It was summer! The sun was bright and hot, and the flowers were blooming in every color. William loved summer. Everything seemed happy and colorful, like the sun was always smiling. He had curly blonde hair and brown eyes, and he was always smiling, too! William was a very happy boy!
William's family had moved from their house in Phoenix to a farm nearby. They wanted to be closer to nature, and William was so happy about the move! There was so much space to play. William loved running around outside. He could run so fast! He had a superpower, Speed like a cheetah! He would zoom around the farm, laughing.
There was a beautiful stream on the farm, and William loved to play in the water. It was so cool and refreshing. There was also a lake where he could swim! He had so much fun swimming in the lake with the other kids.
There were lots of animals on the farm. William loved to watch them. He loved watching the storks with their long legs. They walked so gracefully! William tried to walk like the storks. He thought it was funny to copy the way they moved, since he was fast and cheerful.
One day, William was playing with the ducklings in the lake. He noticed a duck sitting on a bunch of eggs. It was so exciting! William watched as the eggs began to crack open. The tiny ducklings were hatching! But one egg, the biggest one of all, didn't crack. The duck kept sitting on it, looking worried.
William came back to the lake a few days later. The duck wasn't there! The big egg was cracked open, and there was a new baby duckling. It was bigger than all the other ducklings, and it had different feathers. It had a different beak, and it didn't seem to act like the other ducklings. It looked so sad.
William loved making friends with animals. He walked up to the different duckling. "Why are you sad?" he asked. "There's so much to see on the farm! There's a beautiful garden with lots of flowers!"
The duckling shook his head. "I'm sad because I'm different from my brothers and sisters. They laugh at me and make me feel bad!"
"Oh, I wouldn't laugh at you!" said William. "I'd love to play with you. Come back tomorrow, and we'll play together."
William had a secret hideout that he loved, called Racetrack. He wanted to show it to the duckling. "It's a great place to play! Come back tomorrow and we'll have so much fun," he said.
William went back to the lake the next day, but the duckling wasn't there. William was so sad. He had wanted to play with the duckling! He had to go look for him.
The duckling was so sad that he decided to leave and try to find some other friends. He traveled far and wide, but everywhere he went, the other ducks laughed at him. It was a hard journey. The seasons changed, and he had to keep moving. He only felt happy when he was in nature.
William played by the lake every day. He loved watching the birds. He loved the sound of their chirping, and he loved the way they flew. He loved birds! But he never saw his duckling friend again.
Spring came, and the duckling loved it. He loved the sunshine and the flowers. He loved spring just as much as William loved summer!
After a long journey, the duckling found himself near the lake where he was born. He went to the water's edge, and he looked at his reflection. He saw himself in the water, like in a mirror. It wasn't an ugly duckling anymore. It was a beautiful swan! It was so beautiful that everyone thought it was strange!
One day, William went to the lake to play. He saw a swan swimming in the water. He looked closely. It was his friend, the duckling! William was so happy to see his friend. He couldn't believe how beautiful his friend was. He ran up to the water's edge. "It's you!" he shouted. "You're a swan!"
William and the swan played for a long time that day. They had so much fun together. William loved running fast, and the swan loved gliding through the water.
William and the swan learned something that day. They learned that being strange wasn't bad. It was just being who you are. Being strange is being different. Everyone is different!
And isn't being different just being who we are?
