The Old Woman and Her Pig

The Old Woman and Her Pig

Once upon a time, an old woman was sweeping her floor when she found a little shining coin beneath the table.

“How lucky!” she said. “I’ll buy something useful at the fair.”

At the fair, she found a pink piglet with a funny curly tail. It grunted so cheerfully that she decided to take it home.

On the way, they came to a low stile. The old woman climbed over, but the piglet planted its feet and refused to move.

“Come along, little pig. It is getting late,” she said.

The piglet only said, “Oink, oink!” and would not take another step.

The old woman walked along the path and met a dog.

“Dog, will you help me call my piglet? It won’t cross the stile, and I want to be home before dark.”

“Woof! I would help,” the dog replied, “but I’m busy guarding this yard.”

A little further on, the old woman came across a stick lying by the road.

“Stick, tap beside the dog so it notices me and helps me call my piglet.”

The stick lay there quietly.

Then the old woman saw a fire in the stove near the little hut.

“Fire, warm the stick so that it moves.”

And the fire crackled and answered:

“I’m fine here too.”

There was a bucket of water by the well.

“Water, cool the fire, let it not be lazy.”

“Splash, splash,” said the water, making no move to go anywhere.

A cow grazed in the meadow.

“Cow, drink a little water so the bucket grows lighter and begins to move.”

The cow chewed thoughtfully and merely swished its tail.

The old woman was almost upset. But then under the bush she saw a handful of fragrant hay.

“Hay, perhaps you can call the cow?”

A breeze lifted a few dry stems and carried them right beneath the cow’s nose.

“Moo! What lovely hay!” said the cow, coming closer.

Then everything suddenly began to fall into place one after another.

The cow took a few sips of water. The bucket rocked. A drop splashed onto the fire, which crackled merrily. Its warmth dried the stick a little, and the stick rolled off the roadside and tapped gently beside the dog.

“Woof! What happened?” said the dog, jumping up.

“My piglet is waiting at the stile!” the old woman reminded it.

The dog ran to the piglet and barked cheerfully:

“Come along, friend! A warm bed and supper are waiting at home!”

The piglet raised its ears.

“Oink?”

The dog jumped over the stile, then back, then over again.

The piglet watched, took a little run, and jumped over too.

“That’s it!” the old woman cried happily.

Together, they set off home: the old woman in front, the piglet beside her, and the dog just behind.

When they reached the hut, the first star was already shining in the sky.

She gave the piglet supper, offered the dog a treat, and said:

“Sometimes one little act of help starts a whole chain of kindness.”

The piglet settled happily onto the straw and gave a soft grunt, as though it agreed.

After that, it always crossed the stile by itself. Well, almost always.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