It was summer! The sun was shining so bright, like a big, yellow smile in the sky. Ella loved summer! Everything seemed happy and colorful. It was like the whole world was celebrating! Ella used to live in Houston, a big city, with lots of tall buildings and busy streets. But then, her family decided to move to a farm near the city. They wanted to be closer to nature and enjoy the fresh air. Ella loved the farm! There was so much space to run and play, and she could even use her superpower: glowing like a star! Ella was a dreamer, and she loved to imagine she was a star shining in the night sky.
The farm was so peaceful! There was a lovely stream that flowed through the fields, and a beautiful lake where Ella could swim. She loved to splash in the water and dive for shiny pebbles at the bottom. There were lots of animals on the farm, but Ella was most fascinated by the storks. They were so tall and graceful, with their long legs. Ella would try to walk like a stork, lifting her knees high and flapping her arms. She was such a dreamer!
One day, Ella was playing with the ducklings in the lake. She saw a mama duck sitting on a nest of eggs. It was so exciting! Ella watched as the eggs started to crack, and tiny, fuzzy ducklings popped out. But one egg, the biggest one of all, didn't crack. The mama duck seemed worried, but she stayed on the nest.
A few days later, Ella returned to the lake. The mama duck was gone, but the big egg was cracked! There was a baby duckling, but he was different. He was bigger than the other ducklings, with different colored feathers and a different beak. He looked sad.
Ella, who loved to make friends with animals, went up to the little duckling. "Why are you sad? You have the whole farm to explore, and the garden is full of yummy bugs!" she said. The duckling looked at her with big, sad eyes. "Everyone laughs at me because I'm different," he said. "I don't look like my brothers and sisters, and I don't feel good about it."
Ella felt sorry for the little duckling. "No, you're not strange," she said. "We would love to play with you! Come back tomorrow, and I'll show you my secret hiding place!" Ella told him about Outer space, a magical place where they could play and be together.
The next day, Ella went back to the lake, but the little duckling was gone. He had felt so sad about being different that he decided to leave and try to find other friends. But everywhere he went, the other ducks made fun of him. It was a long, hard journey for the little duckling. The seasons changed, and he had to keep moving because he never felt welcome. Only nature seemed to embrace him.
Ella went to the lake every day to play, but she never saw her little duckling friend. She missed him. She loved to look at the stars and imagine she was a star herself.
Spring came, and the little duckling loved spring as much as Ella loved summer! After a long, difficult journey, he found himself near the lake where he was born. He was so scared that his siblings would laugh at him, but he couldn't resist going back. When he reached the water's edge, he looked down and saw his reflection, 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, Ella went to play in the water. She saw a beautiful swan swimming near the shore. She recognized him instantly! It was her duckling friend! What a special reunion! Ella was amazed at her friend, now a swan. She was a dreamer, and she loved magical things! They played happily together all afternoon.
Ella and the swan understood that being strange wasn't wrong. It was just being who they were. Being strange is being different, and everyone is different! And isn't being different just being who we are?
