It was summer! The sun was out and the sky was blue. Charlotte loved summer! Everything seemed cheerful and colorful, as if the sun was always smiling! Charlotte's family had just moved from their house in San Jose to a nearby farm. They wanted to be closer to nature, and Charlotte was happy about the move. She loved playing outside, and now she had a whole farm to explore! Especially with her superpower, Control over elements, Charlotte felt free to run, jump, and play wherever she wanted!
There was a beautiful, peaceful stream on the farm, and a lake where Charlotte could swim. She loved watching the storks walk around with their long legs. They walked so gracefully! Charlotte tried to imitate the storks' walk, showing off her sporty personality.
One day, Charlotte was playing with the ducklings in the lake when she saw a duck sitting on a nest of eggs! It was a magical moment! Charlotte saw the eggs starting to crack, and little ducklings hatching! But one egg, the largest of all, didn't hatch. The duck seemed worried, but she kept sitting on it.
Days later, Charlotte went back to the lake. The duck was gone! The large egg had cracked, and among the ducklings, there was a baby, bigger, with different colored feathers, a different beak, and a different manner. He seemed sad.
Charlotte, who loved animals, went to talk to the strange duckling. “Why are you sad? You have a whole farm and a beautiful garden to explore!” she asked. The duckling replied, “I'm sad because I'm different from my siblings. All the other ducks in the lake laugh at me and make me feel bad.”
“Don't worry,” said Charlotte. “I like you! We can play together. I have a secret hideout, under my bed, where we can be safe and play!”
The next day, Charlotte went back to the lake, but the duckling wasn’t there. He was so sad that he had decided to leave and try to find other friends. This didn't work out either. Everywhere he went, the other ducks mocked him. It was a difficult journey for the duckling. The seasons changed, and he always had to move because he never seemed to be welcomed. He only felt embraced by nature.
Charlotte played by the lake every day, but she never saw her duckling friend. She played with her other friends and talked about monsters, one of her favorite things!
Spring arrived, and the duckling loved spring just as Charlotte loved summer! After a long and difficult journey, the duckling found himself near the lake where he was born. He approached cautiously, not wanting his siblings to laugh at him. But when he reached the water's edge, he saw his reflection, like in a mirror! He was no longer an ugly duckling, but a beautiful swan! That's why everyone thought he was so strange!
That day, Charlotte went to play in the water and recognized her friend! What a special reunion! Charlotte was amazed at her friend, now a swan, considering her sporty personality! They finally played joyfully! Charlotte and the swan understood that being strange wasn't wrong, but just being who they are! Being strange is being different, and everyone is!
And isn't being different just being who we are?
