Chapter Eight: Little Piggy

This is an entry from the journal of Elmer S'glue. He lived on the same street as the Utonium family for almost six years until his family relocated back to Sweden. Elmer was about thirteen when he wrote this journal entry. It has been translated into English.

June 26, 1994

Mother, Tabby, Archie and I were outside today. The temperature was very high and we were in the swimming pool. Mother made us burgers and we ate on the patio, next to the sliding glass door. Eventually, Mother said it was too hot…so we went inside and watched some cartoons. An hour went by, and Tabby and I wanted some ice cream, and so Mother went into the kitchen to get the tub of Strawberry & Vanilla Goodness, you know, from the brand of Ordinarily Delicious Ice Treats. I wanted to go outside with my bowl, but Mother made me stay inside. She said our neighbors—the Utoniums—were probably doing their "holy rolling" again; apparently it has something to do with praying outside, very loudly. But, nevertheless, I went outside. And my little sister (Tabby) came with me. She sat on the edge of the pool and splashed her feet, giggling. Mother didn't know about this because she went upstairs to do laundry.

I was just standing out there, eating from the china bowl. The sun was melting my ice cream. Scoop after scoop after scoop, I ate as fast as I could. There are many kids in our neighborhood, from toddlers to about children my age. But I don't have many friends in this neighborhood, just my regulars back in Sweden. I heard all of the kids playing. It sounded like fun. Tabby came with me; we opened the back gate of the picket fence and stepped out onto the street. There were boys riding bikes, girls playing hopscotch, children doing the jumping of rope, and so much more. But I knew very little English. Tabby and I just observed them in silent glory.

A little while later, a little blonde-haired girl stepped out onto the street. She was maybe about a year older than Tabby—probably nine or ten. For a while, she just stood there. Her head was down. Maybe, just like me, she didn't really fit in. I recognized her as the Utonium's youngest child; I think her name was Bubbles. So for maybe about five minutes, Bubbles didn't play or make any contact with anybody. She looked around once or twice—her eyes met mine for a split second—looking for something to do. A girl invited her to play that game they call hopscotch. As soon as Bubbles started hopping, she tripped. They laughed at her. But she got up and slowly scurried away. Could it be that she didn't want to be like them…full of fun and excitement? I didn't know.

We walked just a little bit closer, and then suddenly this boy (who I knew) from my junior high came riding past Tabby and I—were his pedals broken? He was riding too fast. Apparently his target was Bubbles. He shouted something that didn't sound nice. He cornered her and laughed. She screamed at him to stop it, I think. My feet were frozen in place…even though I wanted to tell him to leave her alone. Bubbles started to cry. The other kids just ignored her (I DON'T LIKE THIS AMERICAN SOCIETY) and continued playing. Bubbles ran back into her house with her ears covered. The boy who was riding his bike smiled in victory. Less than a minute later, he was back to riding his back again. But then I got this…I don't know…a headache? Tabby cringed, too. The boy on his bike suddenly wobbled over—he wasn't wearing a helmet—and broke his ankle. Then, like a chain reaction, the other kids went back to their houses, running. They were scared of something. I just don't know what it was.

I'll never forget that look in Bubbles' eyes. When she had looked at me for that one second, I felt fear. But…I just don't know why…

(May 26, 1999. 3:15 AM)

The five of them drove down Brisk Road in Ace's car. Princess was in the passenger seat; Alexis, Snake, and Big Billy sat—bunched together—in the back. Ace was smoking a cigarette. His eyes never left the road. Alexis was smacking her gum loudly in the back, while Big Billy and Snake admired a dirty magazine that had naked women on every page. Alexis looked at her watch. Shit, it's late, she thought. A yawn escaped from her mouth. Princess had been staring out the window for the past twenty minutes. She looked over at her boyfriend.

"How much longer, babe?"

He gritted his teeth, mashing the cigarette. "Damn it, will you just wait a fuckin' second?"

He made a swift turn and then they were going uphill on a dirt road. The sky was cloudless and the moon resembled a giant nightlight. Thirty seconds later, the car passed by a big, old worn-down sign that said: LUMPKINS FARM. TRESPASSERS WILL BE ARRESTED.

