Once upon a time… near a distant village, there was a sparkling lake filled with water lilies. One morning, the eggs of a family of ducks living in this lake began to hatch.
“Chirp chirp!”
One, two, three… The babies were yellow, tiny, and very cute.
But the chick that hatched from the last egg was completely different from the others.
Its feathers were gray, its neck was a little long, and its voice was deep.
The other cubs began whispering:
“How strange it looks…”
“Not like us!”
These words deeply hurt the little cub’s heart. Although his mother loved him very much, the cub felt lonely. He didn’t want to play with anyone and sat quietly by the lake.
One day, the old turtle of the lake approached the baby turtle and asked:
“Why are you so sad, little friend?”
The kitten sighed:
“Because I’m ugly. Nobody plays with me.”
The turtle smiled:
“Appearance isn’t everything. Would you like to learn the secret of the lake?”
The curious cub shook its head.
The turtle led it to a quiet corner of the lake. There, it asked it to look at the water. Days passed, seasons changed. The baby turtle grew, its fur turned white, and it became elegant.
One morning, when she looked at herself in the lake, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
She was now a swan !
The other animals looked on in admiration:
“How beautiful!”
“How elegant!”
But the swan smiled and said,
“Being kind-hearted is just as important as being beautiful.”
From that day on, no one excluded anyone else at the lake. Because everyone had learned that every living thing has a beauty that shines when its time comes .
The Fairy Tale’s Lesson
- Everyone is different, and that’s very valuable.
- Patience and self-belief are very important.
- It’s not outward appearance that matters, but the beauty of the heart.
