The Ugly Duckling

We won't stand for him. He didn't come out so well. It's a pity you can't hatch him again.

I hope his looks will improve with age, and after a while he won't seem so big. He took too long in the egg, and that's why his figure isn't all that it should be. I think he will be quite strong, and I'm sure he will amount to something. So they felt quite at home. But the poor duckling who had been the last one out of his egg, and who looked so ugly, was pecked and pushed about and made fun of by the ducks, and the chickens as well. The turkey gobbler, who thought himself an emperor because he was born wearing spurs, puffed up like a ship under full sail and bore down upon him, gobbling and gobbling until he was red in the face.

The poor duckling did not know where he dared stand or where he dared walk. He was so sad because he was so desperately ugly, and because he was the laughing stock of the whole barnyard. So it went on the first day, and after that things went from bad to worse. The poor duckling was chased and buffeted about by everyone. Even his own brothers and sisters abused him.

So he ran away; and he flew over the fence. The little birds in the bushes darted up in a fright. There he lay all night long, weary and disheartened. When morning came, the wild ducks flew up to have a look at their new companion.

Marriage certainly had never entered his mind. All he wanted was for them to let him lie among the reeds and drink a little water from the marsh. There he stayed for two whole days. Then he met two wild geese, or rather wild ganders-for they were males. They had not been out of the shell very long, and that's what made them so sure of themselves.

Come with us and be a bird of passage. In another marsh near-by, there are some fetching wild geese, all nice young ladies who know how to quack. You are so ugly that you'll completely turn their heads. Shots rang in the air, and these two ganders fell dead among the reeds. The water was red with their blood. A great hunt was in progress.

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The hunters lay under cover all around the marsh, and some even perched on branches of trees that overhung the reeds. Blue smoke rose like clouds from the shade of the trees, and drifted far out over the water. The bird dogs came splash, splash! This gave the poor duckling such a fright that he twisted his head about to hide it under his wing. But at that very moment a fearfully big dog appeared right beside him. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and his wicked eyes glared horribly. He opened his wide jaws, flashed his sharp teeth, and - splash, splash - on he went without touching the duckling.

He lay perfectly still, while the bullets splattered through the reeds as shot after shot was fired. It was late in the day before things became quiet again, and even then the poor duckling didn't dare move. He waited several hours before he ventured to look about him, and then he scurried away from that marsh as fast as he could go.

He ran across field and meadows. The wind was so strong that he had to struggle to keep his feet. Late in the evening he came to a miserable little hovel, so ramshackle that it did not know which way to tumble, and that was the only reason it still stood. The wind struck the duckling so hard that the poor little fellow had to sit down on his tail to withstand it.

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The storm blew stronger and stronger, but the duckling noticed that one hinge had come loose and the door hung so crooked that he could squeeze through the crack into the room, and that's just what he did. Here lived an old woman with her cat and her hen. The cat, whom she called "Sonny," could arch his back, purr, and even make sparks, though for that you had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The hen had short little legs, so she was called "Chickey Shortleg. In the morning they were quick to notice the strange duckling. The cat began to purr, and the hen began to cluck. We must try it out.

In this house the cat was master and the hen was mistress. They always said, "We and the world," for they thought themselves half of the world, and much the better half at that.

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The duckling thought that there might be more than one way of thinking, but the hen would not hear of it. The duckling sat in a corner, feeling most despondent. Then he remembered the fresh air and the sunlight. Such a desire to go swimming on the water possessed him that he could not help telling the hen about it. Lay us an egg, or learn to purr, and you'll get over it. Ask the cat, who's the wisest fellow I know, whether he likes to swim or dive down in the water. Of myself I say nothing. But ask the old woman, our mistress. There's no one on earth wiser than she is. Do you imagine she wants to go swimming and feel the water rise over her head?

Surely you don't think you are cleverer than the cat and the old woman-to say nothing of myself. Don't be so conceited, child. Just thank your Maker for all the kindness we have shown you. Didn't you get into this snug room, and fall in with people who can tell you what's what? But you are such a numbskull that it's no pleasure to have you around.

