It was summer! The sun shone brightly, painting the world with cheerful colors. Olivia loved summer! It was her favorite time of year. Everything felt happy and joyful, as if the sun was always smiling.
Olivia's family had recently moved from their house in Los Angeles to a farm nearby. They wanted to be closer to nature, and Olivia was so excited! Now she could play freely in the fields and the woods, and she could use her special power, Talking to animals! She could talk to all the animals on the farm, and they loved listening to her stories.
There was a peaceful stream that flowed through the farm, and a lake where Olivia loved to swim! She could splash in the water all day long. There were so many animals on the farm, but Olivia was always fascinated by the storks. They had long legs that moved so gracefully! She loved watching them walk, and she tried to imitate them, even though she couldn't quite get it right. Olivia was very curious and loved to try new things!
One day, Olivia was playing with the ducklings in the lake when she saw a duck sitting on some eggs! It was such a magical moment! Olivia watched as the eggs started to crack, and tiny ducklings hatched out. But one egg, the biggest of all, didn't hatch. The duck looked worried, but she kept sitting on it.
Days later, Olivia went back to the lake, but the duck was gone! The big egg had cracked, and there was a new baby duckling among the others. But this duckling was different! It was bigger than the others, and it had feathers of a different color, a different beak, and a different way of walking. It seemed sad.
Olivia loved to make friends with animals, so she went to talk to the strange duckling. "Why are you sad?" she asked. "There's a whole farm and a beautiful garden to explore!" The duckling looked at her with big, sad eyes. "I'm different from my siblings," he said. "I don't feel good about it. The other ducks in the lake laugh at me, and it makes me feel bad."
Olivia smiled. "Don't worry," she said. "We'd love to have you as a friend! We can play together. Come back tomorrow, and I'll show you my special hiding place. It's called Forest, and it's a safe place to play."
The next day, Olivia went back to the lake, but the duckling wasn't there. Olivia felt sad. The duckling was so sad about being different that he had decided to leave and try to find other friends. But that didn't work either. Everywhere he went, the other ducks made fun of him.
It was a difficult journey for the duckling. The seasons changed, and he always had to move because he wasn't welcomed anywhere. He only felt loved by nature.
Olivia played by the lake every day, but she never saw her duckling friend. She loved to play with fairies and pretend she was one of them. She would dance in the forest and sing songs about fairies, and she would imagine that she could fly!
Spring arrived, and the duckling loved spring just as much as Olivia loved summer! He felt happy and free when the flowers bloomed and the birds sang. After a long and difficult journey, he found himself near the lake where he was born. He approached cautiously, afraid that his siblings would laugh at him. But when he reached the water's edge, he saw his reflection in the water, like in a mirror! He wasn't an ugly duckling anymore! He was a beautiful swan! That's why everyone thought he was so strange!
That day, Olivia went to play in the water, and she recognized her friend! She was amazed! Her friend was a swan now! She was so curious about how he had changed, and she couldn't wait to play with him.
They played joyfully in the water, and they both understood that being strange wasn't wrong. It was just being who they were. Being strange is being different, and everyone is!
And isn't being different just being who we are?
