In the yard of one farm, there stood a large pigsty. In that pigsty lived Frankie the Piggie. He was a very cute and pretty pig. Most pigs liked to roll around in mud.
When they ate, they sprayed food all over the place and on themselves. But Frankie the Piggie was different. He was always nice, clean, and smelled good. When he ate, not a single drop sprayed from his trough. And his pigsty? It shone with cleanliness! Whenever new animals came to visit him, they couldn’t believe their eyes at the sight of such a clean stall. Frankie would nod proudly: “A clean home is a healthy home.” That’s how Frankie the Piggie liked it. He was happy when he and his pigsty were both clean.
But one day a strange car arrived at the yard. All the animals, including Frankie, came out of their homes to see what the new car was. It was a truck. From the back, where the cargo hold was, came all sorts of rustling and shuffling. Finally, the farmer who took care of the animals and the farm walked up to the truck, opened its back door, and there a small surprise awaited everyone.
Two new piglets hopped down from the truck. They ran out into the yard and immediately took off in all directions. The piglets ran all over the place. First, they were by the hens, then by the fence, and in the next moment, they were by the gate. Then they jumped into the mud and rolled around in it before running off somewhere else. All the animals in the yard just stood there, turning their heads as they watched the two piglets run around curiously, testing everything out.
After some time, the piglets stopped and looked at a pigsty they hadn’t visited yet. They were standing in front of Frankie the Piggie’s stall. “Oooh, what a nice stall! We’re going to love it in there,” the piglets said to one another and ran inside, all dirty from the mud. They happily jumped around inside, then rolled around again, all the while admiring the pretty stall.
Meanwhile, Frankie the Piggie stood outside perplexed, staring at his stall. He couldn’t manage a single word when he saw how dirty the little piglets made it within a few seconds. As soon as he collected himself and realized what was happening, he stepped into his stall with determination and said: “Well that’s enough! You can’t simply walk into my pigsty and mess it all up! That’s not nice.”
“Oh come on, piggie, don’t be like that. A bit of mess is fine, it’s fun to roll in the mud and then relax at home. And especially not have to wash. That’s the best,” the piglets told him, laughing.
But Frankie the Piggie was not laughing. This wasn’t fine. He didn’t like messes, especially not in his pigsty. “You have to enjoy yourself, laugh and have fun, not just clean all the time and be so strict about cleanliness,” the piglets continued.
Frankie the Piggie instantly took a breath, ready to tell the piglets off from the heart. But then he thought aloud: “There’s a bit of truth to what the piglets are saying. Yes, it’s true that I like to clean, but that’s the right thing to do. A clean home means a healthy home, after all. But on the other hand, maybe I am a bit too strict with staying clean.”
“Yes, yes, piggie. That’s exactly right. When did you last laugh so hard you cried? Had a proper roll in the mud without worrying about dirt?” the piglets replied.
Frankie the piggie thought about it. After a while, he came up with an idea: “Alright, piglets. We’ll make an agreement. You will teach me how to have proper fun, laugh, and enjoy a good time, and I will teach you how to stay clean. Deal?”
The piglets thought about it for a moment and then agreed. They took Frankie amongst themselves and started frolicking around with him. At first the piggie was hesitant and didn’t want to get dirty. But a promise was a promise, so he did everything the piglets told him. He even managed to laugh so hard he cried. Then all three of them had a good wash and cleaned up after themselves. That evening, everyone was happy.
And what did the piglets and Frankie the Piggie learn? That it’s important to know how to laugh and play, but then also to put everything back in order. There is a time for everything.
