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- Herausgeber: Books on Demand
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
When pigs fly and other children's stories is a collection of four short fairy tales for the inner child in all. In the story Bob the big Bottomed we follow Bob who is a somewhat lazy young man. Bob's unwillingly forced to take responsibility for himself. One day, a pixie knocks on his door and Bob's life is changed forever. The second story is When pigs fly. On a farm lives the young pig Kevin. Just as Bob, Kevin seems to be happy at his home. An inner yearning calls to him and when a bird crashes into his pigsty, his whole view of life is challenged. Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder is the third story. Maisie's dog Beauty is dying and Maisie struggles to let go of her beloved friend. A dream will take Maisie and Beauty on a journey through the depths of Maisie's emotions. The last story is Cloud 9. We meet Peter who is an adventures soul. Peter meets a variety of different persons and races. His indominable spirit and kindness are really the nerve and heart of this humorous story.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Contents
Bob the Big Bottomed
When Pigs Fly
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
Cloud 9
Acknowledgements
To the inner child in all.
Bob the Big Bottomed
In a land not too far away, there was a king.
The king was a mighty and wealthy king. He had defeated all his enemies and felt he could now sit peacefully on his throne. The king’s wife was a queen of beauty and splendour. Every young man in the kingdom (and many women as well) fell in love with their daughter, the princess, who was both beautiful and fun. Everything seemed to work out for the king and queen. The kingdom was at peace and bountiful. This year’s harvest was a good one, and the seasons were mild and kind to the grand kingdom. But had the king and his Royal Army really defeated all their enemies?
No!
There was one terrible foe they hadn’t faced. They had avoided him and hoped he would leave them alone like some people shy away from charity collectors.
He was the mightiest and most terrifying of all knights in every known and unknown kingdom. He was the Black Knight. Not a knight in shiny, white armour, but a knight in armour black as coal. His eyes could literally kill, his breath was foul, and his swordsmanship was beyond compare. From a young age, he had proclaimed, ‘Everyone who faces me in battle will end up dying.’ And everyone who had faced him had indeed died. He was merciless and cunning. So, when he came knocking on the castle door, the court knew they were doomed. The Black Knight quickly turned the kingdom into a vast and desolate place. The flowers stopped blossoming, and the kingdom turned dark. The Black Knight now sat on the throne and became the Black King. He locked the former royal family in a cell in the castle’s dungeon. He wanted the family to starve, so he instructed the court not to feed the family and he presumed the king, queen and princess would die soon.
Far away from the castle, there lived an old man and wife with their lazy son. The son was not particularly happy about work; in fact, he hated doing any work at all. ‘Why bother with work today when you can do it tomorrow?’ he always said. His bottom kept getting bigger and bigger, and so he became known as ‘Bob the Big Bottomed’. Bob loved his life in the countryside and felt like a pea in the pod (happy, comfortable and secure) until his parents died of old age. It took a toll on young Bob, who had never seen death. Suddenly, his life was not as burden-free as it was when his parents were alive. In despair, and with no knowledge of how to look after the farm, he took the few farm animals with him and went to the market to sell them and the farm. His bottom said, ‘Boom, boom BOOM’ each time he walked, and he dragged his feet all the way.
At the market, people bowed their heads when he came by because they felt sorry for him and wanted someone to help him. His parents were always kind to everyone, so ‘someone ought to help him’, they all said.
However, what is said and what is done are not always the same.
Bob could not sell his animals or the farm. He had even made a ‘For Sale’ sign, which was the most work he had done for years, but still, people ignored him and seemed to have business elsewhere whenever he approached them. Bob went home feeling heavy-hearted.
He sat on his favourite chair and began sobbing. It all seemed pointless. Nobody wanted his farm. He had done so much work, but without any rewards. His thoughts spiralled downwards until they were suddenly interrupted.
*knock, knock, knock*
Someone was knocking on the door, and Bob had to make a great effort to get up from the chair and walk there. When he opened the door, he found to his surprise, that there was no one there. ‘Who’s messing with me!’ he exclaimed out loud, feeling the frustration running through his veins. ‘It’s just me,’ a tiny voice said from somewhere. Bob looked left and right, but he still couldn’t see anyone, so he shut the front door. He didn’t shut his mouth though, as he then sat down on his chair and mumbled words that are not appropriate for this story.
*knock, knock, KNOCK*
This time it was even louder. ‘Stop messing around, kids! You’ll be sorry when I get you!’ he yelled, opening the door yet again. And again, there was no one there. No one to the left, no one to the right, and no one up in the air. Bob slammed the door and once more sat on his chair, mumbling even louder.
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!*
The knocking was even more insistent this time. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ Bob yelled and opened the door. ‘For the last time, bog off!’ he shouted into the air.
BANG!
He suddenly felt a sharp pain just above his ankle. When Bob looked down, he could see a little fellow, not more than seven inches tall, looking up at him with something in its hand. Upon further investigation, Bob realized it was a tiny gun.
Bob jumped a few feet back, not only due to the sharp pain but mainly because there was an actual pixie in front of him (You see, people don’t always know when they are in a fairy tale).
‘Who-who are you? WHAT are you? And wha-what are you doing here?’ The questions stumbled out of his mouth, and more were on their way.
‘My name is of no importance. I’m so hungry and need a warm place to stay for the night.’ The pixie was soaking wet, which was rather strange since the sun had been shining for seven days.
From the goodness of his heart, Bob let the pixie stay for the night. When Bob woke up, every room was tidy and clean. The pixie was at the door waiting for Bob. ‘Thank you, dear sir, for your hospitality,’ it said. ‘To show you my gratitude, I’ll grant you one wish.’
Bob was surprized by this. It’s not every day you meet a wish-granting pixie. They tend to tell you to bog off, or they bite your big toes (they especially love the smelly ones). But for some reason, this pixie was a wish-granting one, and that’s just how it was.
