The Ugly Duckling

This story is called The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. The country was lovely just then; it was summer! The wheat was golden and the oats were still green. Around the field and meadow lay great woods and a deep lake. Under the dock, in a cozy little spot among the reeds, a duck was sitting on her nest. Her ducklings were just about to hatch, but she was getting tired of sitting, for it had lasted such a long time. And she had very few visitors, as the other ducks liked swimming around in the lake better than waddling up to sit under the dock and talk with her. At last, one egg after another began to crack. “Cheep, cheep!” they said. All the chicks had come to life, and were poking their wet little heads out of their shells. “Quack! quack!” the mama duck responded. “Wow, what a big world!” said the ducklings. They now had much more room to move about than when they were inside their egg-shells. “And this is just a small part of the world!” said the mama duck. “It stretches a long way on the other side of the garden, but I have never been as far as that!” She took a good look at the nest. “Has everyone hatched?” No, the biggest egg was still there. “How long will this take?” thought the duck, settling herself on the nest again. “Well, how are you getting on?” said an old duck who had come by to pay her a visit. “This one last egg is taking a long time,” answered the mama duck, “the shell won’t crack. But look at the others! Aren’t they the most beautiful ducklings you’ve ever seen!” “Let me look at the egg that won’t crack,” said the old duck. “It may be a turkey’s egg! Let me see it! Yes, it is a turkey’s egg! You just leave it alone and teach the other children to swim.” “I will sit on it a little longer; I’ve sat so long already.” “Suit yourself,” said the old duck, and she went away. At last, the big egg cracked. “Cheep, cheep!” said the young one and tumbled out. How big and strange looking he was! Mama duck looked at him. “That is a monstrous big duckling,” she said; “none of the others looked like him at all. Is he a turkey chick after all? Well, we’ll soon find out when I teach the children to swim.” The next day was glorious. The mother duck and her whole family went down to the lake. She jumped into the water. Splash! “Quack, quack!” she called, and one after the other, each duckling plumped in after her. The water dashed over their heads, but they came up again and floated beautifully; even the big ugly gray one swam around easily. “That’s no turkey,” thought the mama duck. “He swims just fine. And he isn’t so bad when you look at him properly.” “Quack, quack!” called the mama duck. “Now come with me and I will take you to the duck yard where we eat. Keep close to me at all times so you don’t get trampled, and beware of the cat!” When they arrived at the duck yard, they followed their mama’s orders. But the other ducks looked at them and said in loud voices, “Look over there! How ugly that duckling is!” One of the ducks even flew at him and bit him in the neck. “Leave him alone,” said the mama. “He isn’t doing any harm. He may look a bit strange, but he is a good creature, and he swims as beautifully as any of the others. It’s just that he stayed in his egg too long.” She patted his neck. “I believe he will be very strong and make his way in the world.” So the first day passed, and afterwards things grew worse and worse. The poor duckling was chased, hustled, pecked, and harrassed by all of them, including his brothers and sisters, and sometimes even his mother. One day, when he could take no more, he decided to fly right over the hedge and away from the duck yard.. After flying for a while, he came to a great marsh where the wild ducks lived. He was so tired and miserable that he stayed there the whole night. In the morning, the wild ducks flew up to inspect their visitor. “What sort of duck are you?” they inquired, as the duckling turned from side to side and greeted them as well as he could. “You don’t look quite right,” said the wild ducks; “but that doesn’t matter much to us.” And they left him alone. The duckling hid away in the marsh for two days. Finally, on the third day, he thought, “I can’t hide here forever. It’s time for me to be brave and go out into the wide world.” So away he went. He floated on water and flew through the sky, and everywhere he went, the other creatures avoided and mocked him. Soon the leaves in the woods turned yellow and brown, danced in the wind, and fell to the ground. As winter arrived, the clouds hung heavy with snow and hail. The poor duckling shivered miserably. One evening, the sun was just setting in wintry splendor when a flock of big, graceful birds appeared out of the bushes.The duckling had never seen anything so beautiful. They were a dazzlingly white color with long waving necks. These birds were swans! Giving a peculiar cry, they spread their magnificent wings and flew away, headed to warmer lands and open seas. The ugly duckling felt strangely uneasy. He circled round and round in the water like a wheel, craning his neck up into the air to look at them. Then he uttered a shriek so piercing and strange that he was quite frightened of it himself. He was mesmerized, but he didn’t envy the birds in the least. It would never have occurred to him to wish to be such a marvel of beauty. He would have been thankful for the other ducks to simply tolerate him! Time passed and the sun began to shine warmly again. It was spring! The ugly duckling was in the marsh, floating among the rushes. He raised his wings to welcome the sun, and he was surprised to find that they flapped with much greater strength than they had before. Before he knew it, he found himself in a large garden where the apple trees were in bloom, and the air was scented with lilacs. Just in front of him, he saw three stunning swans coming toward him from a thicket. With rustling feathers, they swam lightly over the water. The duckling recognized the majestic birds, and he was overcome by a strange sadness. “If I fly to them, they will peck me to pieces because I am so ugly. But I must approach them!” So he flew into the water and swam toward the stately swans. They saw him and darted towards him with ruffled feathers. He bowed his head toward the lake and waited to be harassed by the swans. When he open his eyes, he was shocked by what he saw reflected in the water! It was his own image. But he was no longer a clumsy bird, awkward and ungainly. He was himself an elegant swan! The other swans swam around him and greeted him happily, inviting him into their flock. He felt quite shy, and at first, he hid his head under his wing. He didn’t know what to think. He was happy, but the change had come fast. He thought of the many times he had been harrassed and scorned and vowed never to use his new position of prestige to treat others unkindly. In the warm sun, he rustled his feathers, raised his head high, and joined the swans. This was The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson. This has been a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.