The sun is beautiful in the sky. There are fifteen clouds surrounding the sun trying to cover it. A group of ducks walks on the shore of the lake. There are children swimming in the lake. Two girls are playing soccer, a family is eating food, and the ducks are quacking. Families are talking, dancing and listening to music. Everyone is happy.

I’m starving! –says a little duck. The little white duckling sees a trail of seeds and follows them.

Oh! What is this? –says the duckling.

Puddles! –says the duckling. The duckling jumps from one puddle to another, splashing the water everywhere. The duckling’s feet are now cold and his wings are wet, but he keeps hopping.

At the end of the path, the little duck stops and looks at a piece of bread floating in the lake. He goes into the lake to look for bread. He swims as fast as he can, but quickly gets tired.

The duckling cries –help! help! –while slowly sinking. The mother duck looks back and notices that one of her ducklings is missing.

Duckling, duckling! –his mother yells, trying to find her duckling.

Meanwhile, a little boy playing by the lake hears a loud squawking sound and sees a duckling drowning.

The boy runs to the water and saves the duckling, and decides to take care of him.

Oh no! I better keep the duckling –says the boy.

The boy takes the duckling home because they are both wet and shivering.

Then the boy enters his house accompanied by the duckling.

The boy tells his mother: –We are very cold, please help us!.

Of course, my love! –says the boy’s mother. The mother makes hot chocolate for the boy. She sits him and the duckling in front of the fireplace and they both fall asleep.

Meanwhile the mother duck wonders where her duckling is. While her other ducklings sleep, the mother duck searches for her lost duckling, but she can’t find him.

The next day, the boy and the duckling wake up and the duckling is sad. He looks at the time and it’s 11:15 in the morning.

Oh, no, I miss my mother duck, –says the little duck crying.

The boy shows a map of the lake to the duckling. The duckling raises its wing and points to the corner of the map:

–There’s my house! –says the duckling.

So the boy helps the duckling to get to his house.

The duck family is patiently waiting for the little duck.

The duckling comes running down a hill: –Mom, mom, here I am!

The mother duck hugs her duckling and says: –I’m so glad you’re safe.

Therefore they lived together happily ever after.

Moral: Difficulties teach us to appreciate our loved ones.

Media Attribution

• Illustrations by Cheyenne Pokeda