 We think this is what Pigmus looks like. Isn't he cute? We hope he makes all Littles smile like he does us. Tamara, Michelle, Eloise, Stephan, Nathan, Grace, L'Aine, Lisa, Lori, and Scotty Thanks Softly for letting us do this Before starting the adventures of Porky the Pig, - actually, his REAL name is Pigmus Jnr, but when he is in school his classmates call him Porky because he's a little PLUMP, but the name is not a rude one. It is like a nickname and said affectionately because he has many friends and anyway, Porky is a LOT easier to say than Pigmus. Who would want to be called PIGMUS!! ?? So let me tell you a little about Porky. Porky is a very special pig and although he is probably around 10 years old sometimes he acts like he's a lot younger and sometimes he acts like he's a lot older - he is a very clever pig. Porky lives with his family, Mom, Dad, two brothers and a sister. Their names are Perkins, he's 7yrs, Tomkin is 11yrs and a half and Pippa, she's only 5yrs. They live in a very nice little house in the village of Krumble ( that's spelled with a "K"), where most everybody knows everybody else, but a good number of folk come from all over the country to vacation there because it is nice and quiet. The people are friendly, the food is good and there are lots of things to do. Today We are going to tell you what happened to Porky and his two friends, Snorkel, (he's the same age as Porky and they call him Snorkel because he loves to go snorkeling under the water when his family goes to the seaside which is only a few miles away from Krumble), and the other friend is Dresser, (Dress for short) and she is nine and a half. Her nickname is Dresser because she always wants new clothes and dreams about being a mannequin some day when she grows up. Porky likes that his friends have nicknames because he does and because they're very friendly which goes to show that we can be called names that aren't REAL names and it's not being rude or unkind. This adventure is about a young girl named Heather. Heather was sitting by the window in her house, the sun was shining brightly and the window was open which let a soft cool breeze come in bringing the scent of roses with it. She was feeling happy today because her friend Porky was coming over soon and they always had fun together. He usually brought his friends Dresser and Snorkel and they were fun to be around. Through the window she could hear the sounds of the Village as life in Krumble continued its daily routine. Mostly it was children going to and from school, men working as loggers in the woods, or farming crops in the fields around Krumble, some of the out lying farms raised cattle, and now and then, sheep, and some homes had a few pigs. Then there were the shopkeepers who ran local stores which offered groceries, books and magazines, one or two clothes stores, one with children's things, toys, games etc., and there was the local Post Office where Mrs Bloom kept a nosy eye on everything that came through. She was also the Village Gossip and if you wished to know what was going on, Mrs Bloom could always tell you! The mothers stayed home mostly, and cooked, washed clothes and took care of the home chores and the kids. The visitors who came through Krumble and stayed a few days or maybe a few weeks, depending on their business or pleasure, added entertainment for the children, business for the stores and sometimes an interesting source of outside news and conversation for the adults. Heather was listening to some kids calling to each other down the street and a cat streaked by chased by a blur of black and white haired terrier that was barking furiously in hopes people would notice how fierce he was. However, the cat ran up a tree and the dog had to be content to scrabble at the base of the trunk and bark his contempt while the sleek grey cat looked down with equal contempt in its emerald green eyes! " Hi Heather," came a cheery call, and Porky and his two friends tapped on the windowsill. She hadn't heard them come up the garden path because she had been so intent on watching the cat and dog. " Oh, Hi guys, good to see you. Just a moment, I'll be out". Heather jumped up and called to her mother as she went through the door, " Porky and his friends are here, Mom. I'm going out with them, okay?" " That's fine, Heather, but be sure to be back in time for supper". "Why do parents always have to have us back in time for supper?" she asked her friends as she joined them in the front garden and they walked down the short path and through the white wooden gate. Dress gave a rueful smile, " I know, you'd think they never missed a meal, ever, or did something that was too much fun to stop for eating". " I think they just want to keep tabs on us". said Snorkel. "Well, I wouldn't want to MISS a meal," chimed in Porky, and they all laughed. " Well, what shall we do today?' asked Heather. " Talking of food, has anyone got any money? We could go to the Sit 'n Eat and get a pop and gab for a little." "That's an idea," Snorkel agreed, " I've got some pocket change and there'd be enough for a cookie or bun or something too." They set off for the Sit 'n Eat which was a small cafe where the food was home cooked, family style. It was a popular little place and when the friends got there it was mostly full but they found an empty table in one corner