They waited and waited… and waited. But nothing happened. The ugly duckling never laid eggs; he did, however, grow larger and harder to take care of.
Though the farmer and his wife had grown fond of the ugly duckling, they had no more room him in their house.
And so, they shooed him out.
“Go find yourself a family that will love you!” shouted the farmer, sadly, as he shut the door.
The ugly duckling hung his dead and waddled far away from the farmer’s house. He waddled through now frozen marsh plants and large frozen river reeds. He waddled over frozen bundles of sticks and frozen piles of dung. All this waddling made him colder than ever.
Miraculously, the ugly duckling had survived the cold winter. With spring, all of the frozen ponds melted and the frost evaporated from the marsh plants and river reeds. The ugly duckling was still sad, however.
And so, they shooed him out.