tried to fly, but he could not and the swans could not wait. The ugly duckling stayed by the lake. He grew and grew and he became a swan but he did not notice. In the spring, the ugly duckling flapped his wings. They were big and strong. “I can fly, I can fly!” he said. He flew to a riverbank. “Come and stay with us,” said the swans. The ugly duckling said “You do not want me. I am just an ugly duckling.” “A duckling?” they said. “No, you are a swan. A beautiful swan, just like us!”
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