He held the Ugly Duckling close to his thick wool jacket and took the bird to his home. In a moment, two giant hands swept him up. The ice got thicker and drew closer to him. “I am so tired!” he said, paddling with all his might. One day, it was all he could do was to paddle the water to keep it from freezing around him, and trapping him in the lake. He had to go into the cold, cold lake to fish, but it was getting harder to swim. The cold wind and the dark clouds made the Ugly Duckling feel even more sad. Winter came, setting a blanket of white snow all over. The leaves of the trees turned deep red and gold, and then the leaves fell to the ground. He stayed at that lake all by himself, and time passed. He watched until the very last bird had winged its way out of view. There, above him, were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen! Their long white bodies and slender necks seemed to just glide through the sky. He looked overhead and could not believe what he saw. Looking into the water, the Ugly Duckling saw the reflection of a flock of large white birds flying. “No one ever wants me,” said the Ugly Duckling with a tear in his eye. The door was still a bit open, so our poor Ugly Duckling slipped out the door, and back into the storm. “Get out of here, pretender!” clucked the hen. “Did you not hear what the old woman said?” “Then why are you still here?” said the tomcat. In just moments, the Ugly Duckling was soaked through and through. Then came a big storm, with heavy rains pouring down from the sky. “I am too ugly even for the big hungry dog to want,” said the Ugly Duckling with his head hung low. The dog sniffed and sniffed at the Ugly Duckling, then turned away. They quickly flew up in the air, and their feathers fell down on the ground. “Woof! Woof!” Suddenly a big hungry dog came tearing by, chasing the two ducks. “What do we care?” said one of the ducks.
“Can I please stay here for awhile?” said the Ugly Duckling. He flew till he landed on the other side of the lake. That night, the Ugly Duckling flew over the farmyard fence. “Why won’t they let me stay here?” said the Ugly Duckling to himself. One day, one of the yellow ducklings said to the Ugly Duckling, “You know what? You would do us a big favor if you just went away from here!” All of them started to quack, “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
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