-I see a black pig sitting on cut grass in a farm.
-I feel that this pig is searching for food.
STORY
The people of Townsville gathered around the community hall with gloomy faces. The men looked enraged and ready to go to war, while the women sniffed into their hankies and twisted their hands in worry. The battle their men had decided to embark on was a dangerous one.
“So what do we agree on. That we move into the woods to attack at dusk tomorrow?” Larry the town leader asked the crowd.
“Of course yes” the male voices around him chorused.
The women sighed some more and shook their heads, exchanging looks with one another.
“Why can't we just set traps for the damned enemies?” Old John's widow asked. She was concerned because she knew her son would want to be a part of this journey, and she wasn't happy about it. Her dear husband, Old John, had been killed on his very own farm by these savages, and she feared losing her son.
Her question resulted in murmurings from the women, who liked this plan better than the hunting idea.
“Mother John, you know we've tried trapping them before, and they keep escaping, don't they?” Larry asked.
Larry was right, the traps had been destroyed, while the enemies ran off into the woods to recuperate and attack again the next day. The enemies of the people of Townsville were the wild pigs. The pigs had practically destroyed their farms and left them on the brink of famine last farming season.
They had struck again this season, getting fat on the potatoes, maize, melons, and other cultivated crops on the farms. The damage got worse each passing day, and that was why the meeting had been called. The women retreated to their houses after making the men promise to be careful.
The men finished their battle plans and first headed to their farm lands to assist each other in building sturdy fences before heading home in the evening. The young boys buzzing with the excitement of going hunting with their fathers were met with disappointment on their father's return.
Only adults would be allowed to go into the woods tomorrow. The mothers smiled happily at the news, while the boys sulked until they went to bed. In Old John’s house, mother John sat worriedly by the fire thinking about her only son James.
“Hello mother, you didn't even hear me come in. A penny for your thoughts?” James said.
“My boy, I'm just worried about tomorrow” she replied feebly.
“Rest easy mother, Larry has promised to look out for me and be careful. We are a large group, and we'll be together most of the time. No one will get hurt” James replied, alleviating his mother's fears.
“I hope so, I'm taking these old bones to bed. Goodnight my boy” Mother john replied, retiring into her bedroom.
James chuckled and sat down, pulling off his boots and wondering when his mother would stop referring to a 25-year-old man like him as her boy. But he secretly loved it, so he never complained. Yawning wearily, he stretched out on the chair and was soon fast asleep.
The next day, after checking on their farms and dealing with damages. The men headed to the hall with their guns and traps and machetes. They joked around while cleaning and sharpening their equipment. At dusk, they set off into the woods, alert and quiet.
They walked deep into the woods before they located any sign of the pigs. They quietly split up into large groups and traps were set around to capture the pigs that might try to run. Some men climbed on trees, their job was to shoot any trapped animal before it could escape.
“I think it's their mating season. They're quite much in number. No wonder the damage to our farms is much”. A young man Billy, whispered to his group.
Larry let off the first shot and the animals squealed and tried to flee.
“Don't let them get away! Attack” Larry shouted.
The men laughed and swung into action. The pigs were finally defeated and all was well until a man named Big Tim ran out from the woods, being pursued by a fat wild pig. The men watched in amusement as Tim ran around in circles screaming, the pig closely being in pursuit.
James swiftly saved Big Tim by shooting the animal.
“We'll never speak of this” said Big Tim, who had taken a moment to collapse in relief. He stood up and maintained his composure.
The hunting party gathered their kills and headed back to town at dawn. It was a lot of meat, and it was shared among every household. The women breathed sighs of relief and rejoiced at the news that every pig in the woods had been hunted down.
When James told his mother the news, she clapped excitedly and looked upwards.
“You hear that Old John? Ha!”
This made James and Larry laugh out loud. The remaining cultivated crops grew in peace, and the whole town slept peacefully and went into the woods without fear. Although, a rumor had begun that Big Tim would gladly help out his fellow man if the man threatened to speak of a certain incident that occurred in the woods...