Believe me, I tell you this for your own good. I say unpleasant truths, but that's the only way you can know who are your friends.

The ugly duckling

Be sure now that you lay some eggs. See to it that you learn to purr or to make sparks. So off went the duckling. He swam on the water, and dived down in it, but still he was slighted by every living creature because of his ugliness. The leaves in the forest turned yellow and brown. The wind took them and whirled them about. The heavens looked cold as the low clouds hung heavy with snow and hail.

Perched on the fence, the raven screamed, "Caw, caw! It made one shiver to think of it. Pity the poor little duckling! One evening, just as the sun was setting in splendor, a great flock of large, handsome birds appeared out of the reeds. The duckling had never seen birds so beautiful. They were dazzling white, with long graceful necks. They uttered a very strange cry as they unfurled their magnificent wings to fly from this cold land, away to warmer countries and to open waters. They went up so high, so very high, that the ugly little duckling felt a strange uneasiness come over him as he watched them.

He went around and round in the water, like a wheel. He craned his neck to follow their course, and gave a cry so shrill and strange that he frightened himself. He could not forget them-those splendid, happy birds. When he could no longer see them he dived to the very bottom. He did not know what birds they were or whither they were bound, yet he loved them more than anything he had ever loved before.

It was not that he envied them, for how could he ever dare dream of wanting their marvelous beauty for himself? He would have been grateful if only the ducks would have tolerated him-the poor ugly creature. The winter grew cold - so bitterly cold that the duckling had to swim to and fro in the water to keep it from freezing over. But every night the hole in which he swam kept getting smaller and smaller. Then it froze so hard that the duckling had to paddle continuously to keep the crackling ice from closing in upon him. At last, too tired to move, he was frozen fast in the ice.

Early that morning a farmer came by, and when he saw how things were he went out on the pond, broke away the ice with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife. They quickly flew up in the air, and their feathers fell down on the ground. The poor Ugly Duckling froze in fear. The dog sniffed and sniffed at the Ugly Duckling, then turned away. The sky turned dark. A bolt of lightning. Then came a big storm, with heavy rains pouring down from the sky. In just moments, the Ugly Duckling was soaked through and through.

Then a cold wind started to blow. Suddenly a big hungry dog came tearing by, chasing the two ducks. All at once, a tiny light blinked far off in the woods. He flew to the door. The door of the hut creaked open. Her eyes were not that good. Then she looked down.

The Ugly Duckling Story ~ Fairy Tale Story for Kids in English

A tomcat and hen crept up to the Ugly Duckling. The door was still a bit open, so our poor Ugly Duckling slipped out the door, and back into the storm. Soon he found a new lake. Looking into the water, the Ugly Duckling saw the reflection of a flock of large white birds flying. He looked overhead and could not believe what he saw. There, above him, were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen!

Their long white bodies and slender necks seemed to just glide through the sky. He watched until the very last bird had winged its way out of view. He stayed at that lake all by himself, and time passed. The leaves of the trees turned deep red and gold, and then the leaves fell to the ground. Winter came, setting a blanket of white snow all over. The cold wind and the dark clouds made the Ugly Duckling feel even more sad.

He had to go into the cold, cold lake to fish, but it was getting harder to swim. The lake was turning to ice. One day, it was all he could do was to paddle the water to keep it from freezing around him, and trapping him in the lake. The ice got thicker and drew closer to him. In a moment, two giant hands swept him up. He held the Ugly Duckling close to his thick wool jacket and took the bird to his home. Never was a warm fireplace more welcome! For the rest of the winter, the farmer cared for the Ugly Duckling.

Tips of green covered the trees.

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Short, bright flowers popped up from the ground. He took the duckling back to the lake where he had found him, and set him with care on the water. He heard quiet splashing sounds behind him, and turned around. A flock of those same beautiful birds he had seen in the sky before landed behind him on the water. I will not make trouble for you. He turned to go away. When he opened his eyes, he saw a reflection in the water of one of those beautiful white birds.