CHAPTER 1:

Mike the Rabbit and Alex the Swine

His mother called him Michael. He was the most active of all the young bunnies. He played with his brothers and sisters in the forest, skipping, running, and digging, which they learned from their Mom and Dad. ‘Catch-me-as-you-can’ was one of their favorite games. It was enjoyable if you were chased. The trick was to let the pursuer come so close he almost had you and then suddenly jump a corner, passing a tree. The follower had to be careful not to bump headlong into the tree.

“Yes,” Mike replied when his mother called for him. He and the other siblings had a good life in the forest. There were lots of different animals to play with. But they had to be very careful for foxes, cats, and ferrets. Mike’s best friend was Alexander, the little swine.

Alexander had lots of brothers and sisters, but he was the smallest. He wasn’t as solid and fast as the others and always got pushed away from the food. When they played, he almost always lost.

The little swine and the giant rabbit liked to play together in the farmer’s cornfield. But once, the nasty farmer sent his vicious dog Mason out into the cornfield. “Get out!” he yelled. The dog paused and gasped. That darned rabbit jumped beside him, and so he lost sight of the swine. Now, he had to go sniffing for a track, which would take much longer. “My boss doesn’t want you digging holes in his cornfield. I’ll keep watch,” barked the dog.

A few days later, Alex and Mike had gathered enough courage, to go carefully to the cornfield's edge. They did not see Mason, and Mike's nose could not smell him either. One day, Mike proposed to Alex that they go along to the cornfield’s edge that night. “Let’s have an afternoon nap so we’ll be wide awake,” he said. 

They walked cautiously along the cornfield that night; beware, the dog would jump out. “Does a dog need to sleep, like us?” Mike asked his friend. “I think so,” Alex growled. “He’s an animal, just as we are.”

Mike and Alex were gradually becoming more grown-up. They were getting more curious and daring and wanted to explore the world. When they arrived at the corner of the field, in the deep twilight, they saw the farmhouse and a large old barn with several doors. The rear door in that row, which was closest to them, was slightly open. It squeaked back and forth, gently in the light evening breeze.

Mike and Alex were curious. Even more carefully than before, the friends approached, creeping along on tip-toes. They sniffed at all kinds of odours that they did not know. They wondered whether they should feel afraid, but their curiosity overcame them. They had promised to continue to help each other. And together, they were strong.

Near the stable, Mike sniffed once more. He smelled the dog and other animals, including cows and pigs. Mike hopped quickly to the door. He jumped inside, rushing when a fierce gust threatened to clamp the door shut. Fortunately, the door did not slam shut. Alex had seen his friend jump through the door, but he was too big to slip inside. With his sturdy body, he tried to give a little push to the boards of the fence of the barn. The boards broke as if they were matchsticks.

Mason heard the creaking sound! The dog rushed out of his cage, furious and barking. “What are you doing? I’m the boss here.” Alex was scared, but he did what his father had taught him. He braced himself. He lowered his head slightly to give the rapidly approaching dog a fierce poke with his nose.

Oops! The long, thick rope that was the dog's lead was too short! Suddenly, the rope cut into his neck. Instead of catching his prey, he flew onto his back. Ouch!!

The dog scrambled up in a daze; he looked in the direction where Alex had just stood. But the door had blown open wide enough for the wild swine to follow his friend quickly inside.

When Alex had settled his emotions of fear for the dog, he heard a soft slurping sound. Gradually, his eyes became accustomed to the darkness. His nose smelled something very familiar. Now he saw it, too: a large sow with her children. “Welcome,” grunted the mother pig, “Do I get companionship?”

“Are you a swine, just like me?” Alex asked

“Come to my front so I can see you better,” growled the pig with the high tone of a female.

Alex walked to her front, taking care not to tread on all those cute little piglets.

“I can see you now. We look very much alike. We're like family, but you have bigger teeth and brown skin with black lines. We have smaller teeth, and our skin is white.”

“Are these your children?” Alex asked

“Yes, those are my piglets, my baby pigs.”

“So you're a pig, and they are your baby pigs? What's your name?”

“Yes, I'm a pig, and the farmer calls me Sophie the Sow. A sow is a mother pig.”

“You know a lot, Sophie; I'm Alex. Have you seen my boyfriend, Mike?

“You mean that little tiddler, who is smaller than my piglets? You can hear him slurping. He said he was hungry, and I told him he could eat my leftovers.”

Alex suddenly felt very hungry, and his stomach growled.

“Sophie, do you think there is something for me? You must have enough food to feed all your piglets.”

“You're a sweetheart,” Sophie said. “There is enough, and the farmer always gives me too much. It tastes good, but I want to remain a real pig lady, slim enough not to be slaughtered this autumn. Come here; I want to smell your nose.”

Alex did so. Sophie pulled her face back and said, “Go ahead, my boy.”

Boy, it tasted good! That meal was a feast for Alex. "Sophie,” he said between his slobbering, “This food is delicious!”

“Eat up and keep feasting. That's good for a young pig like you, as it will make you bigger and stronger. What do you eat where you come from?”

Alex paused his munching and licked his mouth. “I eat in the forest, which is behind the cornfield. We eat the soft parts of roots.”

“That's far away! Then you’ve made a long and tiring walk,” said Sophie.

“ I'm used to long walks,” said Alex. Sometimes, I run quickly because of a dog or some other animal.”

Sophie had to laugh: “That's Mason. He makes a lot of noise, but he’s harmless. He can’t even properly growl. You can walk up to him and talk to him. He won’t bite.”

“Well, thank you, Sophie. There is some leftover food for you. Mike also has his fill now.”

The rabbit was already waiting. He said, “Yes, that was tasty!”

“Alex, you don’t have to leave me any food,” said Sophie. “Every day, the farmer brings me too much food. He thinks I need so much for my piglets.”

Alex continued to gorge until he had eaten all the food Sophie had given him.

Mike and Alex said in unison, “Thank you, dear Mama Sophie; that was very tasty!”

    “Well done, guys”, replied Mama Sophie, “now you may go to sleep.”

“Dear Mama Sophie,” said Mike, “I think our mothers and fathers might be worried because we ran away and aren’t back home yet. And now it’s dark outside.”

“Well, then go home now,” said Sophie. “But you have to promise me one thing first. No more animals should come here from out of the woods. With the two of you, and my piglets,I find it cozy enough.”

“Yes, Mama Sophie, we promise,” said Mike and Alex.

Mama Sophie, who had experience raising pigs, knew she had to tell her children what was allowed and what wasn’t. Later, they would want to explore and see what they could do and what was too dangerous.

"Mason!" cried Sophie, standing up. “I’ve told the rabbit and swine to go home now. You don’t need to worry about them. And to the youngsters, she said, “I hope to see you again soon. That was fun!”

“Thank you, dear Mama Sophie,” called Alex and Mike. “We'll be back soon!” Alex cried as he struggled to wriggle between the broken slats.