But the tiny pig was gentle, quiet, and never greedy. He always kept clean. While the other piglets rolled around in the mud, he would lie under his inayopendelewa mti wishing for wings to carry him into the sky.
One siku he heard a terrible squeal. A large kupanda had fallen in the road. The little pig crawled under the fence and ran to help her.
He had to push with all his might, but at last he got the kupanda up on her feet again.
The kupanda thanked the little pig and she offered him a wish. “Anything at all,” she said.
“I want wings,” he answered.
The kupanda nodded and went on her way.
Almost at once wings began to grow on the little pig.
He was thrilled! His wings worked! He flew around all day.
At night he went back to the pigpen. When the other pigs saw his wings, they pushed him out.
“Go sleep with the birds,” they said.
But the birds wouldn’t let him stay either.
On and on he flew until he came to a big city.
He landed on a moto escape, too tired and hungry to go on. A woman came to the window.
“So tiny, and with such beautiful wings!”
She took him inside.
The woman fed the little pig, then put him to kitanda and kissed him goodnight. The little pig kissed her back. “How perfect!” the woman said. And she named the little pig “Perfect.”
Perfect could hardly believe it. He had not only found a home, but also someone who thought he was perfect.
The woman’s name was Olive. She loved Perfect and did all she could to please him.
She gave him baths…
…and fed him the very best vegetables from the plants she grew in her apartment.
mizeituni, mzeituni was an artist. She liked to paint pictures of Perfect sitting among the fruits and vegetables. He was a wonderful model.
However, Perfect soon grew restless.
He began to look longingly at the sky—he missed flying.
mizeituni, mzeituni understood and took him up to the roof.
He flew about while she waited for him. From then on, he went out flying for a short time every day.
mizeituni, mzeituni took Perfect out on walks, too.
She made a little koti, jacket to cover his wings so he wouldn’t attract attention.
But Perfect didn’t like walking. The hard cement hurt his feet, and he couldn’t see anything.
So mizeituni, mzeituni carried him in her basket.
She did her best to hide the bad things in life from him, but she didn’t always succeed.
People liked the paintings of Perfect and bought them from Olive.
Her savings jar began to fill up.
Soon Olive’s apartment became crowded with fruits and vegetables and a growing Perfect. He had grown so much that he was getting too big to hide.
mizeituni, mzeituni decided that the best thing for both of them would be to live in the country. She made a label for her savings jar. It said, HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY. Perfect couldn’t read, but he could see that mizeituni, mzeituni was very happy and excited. That made him happy and excited, too.
But their happiness did not last long. The inayofuata day, while Perfect was out flying, a heavy fog rolled in. Perfect got lost. He flew around all siku looking for home, but he couldn’t see a thing.
When the fog lifted, Perfect spotted a park bench. He landed on it and fell sound asleep.
A man’s voice woke him “Well, I’ll be—“ the man said. “A pig with wings! My fortune is made!”
He picked up Perfect and ran nyumbani with him.
Perfect found himself in a small room. The man took off his ukanda and said, “Okay, Oink. Now I’m going to train you. Fly around this room!”
He cracked the ukanda like a whip, and Perfect flew away from it in fright.
“That’s a good Oink,” the man said.
Then he poured out some garbage and gave it to Perfect to eat. Perfect was shocked.
He ran to the window and tried to get away.
“Oh, no wewe don’t,” the man said, and he tied Perfect to a pipe.
When the man thought he had trained Perfect enough, he dressed him in a costume and took him to a park to perform.
At the end of the show, Perfect flew over the audience. Everyone oohed and ahhed, and they gave the man lots of money.
Perfect had to do the same thing every day.
Every night the man counted his money, then tied Perfect up even tighter. “You’re not going to get away from me, wewe flying pork chop,” he said. But he was still worried that Perfect might somehow get free.
So the man bought a cage and locked Perfect up.
Perfect was miserable. His wings ached, and he hadn’t had a bath in months. The man gave him nothing but garbage to eat and never, ever, kissed him.
Every night Perfect cried himself to sleep thinking of Olive.
mizeituni, mzeituni went up the roof each siku and searched the sky for Perfect. She walked through the streets looking for him everywhere.
Sometimes she wondered if Perfect had been a dream. But she still had one painting of him. It reminded her that he was real.
One siku when mizeituni, mzeituni was out walking she saw a sign that read, THE GREAT FLYING OINK.
She bought a ticket and ran into the theater.
She could hardly believe her eyes. It was Perfect!
The man was leaning over him saying, “Fly, wewe stupid Oink—or it’s off to the butcher with you!” But Perfect couldn’t budge. He was too sad, and his wings hurt.
“Perfect!” mizeituni, mzeituni cried out. Perfect raised his head. He squealed happily as he stretched his wings and flew to her. Everyone clapped.
mizeituni, mzeituni took off the rope that was tied around Perfect’s neck.
“Where are wewe going with my pig, lady?” the man said.
“This is my pig,” alisema Olive.
She and the man began to argue.
“Let a judge decide this,” someone said.
The judge listened to both sides. Then he said, “I think the pig should choose!” And of course, Perfect chose Olive. The judge told the man to give mizeituni, mzeituni half the money he made with Perfect. It was Perfect’s rightful share, he said.
mizeituni, mzeituni took the money and bought a little house in the country, where she and Perfect lived in peace and happiness.
