00:00The Ugly Duckling
00:10In a quiet little farm, near a shimmering pond,
00:19A mother duck waited, so patient and fond.
00:22Her eggs lay nestled, so smooth and round,
00:26Till one by one, they cracked with a sound.
00:30Out came ducklings, yellow and bright,
00:34Fluffy and chirping, a heartwarming sight.
00:38But one egg remained, so big and so white.
00:42And when it hatched, oh, what a fright!
00:47A duckling so different, so large and so gray,
00:52Not yellow, not fluffy, not bright like a sunny day.
00:57His siblings all laughed.
00:58You're strange and so tall, while mother duck whispered,
01:03I love you, my all.
01:06The farmyard was noisy, filled with delight.
01:10But for the gray duckling, nothing felt right.
01:14The hens all clucked, the pig gave a snort.
01:17You're ugly!
01:18They jeered, the oddest sort.
01:22Even the ducklings, so carefree and bright,
01:26Teased and mocked him, day and night.
01:29The little duck sighed, his heart weighed down.
01:33Why don't I fit?
01:35Why do they frown?
01:36So off he wandered, away from the nest,
01:41Hoping to find where he'd fit in best.
01:45Through meadows and forests, he wandered so wide,
01:49Past rivers and reeds, with no friend by his side.
01:53He met a kind woman, with a cat and a hen.
01:57But they too, turned him away again.
02:02You cannot purr, you cannot lay eggs.
02:05Mocked the hen, while the cat stretched its legs.
02:09The ducklings sighed, his heart feeling sore.
02:12I can't belong here, not anymore.
02:18So off he went, through cold and rain,
02:22Through frost and snow, through sorrow and pain.
02:27Winter arrived with a bitter cold bite.
02:30The ducklings shivered, lost in the night,
02:33Alone by the lake, all frozen and bare.
02:37He longed for warmth, for someone to care.
02:40A farmer appeared, so gentle and kind.
02:46He carried the duckling.
02:48Come, warm up inside.
02:51For a while, he stayed safe and dry.
02:55But springtime arrived, and he longed for the sky.
03:00At last, the ice melted.
03:03The air became light.
03:05The sun kissed the lake.
03:07Oh, what a sight!
03:08The duckling glanced at the water so clear.
03:11And what he saw, filled him with cheer.
03:17No longer ugly.
03:18No longer small.
03:20A swan stood proud.
03:22The grandest of all.
03:24His feathers gleamed, so snowy and bright.
03:28His wings stretched wide, taking off in flight.
03:32I was never ugly.
03:36He whispered in glee.
03:38I was just waiting to become the true me.
03:41So remember, dear child, when feeling apart, beauty is found in the depth of your heart.
03:50No matter how different, no matter how small, your true self will shine, the brightest of all.
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