Once upon a time, in a beautiful pond, lived a family full of old ducks. The family had been started by the King and Queen ducks and everyone in the pond was related. They had been around so long that even the youngest of the clan looked aged beyond their years. The old ducks had the pond all to themselves and they were very happy with the way things were. They had the best pond in all the land. Other ducks tried to land in the pond but were quickly shoo'd away.

One day, the Royal couple decided to stir the pond a bit and bring a new duck into the world. "We need some fresh blood." they said. The other ducks didn't like the idea of a new duck but they had to go along with it out of respect. The Royal couple, after all, were the only reason the family members had access to this pond in the first place.

As the Royal couple set about trying to conceive a new baby duck, it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to do it by themselves. As hard as they tried, they just couldn't make a new duck on their own. After much soul searching and gut-wretching debate, they decided to seek help. They were going to a fertility clinic at another pond. The family went ballistic and the pond was in an uproar. "Another pond!!?" they cried. "It's bad enough that you are bringing a new duck into our pond but to ask for help from another pond is going too far! It will pollute the bloodlines of our clan!"

The Royal couple faced the incredulous family members and explained "Look, this is not easy for us but we have to keep up with the times. There are a lot of younger ducks just like us who want to swim in our pond but we don't have anything to offer them. We are the greatest ducks in the world and we have to lead the way. As far as this being your pond, may we remind you that none of you would be here if it weren't for us so just get it in your heads that we're going through with this. Deal with it."

As the Royal couple flew off to the other pond, the family members turned to each other and began grumbling among themselves. "I don't like this one bit. It goes against everything we stand for. Our whole lineage comes from this pond and they have lost their minds. I don't care what the new duck looks like, it's not one of us."

Time went by and eventually word got out that the Royal couple had indeed conceived, with the help of the other pond. They sent back news that it was a healthy, baby boy. It looked a little different than the other ducks in the family but it was by far the most athletic. This new duck would be one of the fastest ducks in any pond. The family members folded their arms and slumped their shoulders, "Hrrmph!" they replied.

Finally the day came to introduce the new duck to the pond. With great fanfare, the Royal couple swooped into the pond and landed gracefully with the new duck tucked between them in formation. Ducks from all over the world lined the pond to see the new duck. Everyone was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, looked what the Royal ducks have come up with! So modern, so athletic! He seems so naturally powerful. He won't need to take steroids like the other ducks from that pond." The world was genuinely impressed with the Royal couples' new offspring. It was a bold move and everyone waited to see how the new duck would be welcomed by the family.

It didn't take long for every duck in the world to notice that the new duck was not welcomed at all. As hard as he tried to mingle with the other ducks, they sniffed their noses in the air and swam away. The Royal couple tried everything they could to incorporate the new duck into the fold but the old ducks would not budge. "Look at the nose on him!" they cried "It's all pointy, like something from the other pond. It's not fat and round like ours. And that lump on his chest! What's up with that? No duck from this pond has ever had a lump like that. It looks like a tumor!"

The Royal couple explained, "Look, his nose is pointy because he is young and fresh. It helps him slice through the wind with a lot less effort. As far as that "tumor" goes, it is an ovesized heart. His heart is so powerful that he can fly at speeds most of you can only dream of. Even if you took enough steroids to match his strength, his heart is much more efficient than yours. He can idle around the pond all day long and not heat up. Then he can launch up and blow your feathers off in the air. You guys need air moving through your feathers just to stay cool. Even if you matched his strength you would never be able to putter around the pond and mingle for any length of time. That "tumor" gives him the best of both worlds."

As hard as the Royal couple tried, the old ducks would not be swayed. "That new duck is just too odd."

The Odd Duck sat off to the side and couldn't help but hear all of the arguing in the pond. He knew that even if he was a better duck, he was never going to fit in. Over time, more Odd Ducks showed up and they all banded together in their own little group, not knowing where they fit in. Ducks from around the world saw lots of the old ducks huffing and puffing though the air but they almost never saw an Odd Duck among them. There would be a flock of a hundred old ducks flying along, quacking their brains out (man those guys can quack) with nary an Odd Duck in sight. The Odd Ducks usually flew alone, faster and higher than their kin.

Eventually the pecking order in the pond got established and the family members from both sides agreed to disagree.

One calm, fall day, at the beautiful pond, three dots appeared in the cloudless sky. The dots got bigger and it was obvious something was flying in. Three giant swans swooped in silently over the pond and broke in tight formation, turning harder than anything the old ducks had ever seen. One was black, one was grey and one was a color never seen before. "What the hell are those!?" the old ducks asked. The three swans buzzed right over the heads of the old ducks and landed three abreast with a grace never seen on the pond.

The old ducks were furious. "Who do they think they are, landing in our pond!!?" They puffed up their feathers and paddled over to the big swans. "Quack! Quack! Quack!! Who do you think you are flying into our pond! This is only for us. Get lost!"

The three swans answered, "You can't kick us out. We're from here. This is our pond too." The old ducks checked it out and, sure enough, the swans were from a part of the pond they had never paid attention to before. Hmmm, what to do? After it became evident that the swans were not going to leave, the ducks tried to mock them. "Go ahead and swim around all you want, you'll never be one of us! We've been here forever." The swans looked the ducks over and replied "Uh, don't worry. We have no intention of being ducks."

The Odd Ducks watched from the edge of the pond and stared as the old ducks swam away. They looked at the old ducks, then the swans and back to the old ducks. Eventually the Odd Ducks paddled over to the swans. "Hey," they said, "mind if we hang with you guys? It's been kind of lonely around here."

The three swans looked at the Odd Ducks and replied "Come on over, you're our kind of birds."