The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen. Short summary

5 seconds

A chick hatched in a domestic duck’s nest, unlike the others. The whole yard of birds ridiculed and abused it. But after a year of various hardships, the ugly duckling fledged and turned into a beautiful swan.

1 minute

In a young duck’s nest, a chick hatched that looked nothing like her other babies. The other birds said it was a turkey. But the chick was a great swimmer, better than its duck brothers. He was so unlike his kin, however, that the whole bird yard thought he was a freak. And even the farmer drove him away from the feeder.

His mother defended him at first, but then she too turned away, betrayed him. The chick went to the swamp, where he befriended the young wild geese. But they were shot by a hunter, and the ugly duckling was left alone again.

He nestled in the hut, where lived a blinded old woman, a cat and a hen. The duckling did not lay eggs or catch mice, for which he was ridiculed by the animals.

In the winter, the duckling froze to the ice. The farmer rescued him and brought him to his wife. But the duckling, frightened, made a mess in the hut and escaped.

He survived the winter alone, starving and dying of cold. In the spring, he saw beautiful white birds descending on the pond. And the duckling decided to accept death by their beaks. But when he saw his reflection in the water, he realized: he had turned into a beautiful swan.