THE UGLY DUCKLING
ACT ONE
There was once a mother duck. This mother duck had no children yet for none of her eggs had hatched. She waited patiently day and night for her babies to hatch. At last, the eggs began to crack.
One by one, yellow ducklings stepped out of their shells.
Yellow ducklings: “Quack, quack!”
Mama Duck: “Look at all of you! You are all so cute!”
Yellow ducklings: “Quack, quack!”
But one large egg was still in the nest. The next day, the big egg started to hatch. Out came a baby boy bird. This bird was much bigger than others. He was not yellow at all. He was dark-gray from his head to his feet. And he walked with a funny wobble.
One of the yellow ducklings: “What is THAT? He can’t be one of us!”
Another yellow duckling: “I have never seen such an ugly duckling!”.
Mama Duck: “How can you say such a thing? You are only one day old! Be nice! Let’s go to the lake altogether now.”
The other ducklings: “Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!”
When they left the water and started to play, the Ugly Duckling tried to play with his brothers and sisters, too.
The other ducklings: “Go away! We will not play with you! You are ugly. And you walk weird, too!”
One of the yellow ducklings: “You know what? Please, go away from here!
The other ducklings: “Go away! Go away! Go away!”
The Ugly Duckling: “You are right. I should go.”
ACT TWO
During the way the Ugly Duckling meets two grown-up ducks.
The Ugly Duckling: “Can I please stay here for a while? I have nowhere to be”
One of the ducks: “What do we care? Just don’t get in our way.”
The Ugly Duckling: “Brrr! If only there was a place I could get dry.
But… There is a light blinking in the wood! This is a house!
Old woman: “What is all this noise! Ah, it’s a duck! You can stay here, but only if you lay eggs.”
A tomcat and a hen: “Who do you think you are, coming in here and taking up room by the fire!”
The hen: “I don’t need anyone else in this hut laying eggs!”
The Ugly Duckling: “Don’t worry about that, I am a boy duck.”
The tomcat: “Then why are you still here? Didn’t you hear what the old woman said?”
The hen: “ Get out of here, pretender!”
The tomcat: Get out! Get out!
ACT THREE
The door was still a bit open, so our poor Ugly Duckling slipped out the door, and back into the storm.
The Ugly Duckling: “No one ever wants me and I am so tired”.
Winter came, setting a blanket of white snow all over.
The cold wind and the dark clouds made the Ugly Duckling feel even more sad. But suddenly two giant hands swept him up.
A farmer: “You can come to my house and stay with me for the rest of the winter. Then, when spring will come, you’ll go to the lake to swim again, as you were born to do.”
ACT FOUR
The winter ended. One day the farmer took the duckling back to the lake where he had found him, and set him with care on the water.
The Ugly Duckling: “Gosh, I feel strong, I never felt as strong as I do right now!”
He heard quiet splashing sounds behind him, and turned around. There were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen!
The Ugly Duckling: “Don’t worry! I will go now. I will not make trouble for you.”
When he opened his eyes, he saw a reflection in the water of one of those beautiful white birds. He knew what had happened! He was now a beautiful white swan!
One of the beautiful birds: “Why are you going so soon? Stay here, with us! We’ll be great friends.”
Another beautiful bird: “Come with us! Take the lead!”
All his new friends flapped their wings behind him.
The Ugly Duckling: “Say! Who’s an ugly duckling now? Surely, not I!
MAESTRA PAMELA 