near the counter at the back of the room. The tables were covered with tablecloths with blue and white squares and on each table was a thin white vase with one chrysanthemum and a sprig of green fern in it. The chairs were white and the place was clean and cheery. While they were sipping their pop and eating cookies and talking all sorts of things that kids like to talk about, they were conscious that someone had come up to the table. Looking up they saw a fairly tall man with bushy eyebrows and a short beard, and he was dressed in a brown suit with big pockets in the jacket. He was rather stout and had a leather briefcase in one hand. His eyes, which were light brown, were twinkling like he was about to laugh but thought better of it. He introduced himself. " Hi. My name is Luke Fisher. I am visiting Krumble and stopped in here for a snack because someone said the food here is good. I was watching you and you all seemed to be enjoying eachother so much and I am feeling kind of lost, being a stranger, and I wondered if I could join you for a little bit?" "You're welcome," said Heather, and moved over so he could pull up a chair and he sat between her and Porky. " Tell me about Krumble," Mr Fisher said. " I live in the city over to Illingsworth. I don't know if you've ever been there but it's very different from Krumble. It's a LARGE City and it is so quiet here in comparison." he added hurriedly, " but I LIKE the quiet. It's a nice change from the noise of the City traffic hustle and bustle" So the children told him all about Krumble. "How would you like to spend a day in the City?" Luke asked. (He had asked them to call him Luke). "Well that depends," said Porky, "we'd have to see what our parents said first." "Of course," replied Luke," Perhaps I could meet them? I have a car and we could go ask them and see what they say. Could we?" "Is Illingsworth bigger that Trelawny?" asked Dress, " I was in Hospital there a while back and Trelawny is bigger than Krumble". " Illingsworth is probably five times as big as Trelawny. " Wow!," breathed Heather," it must be HUGE". Then they all went outside and Luke took them to his car which was a large Cadillac and Heather got to sit in the front seat and the others had plenty of room in the back. In fact, there was room for another person too, if they needed. They were fascinated with all the things on and under the dashboard. There was a radio, cassette player, CD player, car phone, cigarette lighter, buttons for this and buttons for that. Luke let Heather push the CD player and a disk came on playing the sound track from Sound of Music. "Why," Heather cried," That's my favorite musical show" Luke looked at her quickly, then away, but before he could say anything Snorkel called out, " There's my house. Down there to the right" Luke stopped the car and they all piled out and the children led Luke up the front step to the porch where a brown and white cocker spaniel whose name was Kimmer, came sidling up to Snorkel wagging his tail furiously. Mrs Hardy looked a little embarrassed as she came out to see what was going on and saw this well dressed businessman walking up to her front door. She and Luke were introduced and he explained that he had been impressed watching the group of youngsters in Sit 'n Eat and how they seemed real wholesome children and he wanted to get to know them better. He explained that he was a talent spotter for Grade Schools and was passing through Krumble on his way home form attending an audition in three schools in Creek side, a town west of Krumble. The kids oooohed and aaaahed when they heard that, and could barely contain themselves when he continued to say he would like to take them to Illingsworth for the day, and how about he make it on a day when he would do an audition? He was scheduled to do one the next Thursday. Mrs Hardy said immediately,' But that would mean THEM missing school" and this was met with a chorus of objections and, " Mom, it's only ONCE". " We can catch up real easily on whatever. We have friend who can help us with what we miss" and, " Come ON, Mom, be a sport". And on and on. Finally, Mr Fisher spoke up with a smile, saying, "I do understand your concern, Mrs Hardy, but in my modest way I am quite well known in Educational circles. How about I call the Headmaster at their school, or schools, if they go to different ones and explain that this would be an educational trip. A field trip into the Entertainment world?" Mrs Hardy could not object very much to this and Luke said he needed to get permission from the other parents and then when he got back to his hotel he would make the calls to the headmaster the next morning. Heather's Mom was fine with the idea and pleased that Heather would get to see the City because most of Krumble's younger generation had never gone beyond the outskirts and she was happy that Heather would be broadening her horizons. Mrs Layton hesitated at the thought of Porky going off with a stranger they had never met before but when Luke assured her that he would go to see the headmaster personally, if that would be a comfort, so he could evaluate the situation, she relaxed and said if Mr Benton said it was alright then it was alright with her. This also put Dress and Snorkel's parents' minds at rest. So it was arranged at last. Luke would pick them all up early around 