"Hey, Princess!" Alexis called from the back. "Are we really going to take a giant risk like this? How will a mug shot look on my college application?"

Princess scoffed. "Since when do you care about education?"

The five teenagers unloaded themselves from Ace's car. It was a bit windy that night, but not even close to chilly. Princess wore a puffy, luxurious coat that her father had bought for her last Christmas; hey, she might as well look the part for this crime. As Big Billy grabbed the axe from the trunk, Snake ran towards the hog pen and fumbled with the latch. After a few shakes, the gate was open. They let themselves in proudly. Ace grabbed the axe from Big Billy and looked around the pen. It was 60" by 85," a pretty damn big pigpen from Ace's perspective. Princess and Alexis exchanged glances as the boys messed around.

"Don't worry," Snake assured everyone. "That old bastard Farmer Lumpkins is at a funeral. He's all the way down in Mississippi."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Good to know," she said sarcastically. "Can we hurry this up now? I'm fucking tired."

Princess' eyes scanned every pig. Too small…too skinny…ugly, but not ugly enough…too fat… And then she found the right one.

Princess whistled at Ace. "Hey, baby!" she called. "That one!"

Ace looked down; his black shades reached the tip of his nose.

"That one? Babe, you sure? Once I start hackin', I'm not gonna stop."

Princess giggled. "It looks just like Bubbles!"

Alexis smirked. "Yeah…it kinda does."

Ace looked at Snake. "Keep an eye out for anyone, just in case. Big Billy…" He turned his head to face the obese eighteen-year-old. "Go with Snake. If the two of you see something…speak up! Then we'll be outta here."

The two scruffy boys walked out of the pigpen and went to go keep watch. It was already 3:40. Alexis scratched her arms. "Get the fucking job done!" she suddenly screamed. For the past few years, she had suffered from insomnia. She was about to pass out.

Ace looked down at the two hundred and fifty pound pig. He smiled.

"Here piggy! Here pig pig pig!" he chanted. "Little piggy! Little piggy!"

Ace swung the axe. The pig collapsed. Another swing. There was blood this time… Princess just stood there and watched. Like Robin had done when they were messing with Bubbles in the locker room. Another swing; it was harder. It could've have been that he was releasing his anger, but Ace would've stopped eventually had it been that reason. This feels good, he thought. Here piggy pig pig...

The animal was decapitated. "Hand me the damn bucket!" Ace hissed. Princess gave him the empty paint bucket that Snake had found in the junkyard. Alexis ran a hand through her hair. "I'm going back to the fuckin' car. See ya!" She left them to do their dirty work. The pig's blood fell quietly into the bucket; filling it all the way to the top. Once Ace has snapped the lid on, Princess wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, Ace," she whispered, smiling. He looked down at her and gave her a quick kiss. "Okay babe, let's go!"

They were all back in the car again. Alexis had passed out, sleeping like a baby; Snake and Big Billy just sat quietly.

The mission was done.

As the teenagers were driving back into town, Princess looked up at the sky. Oh, yeah, Bubbles is gonna get it...that bitch...ah hell...I'm tired. A heavy yawn escaped from her pink lips. Before she fell asleep, Princess rubbed her eyes and said, "Hey, Snake?"

"Yeah?"

"Whose funeral did Farmer Lumpkins go to?"

Snake grinned. "His mother's. She died last week."

Ace snickered. "Really? Jesus Christ...why she must've been older than God!"

The city lights were in their view now. Princess tilted her head back and dozed off. Ace drove steadily. The five of them had no regrets. As if this were a regular thing, Ace smiled to himself in the darkness; his headlights were the only things that gave off that warm feeling...the feeling...

Somewhere in the woods, a wolf howled.

Yay! I'm back...again! THIS STORY IS GETTING MORE EPIC...AND SUSPENSEFUL! And I especially love all of these reviews! WOW! My goal is to get to 90 or 95 before Chapter 13! Review...review...review...YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. BTW: I am accepting entries for the fan art contest NOW! You'll have until March 22nd! Ciao! Oh...and one more thing...they are remaking "Carrie." It's gonna have Chloe Grace Moretz in it, as well as Julianne Moore! I can't wait! It's coming out in October 2013, just in time for Halloween!

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