The Duck Who Didn’t Like Dresses

Once upon a time, in a quiet countryside village, there lived a little girl named Daisy. Daisy had a pet duckling who had been by her side ever since it hatched. Every day, Daisy fed the duckling fresh vegetables, swam with it in the small pond in their yard, and even told it bedtime stories at night. No matter where Daisy went, the little duckling waddled closely behind her.

One day, Daisy excitedly said to her duckling, "Guess what? Tomorrow, I’m taking you to school! I want all my friends to see how beautiful you are! And I have a special surprise for you—I made you a brand-new outfit! You’re going to love it!"

Daisy pulled out a tiny, colorful outfit and gently dressed the duckling in it.

The duckling, however, felt uncomfortable. The outfit wrapped tightly around its body, making it hard to stretch its wings or walk freely. But when it saw how happy Daisy was, the duckling didn’t want to disappoint her, so it stayed quiet and tried to endure the discomfort.

The next day, Daisy proudly walked into school with her duckling in its fancy new outfit. Her classmates gathered around, gasping in amazement.

"Wow! What a cute little duck!" one of them exclaimed.

"That outfit is adorable!" another added.

Daisy beamed with pride, feeling very pleased.

But the little duckling wasn’t happy. The outfit made it clumsy and stiff, pressing its feathers down tightly. Even breathing felt a little difficult.

That night, when everyone was asleep, the duckling couldn’t take it anymore. It quietly wiggled out of the outfit and hid it beneath the soft dirt in the yard.

The next morning, when Daisy stepped outside, she was surprised to see her duckling running freely around the yard—without the outfit!

She looked everywhere for it, but no matter how hard she searched, the little outfit was nowhere to be found. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing her daughter so upset, Daisy’s mom knelt beside her and gently asked what had happened.

Daisy told her everything.

Her mom smiled softly and stroked her hair. "Daisy, I know you wanted your duckling to look nice, but have you thought about whether it really wanted to wear clothes? Ducks already have beautiful feathers. That’s what makes them special. Wearing clothes might make them uncomfortable."

Daisy’s eyes widened with understanding. She walked over to her duckling, gently hugged it, and whispered, "I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how you felt. I won’t make you wear clothes again."

The little duckling quacked twice as if to say, "It’s okay, I forgive you!"

From that day on, Daisy never dressed her duckling again. Instead, she let it waddle, swim, and play freely in the yard. The duckling was happier than ever, and together, they spent many joyful days side by side.