The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, on a sunny spring morning, Mother Duck sat on her nest by a red barn. Wearing her little blue ribbon, she hummed a happy tune. Crack, crack, crack! One by one, out tumbled five tiny ducklings, fluffy and yellow as dandelions. They cheeped and shook off their shells. But one big egg lay silent in the straw. Mother Duck waited all morning as the sun climbed high. At last it wobbled. Crack! Out stumbled a bigger grey duckling with long legs and a funny tuft on his head. He blinked his big dark eyes at the bright world. Mother Duck smiled and tucked him under her wing. “Hello, my darling,” she whispered. “I’ve waited so long for you.” He felt warm, safe and loved.