DISCLAIMER: The Pigman belongs to Paul Zindel.


Graveyard

-

The side walk was damp, signifying the end of a long rain. A young man stood at the corner, smoking a cigarette, his face shrouded by dark bangs that had grown out over the years. The college youth had a dark demeanor about him; mothers gave him awkward glances as they pushed their children across the street. A distaste for the town ran through the man's body and he hoped the encounter he was about to face would not take long.

At noon, a woman in a black dress slowly walked across the street. When she reached the man, she looked up and stared at him.

"You're late," said the man, blowing out smoke from his mouth. "I get a call two days ago saying to return to this garbage dumb and you show up late."

"I just got here yesterday night, myself. No need to growl," said the woman with a sigh. "Besides, it's the anniversary of Mr. Pignati's death. Shouldn't you have the courtesy to at least show up to visit his grave?"

"Lorraine, when I left for college, I left my life here behind. That means you, my parents, the school, the teachers, anyone I used to hang out with, and definitely the Pigman. Don't call me next year."

Lorraine and John had been a couple for the last two years of high school. After Senior year ended, John said he was cutting off everything that had to do with that part of Staten Island and disappeared. Lorraine had finally been able to track down the young man a week ago, right before the anniversary of the death of their beloved Pigman.

The rain of that morning had left the cemetery feeling even more forlorn. John and Lorraine walked inside and shuffled past tomb stone after tomb stone of anonymous people they had never heard of before uneasily until they reached the one they were looking for. Lorriane knelt down and gingerly placed the flowers she had been holding against the marble while John just stood there, smoking a second cigarette and watching.

The two of them stayed there for a while, saying nothing. After about three hours and eight cigarettes, John cleared his throat. "Well, I think it's time for me to be leaving. I've got a plane to catch at five." He threw the white cylinder he had been holding onto the ground and snuffing it out with the heel of his boot. He then turned around to leave the cemetery.

"Those things are gonna kill you pretty soon, ya know?" said Lorraine, still rooted to her position next to the grave.

In a saddened tone, John answered, "I know." With that, the young man was gone.

Lorraine stayed there for another hour. After the hour was up, she whispered, "I'm not coming back next year, Mr. Pignati. I've been offered a small acting job. It's not much, but if I want my acting career to really take off, I can't stay rooted here, chasing after John and continuing to be lost in my memories. I hope to come back some year, though. Don't know when, but I'll make it happen. I promise, but I'm sorry, Mr. Pignati." At this point, tears had started to trickle down her face. He quickly wiped them away and stood up, disappeared down the route John had taken less than an hour ago.

A small leaf broke off from the tree above. It trickled down through the air until it fell on the Pigman's grave, blocking out part of the message that John and Lorraine had chosen five years ago.

"Here lies Mr. Pignati. He was an inspiring man with a big heart. He was a loving husband, an amazing friend, and a devoted collector of pigs. He was also able to touch the lives of many people and make them better. Mr. Pignati will always be missed for his big smile and caring nature."

-

Five years later, John sat at the desk his father had once occupied not too long ago. A cigarette was in his hands; the fifth one for the day and an addiction he most likely wasn't going to give up any time soon. His older brother, Kenny, was passed out in the back closet with a hangover from a party he had attended the previous night. John had found Kenny in a back alley wearing nothing but his underwear, the older Conlan boy smelled strongly of alcohol. John had dragged his older brother home and, unable to find a better place to dispose him, threw Kenny on an old couch in the closet and returned to work.

"Mr. Conlan! Mr. Conlan!" yelled one of the employes, running in. His name was Jared and he was only two years younger than John himself. The young man had started that summer and since than had been showing great success.

"What is it Jared?" asked John in a monotone voice.

Jared held up the newspaper and pointed at a side article. "Read this!"

What caught John's attention, however, was not what his underling had wanted to show him but a different article on the page. In big bold letters it said, "Miss Lorraine Jensen: Upcoming Movie and Book." Envy surged through the man's body as a realization hit him; Lorraine had taken him seriously and abandoned him for real. She was now living his dream and her own while he, himself, was just sitting there, day after day, at what was probably the worst job in the world and the doctors beating down his door, telling him he didn't have long to live.

THE END


A/N: Yeah. This is just an assignment I had to do for English. It's barely edited so it sucks ass. Like I'd expect anyone to read it, anyway. And Jared is a character I plan on using for an original work so this was a bit of a test run for him. Also, I can't stop envisioning the Kenny in the Pigman as an older version of Kenny from South Park. Well, Kenny's my favorite character in SP, so yeah... Little is known actually about Pigman Kenny besides the fact that he's John's older brother so I made him a party lover. :)

Please review. I want to know what you think.