Writing for Fun
August 2017
The Little Pig - Maureen Rampersaud
Ariti was making mud pies when she looked up and saw two piggy eyes watching her. ‘Hello, what’s your name?’
The pig grunted in reply.
‘Don’t worry, as you’re such a little pig, I can easily look after you.’
Ariti’s tears and yelps of grief eventually melted her mother’s heart so the pig, now christened, ‘Tiny’ was allowed to stay, provided she didn’t grow too big.
‘Don’t be silly, Mummy, it’s a little sort of pig.’
Dad sighed as he made a pen for Tiny at the bottom of the garden.
‘Are you sure Tiny doesn’t belong to someone?’
‘Yes, Daddy. Tiny told me she’s an orphan.’
‘Mmm,’ mused Dad.
They fed Tiny every day. She ate everything that she was offered and nuzzled their legs in gratitude. Ariti noticed that Mum and Dad grew to love Tiny as much as she did. Tiny listened to their troubles, grunting in sympathy. She shared news of their successes with squeals of joy. Tiny was one of the family.
One day, they noticed that their darling little pig had grown into a darling enormous pig. Nobody said anything. Dad dismantled the pen so Tiny could have the run of the garden.
Aunt Violet visited.
‘Look, all of you, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, namely, the pig in the garden. You have to get rid of her, she’s knocking down the neighbours’ fences!’
They looked as though someone had told them that there was no more chocolate in the world but they knew something had to change. When Aunt Violet left, they had a family pow-wow and took the only decision open to them.
A few months later, Ariti skipped through the garden of their new home, a smallholding in the country, to feed Tiny, who squealed and frolicked towards her.