"Three Little Pigs"

I remembered sitting on my bed watching the Winx Club. It was my favorite show. I should have been doing my homework that evening, but I decided that watching tv and scrambling my brains from cringe 2013 commercials were more important than my reading assignment. My mom came into my room and asked me if I finished my homework. I nodded and smile. I lied of course. Then, she said "Let me see." Dang it! I thought she was going to leave me alone in my little world, but I couldn't get out of this one. I showed her my reading assignment. It was a questionnaire about the story of the Three Little Pigs by James Marshall. My mom flipped the singular empty page on both sides and created a flickering sound.

"What have I told you about not completing homework before fun?"

"Always do my homework first..."

"A few days ago, your teacher had to tell me that you were behind on your school work. Do not make this a habit. Have you read the three little pigs?"

"Um...in class we did a reading and then we had to take it home and answer some questions."

"Do you remember what it was about?"

I hesitated because I didn't want my mom to think that I was a total goofball. I actually did my homework when I felt like it, but that day, my attention span was on zero during class. I mumbled "No."

"Okay," she said, "Let me tell you the story. Maybe it can help you answer some of these questions."

Every children's story I knew didn't always come from my parents reading every night to me like other children might have experienced. I got the real and genuine story from my parents who told their own versions. I sat on my bed and she placed the paper next to me. She said "Now, you listen closely to me. If you have questions, politely stop me, but if not, try your best to pay attention sweetie."

She begun.

"Once upon a time in Brooklyn, there were three sisters. Ariel, Bertha, and Casey. Each of them lived in a different area of Brooklyn. Ariel lived in Brooklyn Heights, Bertha lived in Flatbush, and Casey lived by Coney Island. Each year during June, the three sisters would meet at Washington Square Park to have a picnic. They would talk about their daily lives such as Ariel's job interview at a big firm, Bertha's stay-at-home-mom website launch for mothers who need fresh activities to do with their kids, or Casey's hopeful conversation about pursuing her dream as a painter. The women were full of so much color. The hue of their skin complemented the bright colors they wore which varied in colors such as orange, yellow, lavender, and pink.

This time during June, it rained a lot. The sisters decided to go to a local bakery for brunch. A very handsome man walked into the bakery. He was tall, a little grey on the hair, and had a beautiful smile that will persuade anyone. He made eye contact with Ariel who had just finished brushing her hair. He sat the bar, but through a circle mirror on the wall, he saw Ariel's beautiful face.

Ariel said "Wow, that's a fine man!"

Berth said "You should go ask him out."

Ariel said "What? No. He wouldn't go out with a girl like me."

Casey said "You see the suit he's wearing? He screams money and we love a man that has money."

The sisters laugh in unison.

The man placed down money on the counter and exited the bakery. The ladies finished their meal and asked for the check. The waiter told them "Don't worry about it ladies. That man paid for it. What a nice guy!"

The sisters exchange surprised looks and rushed outside only to find the man sitting at the bus stop-"

Before my mom finished, I had to ask a question. I said "Mom, why is he sitting at a bus stop if he has money?"

She said "Let me finish."

She continued, "The sisters assumed that today wasn't a day for a car. The weather was really nasty and not many people were out on the road. They trotted across the street to him like little school girls on a playground and hovered around this handsome man. The man introduced himself as Thomas 'Wolf' Grain, but people call him Wolf because of his love for wildlife wolves.

The sisters talked his ear off until he took down each of their numbers. His bus came and he got on. He sat down in back row and winked at Ariel who never took her eyes off him.

The next week, Ariel, Bertha, and Casey had been seeing Wolf separately. Ariel and Wolf went out on a couple of dates. Bertha and Wolf collaborated on her blog website for her company. Casey and Wolf went to a few paint and sips in NYC. They all loved Wolf for different reasons. Ariel loved Wolf as a partner, Bertha loved Wolf as a friend, and Casey loved Wolf as a brother. The trio were happy with Wolf in their lives. Until one day, Wolf stopped showing up.

