Julie Troutman

The Three Well-Mannered Little Pigs…SURPRISE!

            Once upon a time three little pigs left their mother and father to go and find their own fortunes.  Mother Pig yelled out to them, “You all be careful now.  Keep on the lookout for that Big Bad Wolf, my dears!  And remember your manners!”  And the little pigs made their way down the road.

            The first little pig decided he had gone far enough when he found a friendly donkey selling straw. 

            “May I please have some straw so I can build myself a house?” asked the little pig.

            “Well shucks!  When you use manners like that to ask, who could refuse?  Of course you may, little pig,” the donkey graciously replied.  And the first little pig went off to build himself a house.

The second little pig decided to stop and rest when he saw a sweet old cow selling some sticks. 

“May I please have some of your sticks so that I can build myself a house, sweet Miss Cow?” the little pig asked.

“My gracious!  What fine manners you have!  Of course you may have some sticks, little pig,” replied the sweet old cow.  And the second little pig set off to build himself a house.

The third little pig knew he must keep going until he had found a suitable place to settle down.  He did not have time to stop and take a break.  Finally he came to a kindly horse who was selling bricks.

“Excuse me, may I please use some of your bricks to build myself a house?” the little pig carefully asked.

“Oh my!  Your momma certainly did teach you some manners now, didn’t she?  Well, of course you may use some bricks, little pig,” the horse cordially replied.  And with that, the third little pig went off to build himself a house made of bricks.

Soon after the first little pig had finished his house of straw, he received his first visitor!  There was a knock at the door, followed by, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”

Noticing that the visitor had not used very good manners, the little pig realized it must be the Big Bad Wolf!  “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin will anyone so ill-mannered ever come into my house!” the little pig yelled.  But he knew the wolf would find his way in, so he took off for his brother’s house of sticks just up the road.

Soon after the first little pig got to his brother’s house of sticks, there was a knock at the door, followed by, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”

“Not by the hair on our chinny-chin-chins!” the two little pigs cried together.

“No one with such bad manners will ever come into my house!” the second little pig said sternly, but knowing that the Big Bad Wolf would find his way in, the two little pigs ran quickly up the road to their brother’s house of brick.

It was not long after the two little pigs had reached their brother’s brick house that there was yet another knock on the door.  All three little pigs knew who it must be, and they knew they could not let the Big Bad Wolf inside.  “Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!” the visitor yelled with some exasperation.

“Not by the hair on our chinny-chin-chins!” all three little pigs yelled out. 

“Where are your manners?” asked the third little pig, but no one replied.  The three little pigs looked out the window and realized that the un-welcomed visitor must have slipped around back.

“The back door!” said the third little pig, and they quickly ran to the back to lock it, but they were too late. 

In the back room a figure stood in front of the door.  Oh no!  Could the Big Bad Wolf have gotten the best of the three little pigs?  As the little pigs looked closer, they saw…MOTHER PIG!

“I have been trying to get in touch with all of you, but I just seem to keep missing you each time,” an exhausted Mother Pig told her three sons. 

“Wait!  If you are the one who has been after us this whole time, then where is the Big Bad Wolf?” the middle pig asked.

Mother pig showed a smile of hope.  “Oh yes, I guess you haven’t heard the news.  Here is today’s front page story,” and she handed her three sons the PigTown Preview newspaper.

BIG BAD WOLF RETIRES!!!! The cover story read that the Big Bad Wolf had decided to retire after 372 years of chasing little pigs and little red riding hoods.  He reported that there were too many pigs who thought it amusing to stick boiling water under the chimney for him to continue in his line of work at such an old age.  The little pigs jumped for joy!  Then they turned back to their mother.

The first little pig blurted, “But Mother, we wouldn’t let you inside because you did not use your manners when you asked!  That is so unlike you!”

“Ah, yes, I know my dears and I am sorry.  I was just in such a hurry to catch you though.  I have a surprise for all of you!”

The three little pigs moved in closer to see what Mother Pig had brought to them. 

“Soon after you left, your father and I decided we didn’t much like the quiet in our house with just the two of us, so we welcomed a new addition to the family.  Now, there are four little pigs!  Meet your new piglet sister,” Mother Pig said with a big smile on her face.

“SISTER?!” the three little pigs cried altogether, “Couldn’t it have just been the Big Bad Wolf?”

(Don’t worry, they did all live happily ever after together….eventually.)