Share the significance of a family pet or animal
My first memory of actual animals being in the same spaces as humans was when I was about 6 years old on my grandparent’s farm. At that time, my grandfather was a giant with magical powers and candy in his pocket, and anything he said I took to heart. His words about pigs still ring in my ears if I get too close to a group of them.
In my memory, one morning I followed him on his morning chores. Our first stop was to “slop” the pigs. My mind grew busy with images of what that might mean, “slop?!?”, while he continued around behind the shed, telling me to wait.
My only prior experience with pigs had to do with 3 of them against a wolf, and these animals did not look anything like those in the illustrations. One in particular seemed to stare at me, his big dark eyes level with mine. He wasn’t threatening, so to get a better look at him, and possibly to pet him, I climbed his fence. I had just made it to the top and was teetering over the edge as I decided whether it would be better to jump or just climb down, when my grandfather came back out from behind the pen.
His face broke into alarm, and he shouted something incomprehensible, making me almost fall into the pen, which of course panicked him even more.
It was clear that I was in grave danger, and I had no idea why. I decided that I should try to get back to him and so swung my leg back over the fence and started to climb down. Just before I got to the ground Grandpa grabbed me off the fence, and pulling me to him, he shouted, “Pigs will eat you if you fall in! Stay off that fence!!”.