It was summer! The sun was shining bright, and everything felt so happy! It was like the sun was smiling at the world! Jackson loved summer. He loved the warm days and the long, sunny afternoons. Jackson's family had moved from their house in Denver to a farm near the city, so they could be closer to nature. Jackson loved the farm! There was a beautiful, peaceful stream running through it, and a big lake where Jackson could swim! There were lots of animals on the farm, but Jackson was always fascinated by the storks. They had such long legs and walked so gracefully! Jackson tried to imitate their walk, even though he couldn't fly. Jackson was so brave!
One day, Jackson was playing with some baby ducks in the lake. He saw a big duck sitting on some eggs! "Look!" Jackson shouted to the ducklings. "The eggs are starting to crack!" The ducklings were so excited! But one egg, the biggest one of all, didn't crack. The duck sat on it for days, but it didn't crack. Jackson thought it was strange, but he didn't mind.
Days later, Jackson went back to the lake. The duck was gone! The big egg was cracked open. Jackson looked inside. He saw some baby ducklings but one of them was different. It was bigger than the other ducklings, and its feathers were a different color! It had a different beak and it waddled in a different way. It looked sad. Jackson felt sorry for the duckling.
Jackson loved animals. He went over to the little duckling and asked, “Why are you sad? There's a whole farm and a beautiful garden to explore!”
The duckling looked at Jackson with big, sad eyes. “Everyone laughs at me because I'm different,” he said. “I don't like it.”
“Don't worry!” Jackson said. “I love you! I'll come back tomorrow to play with you. I have a secret hiding place called Dragon Island. You can come play with me!” Jackson was so excited to have a new friend!
The next day, Jackson went back to the lake. But the duckling was gone. Jackson was so sad! He learned later that the duckling was feeling so sad about being different that he decided to leave the farm and find other friends. But he didn’t have any luck. Everywhere he went, the other ducks laughed at him.
The duckling had a long and difficult journey. The seasons changed, and he always had to move because he was never welcomed. The only ones who seemed to like him were the trees, the flowers, and the rivers. He was happy with nature, but he wished he could have a friend.
Jackson played by the lake every day, hoping his friend would come back. Jackson loved playing pretend. He liked to pretend he was a dragon! He even breathed fire! It was his special power! He knew all about dragons. He had a whole book about them!
Spring came. It was a beautiful time of year! Jackson loved summer, but he loved spring too. The flowers were blooming, and the birds were singing. Jackson felt happy and loved.
The duckling was tired of traveling. He had been so sad for so long. He wanted to go home. He walked back to the lake where he was born. He was scared to see his siblings again, but he was tired of being alone. As he reached the water's edge, he saw his reflection. He was no longer a strange duckling. He was a beautiful swan! He was so beautiful, he was like a princess. He had grown into a swan. That’s why he looked so strange.
Jackson was playing in the lake that day, and he saw his friend! He was so amazed! His friend was a beautiful swan! He was so brave! They played all day, and they laughed and laughed.
That day, Jackson learned that being different wasn’t wrong. It was just being who you are. Being strange is being different, and everyone is strange.
And isn’t being different just being who we are?
