Easter Piggie

Easter was a joyous celebration in the Land of the Flowered Animals. The animals awoke to Easter baskets filled with goodies and treats: a enormous chocolate Easter bunny for Pumble with dozens of jelly beans and marshmallow concoctions; Cadberry eggs for Hairy; white chocolate mice for Cookies; and gummy salmon for the seals. The ducks dined on fresh bread and quacked happily.

"A delightful Easter!" cried the first duck.

"A splendid holiday!" cried the second duck.

"This is good," mumbled the third duck, who was hoarding the bread.

Hairy hosted an egg hunt, and the animals ran around the room wildly looking for eggs. Cookies found the most, and spent the rest of the afternoon bragging about his "eagle eyes." The seals played happily with their new candy as they hid it about in places that were sure to be stepped on and squished between toes. Pumble passed out from a sugar overload and laid snoring on the floor, his face covered with chocolate. Occasionally, a burp would interrupt his snores.

Hairy was reading a new book he'd gotten when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a pig with wings standing behind him.

"Excuse me," the pig asked politely, "May I have some of your grass? It looks quite tasty."

"Who are you?" Cookies bellowed from across the room before Hairy could reply. "And why do you have wings? You can't fly!"

"I can actually," the pig said, smiling. "I'm a flying pig. "

"I don't believe you!" Cookies said. "Prove it!"

"Why are you here?" Hairy asked. "Are you visiting? This is the Land of the Flowered Bed. We have a spa if you're interested."

"He better not be interested!" the first duck quacked from the bathtub.

"I refuse to share my tub!" the second duck bellowed.

"There's always room for one more," the third duck said sweetly.

"Actually, I'm the Easter Pig," the pig smiled. "The Easter bunny sent me here."

The animals all stared at the pig. Pumble snorted, woke up, looked at the pig, blinked and immediately went back to sleep.

"I'm sorry, but we must be mistaken," Hairy said. "You're the Easter pig?"

"Yes," the pig said.

"There is no such thing as the Easter Pig," Cookies said.

"There is, because I am the Easter Pig," the pig said patiently.

"Prove it!" Cookies said, folding his arms.

"I can't prove it, I just am," the pig said.

"I'm very confused," Hairy said. The seals nodded in agreement.

"If you can't prove you're an Easter Pig, you can't fly either," Cookies said. "You're a lying pig."

"I can prove I can fly," the pig said. "How about this: if I prove I can fly, you believe I'm an Easter Pig?"

"Well, I guess," Hairy said doubtfully.

"I probably won't anyway but go ahead and try," Cookies said, smirking at the pig. "He'll get an inch off the ground and fall on his butt."

The pig climbed to the top of the bed and walked to the middle. He took a running start towards the end of the bed.

"Close your eyes, seals!" Cookies yelled. "This pig is going to splat!" The seals covered their eyes with their tails. Hairy clapped his hands over his face and peeked through his interlaced fingers. The pig ran to the edge of the bed and leaped.

"Timber!" Cookies yelled, then stared at the sky confused. Hairy peeked through his fingers and grinned, dropping his hands. "You can look," he told the seals. The seals opened their eyes and clapped in delight. The pig was flying!

The pig swooped around the room, doing circles and dipping and turning through the air. He landed triumphantly in front of Cookies and took a bow.

"You cheated," Cookies glared. "I'm going to prove it." He stalked off to sulk, and Hairy turned to the pig.

"A flying pig," he said admiringly as the seals began to construct their own wings out of hangers. "I never thought I'd see a flying pig."

"An Easter Pig at that," the Pig said smugly.

"True," Hairy agreed. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Chick," the Pig said, extending his hand. "Chick the Easter Pig."

"Well, Chick the Easter Pig," Hairy said, "Happy Easter!"