Sammy and Frankie were at the slop trough. Frankie could tell Sammy was upset. He usually had his snout deep in the slop. Sammy was barely pecking away at the day´s offerings.
“What´s wrong Sammy?” Frankie asked.
“Phil wants to fight before sundown” Sammy said.
“What happened?” Frankie asked.
“Nothing really. Sara, his girlfriend, just got done rolling in the mud and she looked good. I mean real fine. But I wasn´t disrespectful or nothing” Sammy said.
“What´d you say Sammy?” Frankie said with a worried look on his face. “You know how Phil is!”
“I just said ‘looking good, Sara’, that´s all, I swear” Sammy said.
“Man, you know not to do that. Phil is a hot head. He´s gonna kick your ass you know?” Frankie said.
“Yeah, I know. But I didn’t mean nothing by it. She just looked so fine. I felt like she pulled those words out of my mouth” Sammy said.
There was a sudden stir in the pen. Farmer John entered the pen with a rope. He was walking funny as he tends to do when he´s been drinking. He forgot to close the gate behind him. He went right for Phil who was sunning himself on the far end of the pen. He must not have heard the commotion because he didn´t move.
As Farmer John got closer Phil figured out what was going on. Before he knew it the rope was around his neck and immediately cinched tight. He recoiled in horror. Farmer John was drunk but the whiskey only diluted his judgment, not his strength.
“Should we help him Sammy?” Frankie said.
“Well, I´ll get out of an ass kicking if Farmer John takes him away” Sammy pondered.
“That´s not right. We always help each other when we can. Look, the gates open. It´s only him. His helpers ain´t around. We can all make it” Frankie said.
“Ok” Sammy agreed.
Frankie and Sammy trotted up to the back side of Farmer John. Phil felt some relief. For a moment he felt he could be saved.
“Go” said Frankie and with that the two pigs took as big of bites as they possibly could out of the back of Farmer John´s thighs. Farmer John screamed in agony and fell to the mud.
“Run” Sammy said to the stunned Phil. “The gate. It´s open! Run to the gate”
The three pigs ran for the gate and the others followed suit. Phil checked to see if Sara was in tow. She was. He caught a glimpse of Sammie doing the same.
As they made their way to the tree line Sammy turned to Phil and asked “Are we cool?”
Phil looked at him and said “I´m still gonna kick your ass. But we cool”
By Ryan 