AUTHOR'S NOTE: this is a little parody I wrote for my school when I was 13! Hope you enjoy.
Twist of a Tale
Dazzling sun beams glinted off thick-stunted bushes in the beautiful day. The warm springtime had finally faded, setting summer into the country to radiate its glorious splendour. Gushing streams meandered between the grand trees, which spread their majestic branches as if sheltering the precious undergrowth below. Delightful sounds filled the ears of anyone passing by; birds chattered and cheeped with delight, while down among the leaf litter the scuffles of various tiny creatures looking for a meal rang out through the clear air. Beyond the fields and meadows, filled with ripe yellow corn, lay a perfectly circular nest enclosed by dangling reeds. A nest in which sat a family of two week old ducklings, eyes still softened with awe at their wondrous new life. They had yet to learn the dangers the world also contained.
Today was special for the six young birds, important for their lives though they were unaware of this fact at the time. Since they had hatched from their smooth, porcelainlike eggs, their protective mother had restricted them to their home amid the reed beds and the nearby bubbling brook only. She believed it was more responsible to take as many precautions as possible to keep the hatchlings utterly safe from menaces lurking deep within the forest. On this particular dawn, however, she seemed to wake to the milky morning sky with a fresh mind. An unexpected passion in her loving voice, the duck told her family,
"Today will be significant, dear children. I have decided to allow you to venture into the woods for the first time. But be careful, for I cherish you above all else."
She spoke these words with such great tenderness and affection that the ducklings complied at once.
After agreeing to throw down breadcrumbs to the dank forest floor on a regular basis to prevent them losing their way, the six exuberant birds started padding eagerly into the woods. Oh, how joyous they were! Their chirps and tweets rose into the air as carefree as if they were petals on the wind, lifting and flowing around the trees to the ears of all animals close by. But one of the family was, although enthused like the rest, not quite as overflowing with happiness. For he was not the adorable silky-feathered bird that his brothers and sisters were. Ugly, that was perhaps the best word to describe him. His ruffled, unkempt plumage stuck out in all directions, matted as though never washed. And despite the fact that his eyes were warm and friendly, his disproportionate head was not at all beautiful. Often teased by his siblings ever since he had hatched, the ugly duckling felt a deep bitterness at his unattractive features. But he never complained. He was too kind. On this divine day, it was him who shattered its brilliance.
The family had trampled through the brambles and briars for roughly two miles, exploring the vast expanse of flora and fauna with dumbfounded faces, when they noticed something was wrong. Where was their fifth brother, the unsightly one? And the last breadcrumb flung to the floor had just… disappeared? But just then, with bracken cracking underneath his abnormally large webbed feet, the duckling came into view past a nearby tree. In his mouth, about to be swallowed, was the breadcrumb.
Rage filled the minds of every bird there. How dare he! It is true that the unfortunate creature probably did not manage to eat as much food as the others, due to them pushing and shoving him out the way when their mother fed them, but that was no excuse. The ugly duckling hung his head in shame, guilt emitting from every feather on his body. Forgetting the culprit for a minute, the family urgently darted back the way they came, panic thickening in the air. Desperately they searched for the route that would lead them home, but it was in vain.
They were lost.
"YOU!" One dismayed duckling cried with fierce anguish. " You repulsive hideous bird! How could you do such an unthinkable thing? Thanks to you, we are now truly lost in the midst of an unfamiliar forest. What will mother think when we do not find our way back? I hope you are pleased with yourself."
All the disfigured animal, eyes tight with pain and regret, could do was apologize repeatedly.
Figuring that they were low on options, the distressed family decided to trudge through the dense woodland, praying they would stumble upon the path taking them back to their mother. They knew it was futile, but what more could they do? Even the forest seemed to sense the change of mood in the ducklings traipsing swiftly across the uneven ground. Trees snapped out of their mode as a protector, instead towering over the family like a scene from a gothic horror book. Their looming stance seemed to promise impeding doom. Ominous dark clouds rolled into the sky, a black panther slinking overhead to ensure gloom on all trapped below. The once sweet smell of flowers permeating the air was overpowered by a musty stench, swirling like car fumes from the undergrowth, to cake the air in bleak discomfort. Things had rapidly changed.
It was roughly three hours later when the terrified birds stumbled across something they were least expecting. An imposing house grew out of the woods in front of them, both magnificent and threatening at once. But it wasn't just a normal human home. This looked like it had been entirely constructed with bread. Glancing at each other in confusion, the family did not know what they should do. Reaching a decision, they were about to turn around and head once more into the thick, dark forest, when the ugly duckling ruined things yet again. He did not simply follow the others, but blundered up to the edible dwelling and tore a great chunk of bread off into his beak. Shock immediately punched his brothers and sisters in the face, leaving them speechless for a moment. Then came the anger.
"You, AGAIN?!" roared a young drake.
"What is wrong with you! Does your nature compel you to wreak havoc on everyone's lives?" another hissed with contempt.
Then they all seemed to make a spontaneous agreement as one. "Leave us. Leave us now."
But before the ill-favoured creature could utter a word, voices sounded from within the house itself.