7.a.m. the next Thursday because it took about an hour and a half to get to Illingsworth and then they would have to have breakfast when they got there before heading for the school for the 10.30a.m. Audition. They were all so excited they had a hard time concentrating in class that week, waiting till Thursday rolled around. It seemed to take forever, but finally it was Thursday morning and they all stood at their respective windows impatiently fidgeting and looking intently down the road for signs of Luke's grey Cadillac. When they were all collected, Heather sat in front again and Porky, Dress and Snorkel had the back seat. Since it was such a long trip they asked if they could listen to the CD player again. Luke hadn't changed it so, " Climb every mountain" filled the car and almost unconsciously Heather started singing along with the tape. Her friends enjoyed listening and they didn't notice Luke listening extra hard as he drove the car. Heather's voice was untrained but it was sweet and clear and true and she put expression into her singing that was in perfect sync with the recording they listened to. When it was over they were just coming into the suburbs of Illingsworth and before Luke could comment on anything his young guests were pointing out different things they noticed as they drove along. " WOW!" exclaimed Snorkel, " looks like wall to wall Shopping Centers, and indeed, there seemed a whole string of Malls side by side, or rather, end to end on both sides of the street. As they got nearer to the centre of the City the Malls turned into large Department Stores, and other shops, boutiques, places to learn Karate or other forms of Martial Arts, Gyms for working out with machinery Snorkel had never seen and wanted Luke to slow down to get a better look but there wasn't time. Then the eating places ! They had never SEEN so many restaurants. Not only fast food places like Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy's etc., there were Denny's and Pizza Palaces and fancy looking Restaurants with fancier names like Le Coq d'Or (which means the Golden Cock), " The Sherwin House of China", and "Tamba's African Cuisine". Everyone except Mr Fisher was gawking wide-eyed as they drove by all these places one after the other. " Imagine LIVING here!" breathed Heather. "Where would you like to have breakfast?" Luke broke into their fantasies of living in the big City with a practical question. "We don't know anywhere, Luke," said Dress, "why don't you choose for us" "Like somewhere that has LOTS of food" added Porky. "OUCH" he squealed as he received a sharp jab in the ribs from Snorkel' "That's RUDE" whispered Snorkel, " Luke's paying for all of us so he should choose where we go and we shouldn't be greedy". They ended up going into one of the fancier restaurants called Sheraton Place, and were led to a table by the window that had potted palm trees on either side and the silverware gleamed and the china was a beautiful delicate blue and white sea with clouds around the edges. In spite of the posh atmosphere the children did not feel intimidated and ate with relish. The Buffet style breakfast was set up with about everything one could imagine having for breakfast. Well, many breakfasts really, because it would be impossible to eat something of EVERYTHING laid out on the counter under glass overhead covers. There was every kind of egg dish from omelettes, scrambled, poached, fried, or plain boiled. There were all sorts of breads; sough dough, French, wheat, rye, white, whole grain etc., waffles, and these could be toasted if desired. There was cold and hot cereal, bagels, biscuits, bacon, sausage links, ham and liver for those who liked it! A large assortment of jams, jellies marmalade were in glass bowls at the end of the bread counter. Then there was a place where hot and cold drinks could be poured, or soft drinks from a dispenser. The Krumble visitors had never in their lives seen such fancy fare and it took them a while to choose what they wanted. You can think about what YOU would have chosen if you'd been with them. What would you have had for breakfast that day? When they felt they would literally POP if they swallowed one more mouthful, and they were sure they would burst if someone poked them into the tummy, they slowly got up from he table and made their way to the car after having thanked Luke profusely, and he had paid the bill with his credit card. "We're going to Freemont Middle School for the Audition" Luke told them as he pulled out into the busy street and headed out of the down town area. Soon they came to a residential part of town where there were no shops but streets of different houses all different styles with neatly mown lawns in front and some beautiful old fir, oak and elm trees growing along the roadside. They came in sight of a large School Building with other smaller buildings dotted around the circular driveway. Off to the right was another large building and Luke said that was the Auditorium. Already there were at least a hundred cars in the large parking lot that spread out in two or three lots divided by lawns. Luke drove up near the Auditorium and parked in one of the special slots that read "Visitors" on a placard on the sidewalk. Parents and teenagers and children and other adults were walking towards the entrance and going into the