Ariel phoned Bertha.

*On the phone*

Ariel: He hasn't called me in three weeks. I'm worried.

Bertha: Maybe he's caught up with work. You know how that gets.

Ariel: He said he's on leave because of something with his back.

Bertha: I don't know sissy, perhaps, give a few more days.

Ariel: I really like him. I really do.

Bertha: Give it some time. If he plays you, then drop him.

*Phone clicks*

Ariel goes to her desk and begins flipping through pages and pages of work. The words looked like the language of the dead. She grabbed a pen. Suddenly, there's a knock at her door.

"Open up. It's Wolf."

"Wolf?" Ariel whispered. She peeped through the hole. "Where'd you come from?"

"I need you to open up right now." Wolf said but this time with more aggression in his voice.

]Ariel said "I really like you Wolf. My sisters adore you too, but you left us cold turkey. We don't need that kind of person around us."

Wolf remained silent. Then, he kicked her door repeatedly.

Ariel screamed "Stop! What are you doing?"

Wolf doesn't say anything an continued to kick her door. What he didn't know was that there was a second entrance way into her apartment. She grabbed her keys and phone and headed out the other way. Right after she left, the door broke open. His eyes bulging like fireballs and he's breathing madly. Wolf really became an animal that night.

Ariel makes it to Bertha's house safely. She explained the whole situation to her. Bertha lived in a relatively okay neighborhood. Her locks weren't always sturdy, but knowing that there were three locks made them feel safer. Bertha phoned Casey about the incident and to remain in her apartment and to call the cops. Ariel and Bertha periodically checked the window because she had a fire escape that anyone could have easy access to. Then, after an hour or two, there was a tap on the window. It was Wolf.

"Open up. It's Wolf."

Bertha said "Get off my fire escape! The cops were called. You're going to be locked away for this crazy behavior."

Wolf began banging the window. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! Pieces of glass fall to the floor. Ariel and Bertha run to the front door, quickly unlocking the knobs, and headed for the exit. There last hope was Casey's place.

Casey lived in a small living complex. The least safe of the other two neighborhoods. Casey quickly guided her sisters into the apartment and advised them that there is paint everywhere because she had just finished her work. She mentioned to them that the cops said they were on their way, but it could take long considering the neighborhood she is in. Ariel and Bertha didn't care because they had each other. Casey only had one entrance, four locks, and she lived quite high in the building that Wolf couldn't get to her even if she tried. And it was one of the most intact brick buildings in the area.

Ariel, Bertha, and Casey stuck their heads outside the window. Wolf stood scarily under the street light across the street.

"Open up! It's Wolf !" He shouted.

Casey said "Leave us alone! You're a weirdo for trying to attack my sisters."

Ariel said "Yeah! And I want my spice girls cd back!"

Bertha said "The cops will be here any minute!"

The sisters stared at him as he proceeded to the front entrance. There's a code to get into the building. He pressed random buttons until someone buzzed him in.

Casey said "Oh no! That was probably Mrs. Kim. She always think it's the delivery guy. Now, he's in the building."

The sisters sat down on the floor, holding each other tight, and their thoughts praying to God.

A few moment passed and there were no signs of Wolf. Suddenly, a ruckus was heard outside. Wolf had gotten beat with a belt, sandals, and roughed up by the local neighborhood corner boys. Wolf was down bad.

The cops finally arrived and took Wolf into their custody.

The sisters stood outside together, arms locked, and watched as the police car drove way down the street until it disappeared on the corner. The end."

My mom gave a little cough at the end because her mouth was very dry from talking. I was able to answer some questions on the work sheet and she still forced me to read the story of the three little pigs. I realized that she wasn't just telling me a reimagined story of three little pigs, but a story that used the similar story format, and told it in a way that was natural to her to teach me a lesson like a children's tale would. Grant it, I was young, so there were some things I didn't catch on too, but looking back it was the best story I was told as a kid.