Chapter 7

"Once 'pon a time they'th free little pigth. The builded 'em houtheth. One wath made outta of thraw, one wath made outta of thtickth and tha fird one wath made outta brickth. Thith wolf comed around. He comed ta tha firth little pigth houth. Tha piggy theed him comin' and hid inthide. Tha wolf he knocked right thmart on tha door and yelled little pig let me comed in. Tha piggy thaid not by tha hair on my thinny, thin, thin. Tha wolf he yelled back. Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow yer houth in. That ole wolf he huffed and he puffed and thure as hell he blowed 'er in." Vin gave a gentle swat to Beau about the language.

"Well tha piggy he thnuck out frough tha thellar and runned ta tha thecond little pigth houth. Ole wolf tooked hith time. He made him a big bundle of thraw and carried it over hith thoulder and thtarted off ta tha thecond pigth."

Ezra raised an eyebrow as the familiar story began to change. "Well them ole pigth they hid in tha houth when tha wolf gotted there. Ole wolf knocked on tha door polite ath ya pleath. He called out little pigth, little pigth let me come in. It were a right cold day. They yelled back not by the hair of our thinny, thin, thinth. Ole wolf thook hith head and yelled then I'll huff and I'll puff and blow thith thucker in. Tho tha wolf huffed and he puffed and blowed tha thucker down. Them two pigth ethcaped out tha back and went ta the next pigth houth. That wolf made him a big ole bundle of thtickth and tied it with thome twine and tothed it over hith thoulder. Off he went ta find tha third pigth houth."

Josiah smiled at the changing tale. "When tha wolf got ta tha houth made outta brickth he knocked on tha door and he yelled little pigth, little pigth let me come in. Them pigth thaid not be tha hair on our thinny, thin, thinth. Tha wolf he climbed up on tha roof and he looked down tha thimney. 'em pigth had a big ole pot a water a boilin' and he could hear'd 'em talkin' 'bout how they'th gonna put tha lid on when he come thlidin' down tha thimney and make wolf thtew."

"Tha wolf didn't cotton ta tha notion' at all. He clamored down offen tha roof and hollered in. I'm gonna huff and puff boyth if ya don't let me in outta tha cold. Tha pigth juth laughed. Tho tha wolf piled tha thraw agin tha door and then he laid tha kindlin agin that. Next he lit 'em a match and thet it in that thraw. Then he huffed and puffed and got all that ta burnin' and thmoked thoth ole pigth and ate 'em all winter." Beau finished the story.

Vin flashed a wicked grin at his friends as the story ended. Buck laughed "I ain't never heard it told that way before. Bitty didn't get all them words from Vin. He talks almost as much as JD".

"Ith yer turn," Beau looked at Vin.

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"Ya comfortable," Vin asked. "All right, ya ever hear about Coyote. He's a trickster and a player of pranks most times he's fairly harmless. Ole coyote decided he was gonna trap tha sun. He built him a trap in tha branches of this huge ole tree just before dawn. When tha sun started ta rise it became caught in coyote's snare. It pulled and it tugged but it just couldn't shake loose.

Well it started gettin' hotter. The grass began ta sorch and tha leaves on tha trees started ta shrivel up. The other animals began ta gather. Ole wolf he said you best let tha sun go 'fore it burns up ever'thin'. Ole coyote he just laughed. It got hotter and tha rivers and lakes dried up. Tha critters was gettin' mighty thirsty. Their fur coats was sa hot and bothersome. Ole coyote decided maybe catchin' tha sun wasn't such a good idea. So he started ta climb out on a limb and let 'em outta that trap. The sun was sa bright it hurt ole coyotes eyes and it singed his fur. Coyote backed outta tha tree. He tolt the other critters he couldn't reach ta do it. They's all made a try and quit.

All of 'em except fer little mole. Now he weren't much as far as tha others was concerned. He wasn't big like bear, or quick like snake, didn't impress nobody with his smarts like owl. He wasn't even pretty like skunk or chipmunk.

Well little ole mole climbed out on that limb. Sun was so very bright and hot. Mole closed his eyes and crept out there a little farther. Tha sun was a burning his eyes through the lids he was sa bright. His fur began ta burn off close ta his skin. He wouldn't quit though. He took ta gnawin' and diggin' at them cords a holdin' tha sun. Didn't quit till it was free and movin' up in tha sky like it belonged. Well all them critters gathered round ta congratulate mole and thank him fer what he done. Poor ole mole only had a fine fuzz left on his skin. He was blind from being sa close ta tha sun. He couln't tolerate tha rays of the sun on his skin no more. So he dug a hole and crawled in.

That' where you'll find him to this day. In tha cool dark earth. He hardly has any hair at all and he's blind. We'll ta thank him tha great one made him sacred ta all things. None of tha other critters will eat him. Tha people hold him in great respect for his sacrifice. He just didn't have any quit in him." Vin finished.

This is the version of the three little pigs I told my own children. I always felt the wolf got a bad rap.

My mother was called to a parent-teacher conference when I was in the second grade. It seems my teacher was concerned about my 'emotional well being'. All the children had been telling her their favorite bedtime story. Mine was Edgar Allen Poe's THE BLACK CAT. Mom told her if it didn't give me nightmares and I understood it she couldn't see a problem.

See my mother is why I'm warped.