The story of a small duckling whom everyone thought to be ugly, before it grew up to be something else

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Once upon a time down on an old farm, lived a duck family, and Mother Duck had been sitting on a clutch of new eggs. One nice morning, the eggs hatched and out popped six chirpy ducklings.

But one egg was bigger than the rest, and it didn't hatch. Mother Duck couldn't recall laying that seventh egg. How did it get there? TOCK! TOCK! The little prisoner was pecking inside his shell.

The last egg finally hatched. A strange looking duckling with gray feathers that should have been yellow gazed at a worried mother.

"Did I count the eggs wrongly?" Mother Duck wondered.

As the days went by, the poor ugly duckling became more and more unhappy. His brothers didn't want to play with him, he was so clumsy, and all the farmyard folks simply laughed at him.

Then one day, at sunrise, he ran away from the farmyard.

He stopped at a pond and began to question all the other birds. "Do you know of any ducklings with gray feathers like mine?" But everyone shook their heads "No".

The ugly duckling did not lose heart. He went to another pond, where a pair of large geese gave him the same answer to his question.

"Don't stay here! Go away! It's dangerous. There are men with guns around here!"

The duckling was sorry he had ever left the farmyard.

Then one day, his travels took him near an old countrywoman's cottage. Thinking he was a stray goose, she caught him."I'll put this in a hutch. I hope it's a female and lays plenty of eggs!" said the old woman, whose eyesight was poor.

"Oh, dear me!" moaned the now terrified duckling. "I'll die of fright first! And I did so hope someone would love me!"

Then one night, finding the hutch door ajar, he escaped. Once again he was all alone. He fled as far away as he could, and at dawn, he found himself in a thick bed of reeds.

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The story of a small duckling whom everyone thought to be ugly, before it grew up to be something else

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/adsxcuxrgvye

Once upon a time down on an old farm, lived a duck family, and Mother Duck had been sitting on a clutch of new eggs. One nice morning, the eggs hatched and out popped six chirpy ducklings.

But one egg was bigger than the rest, and it didn't hatch. Mother Duck couldn't recall laying that seventh egg. How did it get there? TOCK! TOCK! The little prisoner was pecking inside his shell.