The Second Samueltonian- When Pigs Fly

(Previously in The Second Samueltonian) The sun had almost disappeared behind the live oak trees before the Studebaker came down the road kicking up a cloud of dust. Mansel wasn’t surprised to see two cases of beer in the seat beside his brother but he was puzzled to see an enormous wooden board jutting out of the trunk. Mansel recognized it immediately. He had spent most of his life at that saloon and knew every inch of it by heart. Raymond had gone back to the Bait and Brew, pried off the countertop of the bar and then helped himself to the cold beer since, “I was gettin’ a little hungry so I figured you must be too.” The countertop was pine, three inches thick, two feet wide and twelve feet long. A truck would have floated on it so a pig would be nothing! The boys lured Rosella on to the board with a few more jellybeans. As she began to munch Mansel gently pushed the countertop into the water. Raymond started the boat as Mansel secured the rope, then gunned the boat out into the lake. Rosella looked a little startled but continued chewing the last mouthful of the jellybeans. Mansel glanced back at the pig and was pleased that she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her ears were flapping in the breeze as she stared intently ahead, still chewing. “Look at her,” Mansel shouted to Raymond. “She’s having a fine ol’ time!” Raymond and Mansel were staring back at the pig as the motorboat roared forward. Neither of them noticed the stump until they slammed into it. Now I truly doubt the boys had ever heard of inertia and I’m sure neither of them had contemplated the notion that an object in motion tends to remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. However, they had a very clear lesson in the following seconds. When the boys crashed into the stump the boat came to a complete and total stop. Mansel flew over the windshield and wound up on the front of the boat. Raymond slammed into the dash and had he not been drinking done serious damage to his head. As it was he was just a little more dizzy than usual. The boys were trying to pull themselves together when they looked back at Rosella. There she was still tied to the countertop and flying towards them at a high rate of speed, looking all the world like a piggy guillotine. Panicking, they dove into the water just as Rosella hydroplaned and sailed over the boat. You could see by the look in Rosella’s eyes that she was enjoying being the first pig in space until she reached the end of her towline. The force was such at that moment Rosella flipped over still tied to the makeshift surfboard. Submerged upside down in the water there was no possibility of escape. Rosella seemed doomed to a death by drowning. Mansel saw Rosella in peril but Raymond was shouting for help. He knew his brother couldn’t swim. He had moments to decide what he should do. Raymond was family even though he didn't really like him. Rosella was a pig but a pig he loved. Mansel swam toward Rosella flipping her over and out of harms way. The pig was no worse for wear but highly indignant at the treatment she had suffered. She squealed her displeasure but she was alive! Mansel then turned to save Raymond who was standing in the chest deep water shouting “I can't believe you’d save a damn pig over your own flesh and blood!” On the way home Mansel sat in the back seat with Rosella feeding her jellybeans and drinking beer. Rosella after an hour of ignoring Mansel had forgiven him for trying to teach her how to ski. The pig's forgiveness made Raymond’s complaining bearable.