Why Pigs Search the Dumping Ground
Once upon a time, there lived a tortoise who was so poor that it was difficult to feed his family. He and the members of the family wore tattered clothes; poverty was written all over their bodies. To have one square meal in a day was difficult.
As we know that children are vulnerable, their children were the worst hit. One day, the little girl tortoise could not bear it again. She ran to her mother and said that she was feeling a stomach ache.
When she got to their mother, her brother was already complaining of headache; all because of hunger. The mother also was not feeling fine, she was only hiding it from the children. She tried to pacify her children that all would be well.
She lied to them that the food she was cooking would soon be done. Mummy Tortoise only put stones in the pot deceiving the children. She knew that they would soon sleep off. As was expected, the children soon slept off.
When Daddy Tortoise arrived home, her wife didn’t even welcome him. She confronted him and told him to find urgent solutions to their present predicaments.
She knows her husband very well as a cunning and tricky character. He would have eaten at his friend’s house. Daddy Tortoise always goes from one friend to another. While doing that, one of them would feed him.
Mummy Tortoise shouted at him to do something before they all starve to death. She told him that he was not a responsible husband nor a responsible father to his children.
” When you know you cannot take care of the children, why did you bring them to the world?” Asked Mummy Tortoise.
These utterances from Mummy Tortoise infuriated Tortoise. He couldn’t sleep till daybreak. He was only turning and turning on the bed. He was thinking of the possible way out of the embarrassing situation.
Several thoughts came to his mind. He eventually decided to borrow money from Mr. Pig, one of his friends. Mr. Pig was a very energetic character who worked hard and was very rich.
Tortoise decided to borrow from him and never to repay the money as he had nowhere to get the money.
Very early the following morning, Tortoise dashed out of the house to Mr. Pig’s house. He was the one that woke Mr. Pig and his family.
He begged Mr. Pig to borrow him some amount of money, that he would repay it the following week. He said he had some amount of money to collect from someone.
Mr. Pig agreed to lend him the money if the repayment would not exceed the time promised to pay back. Tortoise said he might even pay it before the day he promised the payment.
Tortoise left Mr. Pig’s house a happy man. Before he got home, her wife and the children had woken up. He was hearing the cry of his children from a far distance.
Before his wife bounces on him again with abuses, he brings out money and gives it to his wife to go and buy food and other useful things in the house. Her wife didn’t even ask him where he got the money from.
The following week, Mr. Pig was expecting Tortoise to come and pay the money borrowed but didn’t see him. He gave him another week again, thinking that Tortoise would come, but he didn’t turn up.
He then sent a message that if Tortoise refused to come, he would come down to his house himself the following day.
On the following day, Tortoise was expecting Mr. Pig to come over to his house. It was then he told his wife how he got the money. Tortoise planned to play a fast one on Mr. Pig.
He told his wife that he had no money to pay back. He then told his wife to pretend as if she was sick. He instructed her to put an egg in her mouth.
When Mr. Pig comes, she should burst the egg and vomit it. It would then appear as if she was vomiting really, to show that she was really sick.
Tortoise heard the humming of Mr. Tortoise from afar, he then covered her with cloth and instructed her to be shivering. As Mr. Pig entered the house, Mummy Tortoise burst the egg in her mouth and vomited it as instructed by her husband.
Without being told anything, Mr. Pig believed that Mummy Tortoise was sick. He advised Tortoise to take care of her very well. Tortoise then said that’s why he has not been able to pay the money back.
He then begged to be given one more week for the payment. Mr. Pig agreed and said the health of her wife was more important.
The following week, Mr. Pig didn’t see Tortoise for the payment. He sent messages to him, all to no avail. Tortoise was just giving one excuse or another. Mr. Pig then realized that Tortoise was only playing on his intelligence.
Mr. Pig was highly enraged that he decided to collect his money that day, whatever happened. He left his house for Tortoise’s house. As we know pigs always make noise while walking.
Tortoise heard the humming of Mr. Pig from a distance. He quickly told his wife to turn him upside-down and put pepper on her chest and be grinding.
Anybody that sees Mummy Tortoise will think she is using a grinding stone. Mr. Pig entered the house in annoyance and asked Mummy Tortoise the whereabouts of her husband several times. Mummy Tortoise didn’t even respond to Mr. Pig.
This infuriated Mr. Pig the most. He then pushed Mummy Tortoise aside, carried the grinding stone, and threw it over the fence. Mr. Pig didn’t know that it was a Tortoise he threw over the fence.
A few seconds later, Tortoise just walked into the house. Mr. Pig instantly accosted Tortoise that he had come to collect his money. Tortoise told him to be patient and that he was ready to pay him the money.
Tortoise asked his wife where he kept the grinding stone. He said he tied the money under the grinding stone. Mummy Tortoise then responded that Mr. Pig had thrown it away in annoyance.
Tortoise then faced Mr. Pig and told him to find his money and the grinding stone for him immediately. Mr. Pig then rushed out of the house to the back of the fence. When he got there, no grinding stone was found.
That’s how Mr. Pig started searching everywhere and then moved to the dumping ground. That’s why pigs always search the dumping ground looking for Tortoise’s money and grinding stones.
Lessons Taught
Hardworking: This story teaches us to be hardworking. Tortoise in the story was not hardworking. He believed that he would always have his way of playing tricks on everybody to survive with his family.
Responsibility: The story teaches us to be responsible. Tortoise the story was not responsible to his family. That’s why his wife talked to him as she liked, molesting him.
Anger: The story also teaches us to avoid anger in all ramifications. Anger destroys things as it would lead an angry person to misbehave and spoil things. The person would not even be able to control himself again.
This shows in Mr. Pig’s action when Mummy Tortoise didn’t respond to her questions. He angrily threw away Tortoise, thinking that it was a grinding stone.