"The Ugly Ducling" Cerita Dongeng Bahasa Inggris Sebelum Tidur untuk Anak, Kisah Itik Buruk Rupa

The Ugly Duckling flew to the door.  “Quack?” said he.  The door of the hut creaked open.

“What is all this noise?” said an old woman, looking right and left.  Her eyes were not that good, but she could hear. She looked down.

“A duck!”  She picked up the Ugly Duckling and dropped him inside her hut.

“You might as well stay here," she said.  "But mind you, I expect you to lay eggs.”

A tomcat and hen both crept up to the Ugly Duckling.  “Who do you think you are?" the tomcat hissed.  "Coming here and taking up room by the fire!”   

"Who do you think you are?" the tomcat hissed.

“Squawk!” said the hen.  “I'm the only one around here who lays eggs. You don't know the first thing about laying eggs.”

“You got that right,” said the Ugly Duckling.  “I'm a boy duck.”

“Then why are you here?” sneered the tomcat.  “Didn't you hear what the old woman said?”

“Imposter!  Get out of here!” yipped the hen.  

“Go away!" jeered the tomcat.

The door was still a bit open, so the poor Ugly Duckling crept out the door and back into the storm.

“No one ever wants me,” said the Ugly Duckling with a tear in its eye.  

The storm ended.  Finally he found another lake.  Looking in the water, the Ugly Duckling saw a reflection from above - a flock of large birds were flying overhead, above him.  

He turned to admire them. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen.  

Their long bodies and slender necks winged through the sky with ease and grace.

He watched until the very last one had disappeared from view.  

The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling stayed at the lake as the days grew shorter.  

The leaves turned deep red and gold, and fell to the ground.  

Winter came, setting its blanket of white snow. The cold wind blew and the clouds darkened.  

He had to dive into small holes in the ice to find fish to eat.

Under the ice, it was all he could do to keep paddling so the water wouldn't freeze around him, trapping him underneath the lake.

He became terribly tired. The ice got thicker still and the wind blew harder.

In a moment, two giant hands swept him up.  

“You poor thing!” said a farmer. He held the Ugly Duckling close to his thick warm wool jacket.  

"You didn't fly south with the others?" The farmer was carrying him someplace - where?  

The next months were lovely.  Warmth from the heat of the fire and from the heart of the farmer enveloped our poor hero.

For the rest of the winter, the farmer cared for the Ugly Duckling.  

At last, spring came. Little dots of green spotted the tree branches. Short, bright flowers popped up from the ground.  

“It's time for you to go back to the lake to swim again, as you were born to do,” said the farmer.  

He took the duckling back to the lake where he had found him and set him on the water.

“I feel good!” said the young bird, flapping his wings.  “Why, I don't think I ever felt as strong as I do right now!”

Spring passed, then summer.  The leaves started to change colors when one day, the Ugly Duckling heard quiet splashing sounds behind him.

He turned around.  A flock of those same beautiful birds he had once seen winging through the sky now sat on the lake.

“Don't worry!” he said to the beautiful birds, holding out one of his wings.  “I am leaving. I won't make trouble for you.”

When he happened to glance down at the lake, he saw a reflection in the water that looked like one of those beautiful birds.  

Why was the bird so close to him? He jumped back. The reflection jumped back, too.

“What's this?” he thought, puzzled.  Our troubled hero stretched his neck and strangely, the reflection of the beautiful bird in the lake stretched its neck, too.

“Why are you leaving so soon?" called out one of the beautiful birds. 

"Come back!” said another.  

“Stay with us!” said yet another swan.  “We’ll be friends.”

The Ugly Duckling

Then, the bird who used to be the Ugly Duckling realized what had happened.  

He was no longer an ugly gray bird that wobbled when it walked.  

He had grown into a beautiful swan!  Then a dark thought crossed his mind.

He had grown into a beautiful swan!

"You only want me because I'm a swan and I look like you," said he.

"That's not it at all!" said the first swan who had spoken.

"We saw you all alone down here and thought you might want to join us.  We don't care how birds look.  Why, take a look at Pelican over there." 

"No one would take me for a swan," squawked Pelican.  

"How did you end up with them?" asked our hero, who used to be an Ugly Duckling.

"Stayed up too late the night before," shrugged Pelican.  

"Slept till noon. My flock took off without me.  Was sure glad the swans came along when they did. Thanks, guys!" 

Said the second swan who had spoken, "And there's Egret." 

"We don't care how birds look."

"What can I tell you?" said Egret.  "I love to ride those wind currents!  Then found out my entire flock was gone.  

By then there was no way I could catch up.  If the swans didn't come along and invite me to join them, who knows where I'd be now?" 

The hero who used to be an Ugly Duckling considered these stories, yet was still skeptical.  

"Winter may get a little cold on the lake," he said, "but no one bothers me here.  And spring comes eventually." 

"Eventually?" said the first swan.  

"Why suffer if you don't have to? Where we fly to, the sun shines hot all day long. Imagine it - thick, delicious pondweed for as far as you can see.  Algae, waterside grasses, the works!" 

"I see your point," admitted our hero.

"Besides," said the third swan, "I bet you'd love to fly farther than just circling around this lake.  We sure do." 

"Eventually?" said the first swan.  "Why suffer if you don't have to?"

Another good point.  Our hero often imagined how lovely it would be to stretch out and just fly, fly, and fly some more.

The bird who used to be an Ugly Duckling considered, "These birds may be beautiful to look at, but they are also beautiful inside.  This is the flock for me." 

And so the entire flock, including their newest friend, flapped their wings together.  And in one moment the flock took off into the clear blue sky. (*)