It is told that on one of the autumn days, one of the ducks was waiting for her eggs to hatch with impatient eagerness. One day the first egg began to hatch, followed by the rest of the eggs until seven beautiful little ducks came out of the eggs, while the largest egg had not hatched yet.
The mother waited several more days and said to herself: Perhaps that egg was delayed because it had the most beautiful duck. After several days of patience, the large egg finally hatched. But unfortunately, a large ugly duck came out of it covered with dark gray feathers. The mother was sad but said that perhaps when she grows up, she will become like her siblings.
Everyone kept mocking the different duck, even her siblings, and they called her the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling felt sadness, so she decided to leave the house and live alone near a small lake. But when the cold came, the ugly duckling felt extreme sadness because she remained alone suffering from cold and hunger while her siblings enjoyed warmth in their mother’s embrace.
But when she was about to die from the cold, a kind old lady passed by her. When the lady saw her, she pitied her and decided to take her and put her in her barn among her birds so that she would not die from the cold.
But in the morning when the birds in the barn woke up and saw the duck, all the birds began to mock her, then they began to peck her with their sharp beaks. The duck began to cry severely and fled again toward the forest.
The duck decided to live alone in the forest. The wind was strong in the forest, and tree leaves were flying everywhere. At that time, the duck looked at the sky and saw a flock of beautiful storks migrating. The duck said: If only I were like those beautiful birds.
After winter passed, the duck rejoiced at the end of the cold that was about to kill her and began to flap her wings. But she was surprised that she was flying and soaring in the sky. The duck felt overwhelming happiness because she was able to fly, and she began to soar and turn in the air.
During her flight, the duck saw the lake where she grew up, so she decided to descend to reassure her sisters. When she approached them, she saw them whispering. She feared that they would drive her away, but the duck was surprised that all the birds and storks in the lake had gathered around her, and they told her that she was the most beautiful stork their eyes had ever seen.
The duck looked at the lake and spread her two white wings, to be surprised that she had been a stork from the beginning. She rejoiced and began to soar among the flocks of storks in happiness and pride.
Translated from the story: The ugly duckling