"You see, my witch friends, I built this house completely out of bread to entice birds to my home. In fact…" A tall, grotesque woman with warts and a crooked nose appeared at one of the broad glass windows at the residence, and spotted the ugly duck. Fear coursed through his veins, locking him to the ground. "There is a group of the creatures outside right now! Fried duck, anyone?"
Cackling laughter penetrated the ducklings' ears. A shiver ran through the spine of every bird there, freezing their blood cold, tensing their tired muscles. Less than five seconds later, the woman who had spoken emerged from the house, eyes gleaming with malevolence. She pointed an old withered finger at the ugly bird.
"How pleasing! You're bang on time for dinner."
More twisted-looking witches appeared from behind her. Then everything happened at once. The first witch produced a long, smooth stick from within her black clothes. Looking up to the grim, depressing sky, she pronounced clearly:
Heaven and hell,
To you I must tell,
This bird has done wrong,
He doesn't belong,
He isn't the norm,
So I will make him transform -
His feathers will vanish,
His soul will be banished.
For those it may concern,
He will never return,
SPIRITS! I call upon you all,
To turn this duck into something small!
With that, she faced the ugly duckling and waved the stick in the air. Silence. Stillness. Then, before his family's very eyes, the bird…
Disappeared.
In his place, staring up at everyone with huge panic-stricken black eyes, was a little, moist, green frog. All his siblings gasped. What had happened!? Wasn't magic supposed to be true only in stories? The witch laughed with scorn, wickedness sparking in her eyes. And suddenly, forgetting all their foolish brother had done that day, the distraught ducklings filled with a hatred so strong for the old woman that it ached their poor little hearts.
The olive coloured frog did not know what he should do. Fatigue dragged at his mind, which he reluctantly pushed away. His head dripped with guilt and shame, forcing his mind into deep depression. What could he do!?
Meanwhile, the group of malicious witches lunged for the remaining ducks. They didn't have time to react, and all were caught in the women's grip, unable to escape. The evil hags carried their 'prizes' into the house, lit with dim orange candles positioned along the windowsills, and shoved each one into separate cramped cages. They locked the cage doors.
"What a feast we will have tonight!" one foul-minded woman exclaimed.
Outside in the darkening evening, the small frog was certainly not in a good state of mind. He passionately detested the women, and within one short moment had made a decision that would change the whole family's lives. Bounding through a crack in the wall of the bread-house, the green creature surveyed the witches with horrified eyes. He then leaped onto a wooden table and hopped to where they were standing, turning the oven on in preparation for their horrible dinner. The women gazed at him in surprise. But what they really did not expect was what the cursed frog said next.
"I propose that you witches slaughter me. I am willing to sacrifice myself, if you set my brothers and sisters free."
He said this with such nobility, such great dignity, that the old hags gawked in shock. Their minds couldn't handle the honour flowing from the frog; they had lived alongside malignance all their lives. Then things started getting weird.
The creature's words seemed to work some kind of magic on the women sat around the table. Mouths wide with torment, the witches' faces contorted with excruciating pain. The goodness surging from the frog wrapped around the brains of the hags, crushing life from the pure evil. And they started to… melt? It looked like the wicked women were dissolving into the ground, shrieking in agony. Abruptly, every one of them perished and faded into the floor.
With the witches gone, the spell that bound the frog was released. Once again, the animal vanished. However, the creature that now appeared was not the ugly duckling with dishevelled, rumpled feathers and an oddly shaped head. Instead, what stood on the table with his eyes wide from sheer bewilderment, was the most beautiful duck the land had ever seen. Its exquisite snowy down was flawlessly smooth and glossy, reflecting every slant of light like a crystal clear river with glassy waters. His face was faultless, strikingly perfect: indescribable. Gaping at him, completely awe-struck, his siblings were stunned.
He knew his brothers and sisters must be released soon, for everyone was terribly hungry. The now beautiful duckling hurried purposefully over to the five cages, and with a new intelligence, unlocked each one. Their relief and gratitude was thick in the air. Rushing delightfully out of the appalling house, the reunited family skipped with ecstasy into the woods. Rodents started rummaging among the leaves once more. Birds twittered high above in the trees. A tiny robin, with his crimson coloured breast stuck proudly into the air, flew down to the attractive duck to observe from a nearby branch.
"Are you lost, young birds?" he called, smiling politely.
The beautiful duckling replied, "Yes. We cannot find our way back to our mother, who lives in the reeds by the bubbling stream. Do you know her?"
And the little robin did. He took wing, telling the ducks to follow, and led them through the trees.
A while later, the family rounded a great oak, when the echo of babbling waters rang out like chiming bells in the air. Reeds filled their sight, and, excitedly thanking the robin, the birds rushed with much enthusiasm to a familiar tangle of plants. Their mother lay in the nest, and when she spotted her children, her eyes lit up with unconcealed joy.
"You're safe! Where on earth have you been? I was so worried about you!" Nodding her beak at the good-looking bird, she added, "How did you become so beautiful?"
As the content ducklings recounted their unusual tale, nestled happily in their mother's velvety feathers, the clammy atmosphere covering the country eased. It seemed as though the world's heavy, daunting, impenetrable blanket had stripped away some of its layers, leaving it light and gentle with serenity. The intimidating dull clouds dispersed, revealing an orange ball of fire setting beyond the rolling hills. It was as if magic had summoned the beauty of the summer back from resting. Perhaps it had.