Jarful of Stories - A Pig in High Heels

this week's story

Broadcast: January 30, 2011

This short story smells like pig mud to me but I think there's a message in there if you'll kindly read a little further. Do you ever feel like you're trying to be a pig in high heels? I feel that way all the time. I think the key to this story is accepting who you are. Of course the trick is finding out who you really are.
I'll let you know if I figure it out!

A PIG IN HIGH HEELS

     Lucinda could feel the other animals in the barnyard laughing at her. Oh, she couldn’t hear them but she knew what they thought of her.
     “That Lucinda, she’s nothing but a pig,” they would whisper. “When the farmer brings out the slops, she just eats it up.”
     It was all true. As much as Lucinda wanted to be more like the sleek chickens or the lean goat, she couldn’t help herself when it came to eating. She was a pig.
     Finally one day after slurping down another trough of slops she just couldn’t stand it any longer. Big pig tears came rolling down her cheeks. Lena, the only friendly cow in the herd, wandered over to the fence.
     “Feeling down, honey?” she asked Lucinda.
     “And how,” Lucinda quietly sobbed. “Look at me. I’m nothing like those gabby chickens. I’m not lean and tough like the goats. And gracious me, if I could only be like one of the horses.”
     “Well,” Lena sighed, “you’ve got to remember that you’re none of those. You’re Lucinda, the pig.”
     “Yes, I’m nothing but a pig,” she sniffed.
     “But being a pig isn’t bad. Yes, you roll in the mud, you eat slops, you’re fat, you smell horrible.”
     “Oh, thank you,” Lucinda said. ”That’s the sweetest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”
     “Did I mention that you eat slops?” Lean asked.
     “Yes, you did,” Lucinda nodded. “Thank you for pointing that out again.”
     “That’s funny,” Lena said. “I can’t remember my point.”
     “You know,” Lucinda said, “I never realized how wonderful I really am until you pointed it out. I can’t be a chicken or a goat or even a horse because I’m a pig and being a pig is probably the most important thing I can do. Somebody’s got to eat this slop. Somebody’s got to roll in this mud. I can do it! I can be the one! I’m a pig and I’m proud.”
      By this time Lena had wandered away to join the rest of the herd.
     “What’s up with the pig,” one of the other cows asked.
     “Oh, nothing much,” Lena answered. “She thinks she’s wearing high heels. Sometimes the best we can do is to just let it be.”
     The other cow glanced back at Lucinda and said, “Makes me glad I’m a cow. How about you?”
     Lena nodded her head but knew a little secret — it doesn’t matter what you are as long as you know who you are, high heels or not.

The End

Can you create a voice for Lucina the Pig? Where is she being sincere and where is she being sarcastic? That's important for this story. Reading this story on the show, I could show those feelings very easily. Does it work on the written page?
I hope you enjoyed this little story. Do you have one of your own, too? Now sit down and write your own!