Edna watched floppy snow plop outside the front
window. Marshmallow cream came to mind. How would she ever get out for a walk.
The New Year had dawned bleak , chilled midwinter. Her cats all lined up in a row on the window sill to
see Edna off on her January daily walk. She
had five cats left of her original ten. The others got adopted over the holidays. Her cats liked to watch from the windowsill.
Neighbours
in the next block came to Edna’s house
the first of January, to wish her a Happy New Year. They brought her a card. And the pig. She
would weigh 150 pounds when full grown. Pink with black spots. She squealed a
lot. Her name was Buttertub. She had a stroller. And a blue blankie. She liked
the stroller. She sat in it while they had tea and discussed pigs. The five cats
hissed from their windowsill.
The pig neighbours
were moving into an apartment. Buttertub
grunted at the cats. She snuffled their feet. The cats cocked their heads from
side to side. They had never seen a pig
before.
“I couldn’t
possibly keep a pig,” said Edna to the pig people.
Pigs make
great family pets, they crooned. Besides, you have cats. She loves cats. Buttertub
squealed. The cats jumped from their windowsills to the couch. Buttertub
followed them. She oinked in delight. The
cats did not oink. They fuzzed their fur.
“Pigs are super smart ” Buttertub rolled on the ground and grunted at
the cats . They craned
their necks to get a look . They stopped
hissing and started patting at Buttertub’s belly.
“There’s
hobby farm willing to take her, in two weeks, if you’d like” said the pig
people. Buttertub burped. Its odour wafted into the air. “If you could keep her
just for two weeks... ”
Edna’s cats circled
Buttertub. Two weeks,thought Edna. Two weeks. She was immediately hit with the
idea that she should throw out the pork roast in the freezer. It might
offend Buttertub.
She
straightened her shoulders and agreed to look after Buttertub for two weeks. Edna
taped the number of the hobby farm to the fridge. She would count down the
days. The pig people gave her a list of
her favourite foods; turnips, radishes, Eggplant, potatoes, Melons and berries. No cakes or cookies. Edna
decided to redo her grocery list.
As the week
progressed Edna found Buttertub loved pumpkin. And trying to steal the cat’s chow. She opted
to feeding her cats on the dining room table.the cats dropped kibble here and
there. Buttertub snorted up the little morsels with great delight.Once in a
while, Edna gave her part of a shortbread. Buttertub loved shortbread.
Then there
was the stroller. Pig sized. Buttertub
loved to curl up in it with her blankie. She would squeal to be carried to it.
Squeal to be taken out. Eventually the
cats took turns sleeping in it when the pig was elsewhere in the house.Edna
knitted a warm sweater coat for the pig. Bright pink . Once the snow melted off
she took Buttertub out for walks in her stroller. The five cats were jealous.
They sat on the windowsill waiting their
return. Five tails swished in rhythm as they waited.
Edna took Buttertub up and down her street. Cars
stopped. People stopped. Buttertub’s bright pink sweater was a hit. Then it was home, in time to smash up another
pumpkin and watch the cats knock kibble to the floor. Buttertub thought it was
great fun to chase the cats.
Two weeks
went by fast. The hobby farm called on schedule. Edna didn’t answer the phone. She
looked at Buttertub.
She was the center
of a pile of cats. Some sleeping. Some
pawing at her. She snorted a few times.
Contented. Her pink sweater needed
mended. Some of the cats had pulled at the yarn.
Edna got out
her knitting needles. Time to make a new one. In purple this time. Would take
about three weeks to make a new one. She’d have to call the hobby farm. She’d have to tell them…….
And she set
to work, yarn slowly spinning into shape. Buttertub burped up a piece of
shortbread…... The cats purred. Knit
one, purl two….three threads in a thrum…….
