The Ugly Duckling

Chapter Seven: A Lot To Think About

When he wakes up, the sun is already high in the sky. His stomach lets out a growl. Felix thinks that eating dinner before leaving yesterday would have been a good idea. Just as he starts thinking about how he is going to procure some food, the smell of chicken noodle soup permeates through the air. Before he can question it, he hears his name. Felix debates whether to respond, but his stomach wins in the end. He watches the tarp rise and, soon, he is met with the kind gaze of his oldest brother. Peter holds a brown paper bag in his other hand. Felix does not find it surprising that Peter is the first one to find him. In his opinion, Peter is the kindest of all his siblings. As a charismatic individual, he always knows the right thing to say. Peter sits down in front of Felix and hands him the bag. Felix opens the bag to see a paper cup full of soup and half of his favorite sandwich. Without a second thought, he digs in. Once he satiates his hunger, he finally has the mind to ask Peter why he is here. The whole family is worrying. That makes Felix tear up a bit, but he tells Peter that he isn't going back, because he doesn't belong there. Peter thinks this statement is ridiculous. Why would he think something like that? Felix begins to list off everything that's great about everyone, and then he compares his worthless self to them. Peter doesn't let Felix's words discourage him. Instead, he brings up the important question of why does Felix care? He says that Felix should not compare himself to others, because he is his own person. Everyone is different. Felix takes this into consideration, but still can't seem to understand. Felix tells Peter that he is so ugly in comparison with the rest of the family. Peter just laughs at this and says that he always thought Felix was the one with the good looks. According to him, everyone in the family looks pretty much the same and that is boring. Peter says that he won't tell everyone where he is, but he should think about coming home. Everyone misses him. With that, he leaves.

Felix spends a good chunk of the day thinking about Peter's words. How could someone as successful as Peter think that he has any redeeming qualities? He ponders this while walking around in the woods. How could someone who is so handsome and comes from such a good-looking family think that someone as ugly as him is good-looking? He's walking along a trail when he comes across a puddle in a tree stump. He looks down and sees his reflection. The angle of the reflection is just right that the sunlight hits his eyes and he no longer sees the muddy brown color that he's used to. Instead, the eyes reflecting back at him are a rich, amber color. He suddenly remembers his previous conversation with Chase. Maybe, his words contain some truth to them. Felix finds himself thinking, that maybe he doesn't look so bad after all. After much thinking, Felix finally comes to a resolution. Peter is right. He doesn't need to care about what others think. What matters is how he sees himself. He has worth. So, he decides to head home.