building. Luke led his little flock around the back and they went in a side door and came past what looked like dressing rooms, small rooms whose doors were closed, and then they arrived at the back of the stage. Luke took them out from below the stage and had them sit in the front row. As they were going from the side door to their seat they passed a number of people who all seemed to know Luke and cried, " Hi, Mr Fisher." Or, "We'll see who you'll spot today, Luke". and, " Bringing your talent with you, are you?" Heather, Porky, and all were so excited they could hardly breathe and the Auditorium was filling up fast. There was a sense of expectancy, excitement and anticipation in the air, and Luke excused himself saying he needed to look after some things before it began. At exactly 10.30.am. the rich velvet maroon curtain that hung across the front of the stage, started to divide to both sides and a hush fell over the hall. Heather gasped as they saw the background drop at the back of the stage. It pictured the Alps of Switzerland and Edelweiss flowers dotted the fields and slopes of the mountains. "I think they're going to do Sound of Music". she whispered to her friends, and sure enough Luke came on stage, introduced himself and said that they were about to audition for teenagers to play the part of Maria in a production of Sound of Music, cast from different schools according to the talent he had been evaluating in his travels. Those who would be auditioning today in the morning, and then into the afternoon could choose the song from the show they felt best would exhibit their talent. One by one different girls came on stage and sang the song of their choice. Most were very good and sang with feeling and flair, though a few sang too softly, some were a note or two off at times and one poor girl was so nervous she forgot her words and had to leave in the middle of the song. Everyone felt sorry for her and gave her a long round of clapping for trying. By the end of the morning, Heather, Porky and his friends were so overwhelmed with all the talent they wondered how on EARTH Luke would know who to choose because it seemed to them most of the girls were doing a wonderful job and could have the part. There was an hour's break for lunchand Luke took them to the school Cafeteria which was a real let down from Sheraton Place, and anyway, they really weren't hungry yet, so they all went back for the last hour and a half of auditioning. After the last girl had performed Luke went to the mike and said, " I have an unusual situation here. I would like a young friend of mine whose name is Heather, she is sitting in front of me, to come up on stage and sing a song of her choice from Sound of Music. I have only heard this young lady sing once but I think you will want to listen to her. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to present Heather. Heather, please come up and tell the pianist which song you would like to sing." Heather was amazed she sat in her seat in shock until Dress shoved her up and said, " Go ON, Heather, get up there, you can do it". Heather finally wobbled up the steps onto he stage. Her legs were feeling like jelly and she was sure everyone could hear her heart pounding. The pianist was a sweet gentle lady, called Penny, and she asked Heather what she would like to sing. Heather thought a minute then said shyly, " Climb Every Mountain." Luke took her to the mike and whispered in her ear, "Forget everyone, Heather, pretend you're back in the car singing along with the tape." Penny went to the piano started to play the introduction. Heather forgot where she was, she just thought of the green mountain slopes, the sunshine and fresh air and began to sing, " Climb Every Mountain." When she stopped there was dead silence for three or four seconds then everyone rose and the clapping was deafening and seemed to go on and on. Well, as you can guess it was not hard to choose the winner. Luke announced Heather's name over the speaker and everyone clapped and stomped and shouted and Porky, Snorkel and Dress shouted the loudest of them all. When they finally got home that night (after supper) - their parents were thrilled that someone from Krumble had been chosen to play the lead in the School Performance of Sound of Music, and Heather's Mom was so happy if she had had buttons down the front of her dress she would have popped them all off, she was so proud of her daughter. Nearly all of the Krumble population went to the opening show in Illingsworth and Heather was written up in the local and City papers. Porky felt so proud to be friends with a Star, and Heather told him, " Porky, I am no different from you, and I would give up all my rewards from playing Maria if it meant we couldn't stay friends and have fun like we always do here in Krumble." Porky felt really happy when he heard that and went home singing, " Climb every Mountain", but somehow it didn't sound QUITE like Heather. ********************************************* Goessoftly Retired Therapist www.goessoftlyishere.com (No Copies Allowed) | THE HEALING PROCESS | DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER | POETRY | Biographical Entries | THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE | STORIES FOR LITTLES (Pigmus and friends) | |
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