The Three French Pigs

*Written for my Fiction class*
On a cold October night in 1789- just after the beginning of the revolution in France- a huge black and white Hampshire pig, who had spent her life on the lands surrounding Lord Jean Pierre De Basque’s downtown Paris home and raised her 17 oldest children there, looks at her three youngest in dismay, her pocket book empty before her on the small hand hewn table where they were sitting down for dinner. “Rene, Michel, Pierre- I have terrible news. The Guards came for your father this morning- and they stole what little savings we had left except for a few hundred francs that I kept under our mattress. Madeline La Vache heard them talking last night in the pen downtown and she told me that I am next. I’m sure they’ll be here tomorrow. You boys aren’t known in society yet, so I hope you can get out safely. I am going to give you what we have, and hope that it will be enough. Here- Rene- you keep the money and take care of your little brothers. I want to see you all succeed! I’m trusting you to make it happen.”

The young piebald looked at his mother and snuffled at the gruel that they had been given by their aristocratic owner that evening, knowing that it might well be his last square meal for a while if he has to take care of his brothers, who seemed less disturbed than they should be as they ate their meals. “Yes, Ma’am. I’ll take care of them, and we’ll come back here when the revolution has ended.”
So that evening, Rene packed a bag for each of them and took his brothers out into the countryside outside of Paris, where they would have no chance of being recognized for the aristocratic pigs that they were. A kind man- himself an aristocrat in hiding from the Revolution- took notice of them and offered them a sheltered place on his farm to build some homes for themselves, which Rene immediately accepted.

Once there, he helped his brothers to build their homes and find positions for themselves- Pierre had the first choice, as he was the youngest. Since he all he liked to do was play in the mud, they simply built him a small home of straw- common stuff, just the way he wanted. After all, he wouldn’t need too much weatherproofing if he’s going to lie around in the mud and wait for some farmer to slaughter him next summer. They’d get a pretty penny when that lazy boy is sold! Rene noted with a grin, counting the francs in his mind already.
And Michel- the second youngest- wanted a home of sticks- something weather worthy, but simple. He had always aspired to be a great painter, and would rather spend his portion of the money on art supplies. So, he built his small stick home, and then spent another portion of his money on a padlock to keep undesirables out. He locked his door carefully every night and used the lock to make sure that nothing could intrude on his peace and quiet while he worked. His work sold immediately, and everyone applauded his talent from the start. He paid Rene back in a month for the money he’d spent on his house.

That left Rene with some 400 Francs after Michel’s reimbursement- a veritable fortune that none of them actually needed. Rene- feeling quite proud of his accomplishments thus far- chose to build himself a house of brick to celebrate. After all, he’d found a position as a truffle sniffer in the local Lord’s manor for himself almost immediately, so money won’t be a problem for him, no matter how much he
spends.

One day the next summer, when little Pierre was just about ready to be auctioned off, he saw a great gray wolf coming his way. It was one of the Revolutionary Guard from Paris- and it looked like he had papers with him. Unfortunately, he had the three renegade aristocratic pigs on his mind. Immediately, Pierre ran for the cover of his small straw house in the field. Hiding inside, he was able to lock the door, but he couldn’t possible have barricaded it well enough. Shaking, he hears the harsh voice- “Little pig little pig let me in!” Pierre runs for the door, barricading it with his body. “Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!” The wolf simply told him the truth- “I have a warrant and I’ll blow your pathetic little house down if I have to!” So he began to execute the warrant. As he blew at the straw, Pierre ran pell mell for Michel’s house nearby, screaming for dear life.

Michel let him in- just in time to lock the padlock before the wolf arrived. The same conversation ensued- the wolf threatening to blow the little stick house down since it was so small and insignificant. Well, the padlocked door held just long enough for the boys to get out the back door and run next door to Rene’s manor before the entire house came down in a pile.

This time, the door was barricaded long before the exhausted wolf could catch them. “Little pigs little pigs let me in!” He yelled, breathless but still determined to beat these rich brats. After all, their spoiled, arrogant mother had been a delicious pork steak payment for him a month ago. She had been tortured for the location of her three sons, but never told them anything. He’d kept her long enough to be sure that she didn’t know, too, and the bourgeoisie pigs had been proud of his work, so he’d been allowed to keep the pork steak as a gift. He’d worked for the last month to find the boys here in the calm outskirts of town, and he was by no means giving up now that he’d seen them. “Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins!” they chanted in response, not willing to become dinner that easily. So he threatened again with the warrant- which he knew was probably phony. Most likely it was just something that the rest of the Guard had given him to keep him busy while they ate the proceeds of last night’s raid in the city center, but if it gives him the leverage he needs to bring in the bacon, so be it. Of course, the door remained steadfastly locked. He was forced to blow down the door house, or else go home without dinner. This time, though, the high quality teak wood and the solid steel door locks were more than enough to protect the pigs.

Finally the wolf fell to the ground in a swoon, and the pigs whistled for Rene’s boss to come and take care of the wolf that was raiding his field. In short order, the wolf was no more.