The Pig


There was a little boy who lived near a pig farm. One day he was wandering around the farm and stopped to look at the pigs. He thought what strange animals they were, not as smart as a little boy, covered in mud, and bound to be someone's dinner. It fascinated him. Soon he was going to the pigs' pen every day, just to watch them muck about.
"Pigs don't have to study, they don't have to have manners, they don't have to behave.", he mused, yet he knew he was better than them, because he was a boy, soon to be a man one day, and they were just pigs, soon to be dinner one day.
One afternoon the boy was watching the pigs and imagining himself as the farmer, raising the pigs and selling them to market. He could make a good living off them. The farmer had told him once,
"Happy pigs are healthy pigs, and healthy pigs sell.".
He wasn't sure how the farmer knew the pigs were happy, so he decided to climb into the pen with them and see what it was like. Soon he was petting the pigs, and getting covered with mud and other pig-stuff it's best not to mention.
Someone happened by the pen while the boy was still playing and pointed to him. "Look at that strange pig!", they said.
"I'm not a pig!", he exclaimed, nothing less than offended, "I am only trying to find out how to get good pigs, to make money from them!".
The person laughed as the boy climbed out and brushed himself off, with little difference in his appearance.
"Well, a small boy you are.", they said, and went about their way.

The boy went back to the pen the next day, and decided again to climb into the pen with the pigs. He looked around to make sure no one was about, and made his way over the enclosure. He mucked about with the pigs, and even tasted the food provided for them. It was mostly feed, with some vegetables, but didn't taste half-bad.
"Look at the unusual pig at the trough.", he heard someone say, and looked up to see two people looking at him.
"I'm not a pig!", he shouted. "I will farm pigs one day for lots of money!". He splashed some water from a trough on his face to clean the mud and slop off.
"Oh," said one of the people, "excuse me, I didn't recognize you as a little boy, in there with the pigs and all.".
The people walked off, slightly embarassed, and the boy climbed out of the pen and made his way home.

After staying away from the pigs for a while, the boy decided if he were to make a living, a good living, in pig farming, he must go back and watch the pigs and learn. "No one will ever think I'm a pig again. They will see I'm a smart boy, a very smart boy, and I only visit the pigs to see how to make money off of them.". The boy triumphantly marched to the pen.
He stood at the enclosure for a while and watched them, laughing at what silly animals they are, how unaware they were of what was happening to them, and how easily he could take advantage of those two facts.
Soon though, the boy was back in the pen with the pigs, laughing now as he rolled in the mud. Thinking about his fortune, as he tasted the slop. Thinking of how he was so much smarter, inventive, than these poor pigs. He slapped the mud around, then tried digging it, like they did, with his nose to the ground.

"A happy pig makes a healthy pig.", he heard someone laugh.
He looked up to see the farmer smiling at him.
"You're a very happy pig.", the farmer said, his smile widening.
The little boy was tired of this, he shouted "I AM NOT A PIG!", as loud as he could, but all the farmer heard was "Oink! Oink!".

© J. Simon

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