Somewhere Clean

The pigs all wriggled and rolled around in the muddy puddles, laughing. All except Henry. He stood far back from the puddle, cringing away and grimacing any time a pig splashed mud near him. Henry hated the mud! The other pigs often teased him about this, and today was no exception.

“Hey everyone, make room for Henry!” One called out from the messy mob.

“Why bother?” Asked another. “He won’t come in. He’s too scared.”

“I’m not scared!” Henry huffed. “I just think mud is gross!”

One of the pigs suddenly dove into the puddle, splashing mud everywhere in the pen. Including Henry. Henry squealed with disgust and ran back into the barn. He heard the other pigs laughing behind him.

“He seems pretty scared to me!” One of them shouted, laughing.

Henry went over to the water trough and started to wash the streaks of mud off himself. He hated the dirt and mud, he didn’t understand why all the other pigs loved it so much. 

It was slimy, it was sloppy, it got everywhere, and it left you all crusty when it dried. Henry tried to enjoy it like the others, he really did, but as he got older he just couldn’t take the feeling anymore. He hated to be dirty.

Why did he need to cool off in the mud when he could hide in the shade of a tree or the barn? Why should he coat himself until he was brown when his fresh, pink skin looked so lovely? Henry stared down into the water and frowned.

“I wish I could go somewhere clean. Somewhere without all this muddy mess,” he mumbled.

“I know somewhere,” Henry heard from one of the stalls.

He looked up. It was the farmer’s favorite horse, Milly. 

“What are you talking about?” Asked Henry.

“Somewhere clean. I know a place,” she said again.

Henry’s eyes grew wide. Milly? No. She could be just as filthy as the pigs. She had to be teasing him too.

“Yeah right,” Henry huffed, turning away.

“It’s true!” She cried indignantly. “I’ve been there myself!”

Henry was doubtful. Why would Milly ever go to someplace very clean? How would she get there too? The farmer kept her in the barn unless she was being ridden. Still, the idea was all too tempting.

“When?” Henry asked cautiously.

“A couple months ago. The farmer rode me there when there was a problem with the truck,” she said, smiling.

“Really? What happened?”

“They sent a whole truck full of pigs there, but the truck broke down and they couldn't get back. The farmer rode me up there. While he fixed it I got to look around a bit and chew some grass. It was very clean,” she said, nodding.

“What’s it like?” Henry cried excitedly.

“Well, I couldn’t see much. I just saw some things through the windows at the front. The floors are all wet like someone just washed them, and there’s a lot of shiny and sparkly looking metal. They were even cleaning the pigs,” Milly said, shaking her head.

“They clean the pigs?!” Henry exclaimed, his jaw fell open in shock.

“Yeah, they give them a really good bath, and then they take them over to a stall and let them take a nap. It must be a good stall, they fall asleep right away,” she said thoughtfully.

Henry was almost bouncing. He was so excited. He knew the farmer sometimes took pigs away, but he never knew where. A place that was so clean all the metal sparkled, a place so clean that even the pigs were cleaned. It sounded like heaven, it couldn’t be real.

“Milly, how do I get there? I have to go there!” He said, practically begging.

“Well, the farmer takes a group of pigs up every couple of months or so, but I’m not sure if he’d take you.”

“Why not?” He asked sadly.

“Well, the farmer only takes the fattest pigs. You still look pretty lean. Maybe if you fattened up a little he might,” she said, shrugging.

Henry perked up again. If he fattened up? Well, that wouldn’t be too hard. He remembered the farmer taking away some pigs a couple weeks ago. If he ate all he could, then maybe he could be fat enough to go by the next trip.

“Thank you, Milly!” Henry shouted, running to the food trough.

He stuck his head in and began eating whatever scraps were left from breakfast. He would have to be more aggressive with the food, he would have to be at the trough early to have the best pick of fatty foods, he would have to make sure he didn’t leave a single scrap behind. It would all be worth it though when he finally reached that beautiful, clean place.

Henry stuck to his promises. He made sure he was always right at the trough when the farmer fed them, he had his head in before the farmer even finished pouring. He didn’t hesitate to shove the other pigs out of the way if he wanted something, they’d never been nice to him anyway. Henry spent a lot of time at the trough. He ate and ate until he felt about ready to burst. He’d take a short nap, then go right back to eating again. He didn’t exercise so his fat would build up quickly. It was hard, it was painful, but it was all worth it.

In just two months he had nearly doubled his size. Henry squealed with glee when he realized he was so big he couldn’t even see his feet. The farmer had to choose him, he must have been the fattest pig of all! Sure enough, the farmer came by later that day and looked around at the pigs. He had some of the farmboys help lead them outside the pen. Henry could see the truck just up the hill. His excitement built. He puffed up as much as he could when the farmer came near him.

“Goly!” Cried the farmer. “You got big fast. Hey boys, this one too!”

Henry couldn’t help squealing and jumping with glee as the boys led him outside. They tried to hold him down, Henry did his best to contain his excitement.

“Jeez, you think he knows or something?” One of the boys asked.

He did know, that was why he was so excited. Sweet Milly! He’d have to thank her properly if she came by the clean place again. They loaded Henry into the truck last. He was squished up against a bunch of other pigs, but he didn’t mind. It wouldn’t be long now. 

The other pigs muttered and guessed about what was happening. Henry did his best not to laugh. He couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when they didn’t have their precious mud puddles to splash and tease him with anymore. The ride couldn’t have been that long, but to Henry, it felt like an eternity. He thought he might die of excitement when the truck finally stopped and the boys unlatched the back. 

They led the pigs out one by one. Since Henry was last to be put in he was the first one out. He looked around his new home excitedly. They led him through a door into a big building. Henry stared in awe. It was everything Milly said and more. The spotless floors, the shiny metal, everything looked so clean and perfect. 

A new man came out and led Henry to a pen. Almost immediately he was splashed with crystal clear water. Henry squealed and leaped with glee. Clean, beautiful water! The man held Henry until he calmed down. When he finally did the man began to wash him again. It felt as if every speck of dirt was being removed from his body. It felt wonderful!

After that, another man came and led Henry to a different pen. Was this the napping stall Milly talked about? The men moved a strange device near Henry’s head, then started playing with some buttons. While they did he looked around again at his new home. Suddenly, his eyes fell on a giant sign on the opposite wall. 

Fresh Farms Slaughterhouse

Yes, he did feel very fresh. Absolutely spotless even. He smiled happily at this thought. What was a “slaughterhouse” though? Henry heard a buzzing sound, then a sharp pain shot through his head. Everything went black.