WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:13.995 Welcome to Once Upon a Time Show. It's time for a bedtime story. Hello, little one. Snuggle down under your blanket, nice and warm. 2 00:00:14.295 --> 00:00:20.399 Tonight's story comes from Denmark. Hans Christian Andersen wrote it, a very long time ago. 3 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:29.264 It's the story of a little bird who looked different from everyone else. He was called the ugly duckling. Are you ready? Let's begin. 4 00:00:29.564 --> 00:00:35.447 Once upon a time, it was summer in the country. The corn was gold and the hay smelled sweet. 5 00:00:35.747 --> 00:00:46.309 Near an old farmhouse, by a deep river, grew some giant green leaves. Under the biggest leaf, a mother duck sat on her nest. She was keeping her eggs warm. 6 00:00:46.609 --> 00:00:56.935 One by one, the eggs went crack, crack. Out popped little yellow ducklings. Peep, peep! But one egg didn't crack. It was the biggest egg of all. 7 00:00:57.235 --> 00:01:05.289 An old duck came to visit. That's a turkey egg, she said. Leave it. But the mother duck said, I'll sit a little longer. 8 00:01:05.589 --> 00:01:16.325 At last, the big egg cracked. Out came a duckling, crying peep, peep. He was big and grey, and not like the others at all. Oh my, said his mother. 9 00:01:16.625 --> 00:01:25.794 The next day, the mother duck went down to the water. Splash! One by one, the ducklings jumped in. The big grey duckling swam too. 10 00:01:26.094 --> 00:01:37.662 He paddled his legs and held his head up high. He swam very well indeed. Look at that, said his mother. He's my own child. He's not so ugly, if you look at him properly. 11 00:01:37.962 --> 00:01:46.655 Then the mother duck took her children to the farmyard. Stay close to me, she said. Bow your heads nicely. And watch out for the cat! 12 00:01:46.955 --> 00:01:52.137 The farmyard was busy and noisy. Everyone stared at the big grey duckling. 13 00:01:52.437 --> 00:02:01.606 He's too big, they said. He's so strange. We don't want him here. They pushed him, and they teased him, and nobody would play with him. 14 00:02:01.906 --> 00:02:11.639 Leave him alone, said his mother. He's not doing any harm. He's kind, and he swims better than the others. Then she stroked his neck and smoothed his feathers. 15 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:23.407 But day after day, the teasing went on. The poor duckling didn't know where to go. He felt very sad. So one day, he flapped his little wings and flew over the fence. 16 00:02:29.707 --> 00:02:39.614 The duckling flew far away, to a wide, wet field full of tall reeds. Wild ducks lived there. What sort of duck are you? they asked. 17 00:02:39.914 --> 00:02:47.887 The duckling bowed his head and was as polite as he could be. All he wanted was a quiet place in the reeds, and a little water to drink. 18 00:02:48.187 --> 00:02:57.824 Two young wild geese came by. They were cheeky and chatty. Come with us, friend, they said. But then there were loud noises and barking dogs all around. 19 00:02:58.124 --> 00:03:04.727 The geese flew off in a hurry. The duckling hid in the reeds until all was quiet. Then he crept away. 20 00:03:10.027 --> 00:03:15.962 That evening, he came to a little cottage. An old woman lived there, with a cat and a hen. 21 00:03:16.262 --> 00:03:26.998 What a lovely fat duck, she said. Now I'll have duck eggs! So the duckling stayed. He waited three whole weeks. But of course, he laid no eggs at all. 22 00:03:27.298 --> 00:03:37.717 The cat was the master of the house, and the hen was the lady of the house. They thought they knew everything. Can you lay eggs? asked the hen. No, said the duckling. 23 00:03:38.017 --> 00:03:48.370 Can you purr? asked the cat. No, said the duckling. Then be quiet, they said, and sit in the corner. The duckling sat in the corner, feeling a little lonely. 24 00:03:48.670 --> 00:03:57.996 But I love to swim, he said. I love to feel the cool water, and to dive down to the bottom. Swimming? said the hen. What a silly idea! 25 00:03:58.296 --> 00:04:06.815 You don't understand me, said the duckling. I think I'll go out into the wide world again. Yes, do, said the hen. So off he went. 26 00:04:14.115 --> 00:04:24.677 The duckling found a pond where he could swim and dive. Soon autumn came. The leaves turned orange and gold, and the wind blew them round and round. 27 00:04:24.977 --> 00:04:37.006 One evening, as the sun went down, a flock of birds flew over the pond. They were swans, white as snow, with long, graceful necks. They were flying away to warmer lands. 28 00:04:37.306 --> 00:04:47.868 Then winter came, and it was very cold. One night, the pond froze, and the duckling got stuck in the ice. Early in the morning, a kind farmer saw him. 29 00:04:48.168 --> 00:04:56.705 The farmer broke the ice with his wooden shoe and carried the duckling home. Inside, it was warm, and slowly the duckling felt better. 30 00:04:57.005 --> 00:05:07.149 The farmer's children wanted to play. But the duckling was shy, and he flapped about. Splash, into the milk! Puff, into the flour! What a mess! 31 00:05:07.449 --> 00:05:12.056 Then he slipped out of the door and hid in the bushes, all through the long winter. 32 00:05:18.356 --> 00:05:28.646 At last, the sun grew warm again. The birds began to sing. It was spring! The duckling stretched his wings. They felt big and strong. 33 00:05:28.946 --> 00:05:39.392 He flapped them, and up he rose, high into the air. He flew and flew, until he came to a lovely garden. The apple trees were full of pink flowers. 34 00:05:39.692 --> 00:05:45.367 On the water below, three white swans glided by. I'll go and see them, he said. 35 00:05:45.667 --> 00:05:56.322 He swam towards them, very shyly. He bowed his head down low, close to the water. And what did he see there? He saw himself, in the water like a mirror. 36 00:05:56.622 --> 00:06:06.638 He wasn't a grey duckling anymore. He had long white feathers, and a long, graceful neck. He was a swan! He had been a swan all along. 37 00:06:06.938 --> 00:06:14.915 The other swans swam around him. They stroked his neck with their beaks, to say welcome. Some children came with bread and cake. 38 00:06:15.215 --> 00:06:24.774 Look, cried the youngest child. There's a new swan! He's the most lovely of them all! The new swan felt shy, and he hid his head under his wing. 39 00:06:25.074 --> 00:06:35.044 He was very happy, but not proud at all. He rustled his feathers and lifted his neck. I never dreamed of such joy, he said, when I was the ugly duckling. 40 00:06:42.344 --> 00:06:50.746 And now the garden is quiet. The sun has gone down, and the stars are coming out. The swans are floating on the still water. 41 00:06:51.046 --> 00:07:00.989 The young swan tucks his head under his soft white wing. He is with friends now. He is safe and warm. Shh, the water whispers, shh. 42 00:07:01.289 --> 00:07:10.585 Close your eyes now, little one. Just like the swan, you are lovely just as you are. Goodnight from Once Upon a Time Show. Sweet dreams.