The pig was the only animal on the farm who had no tail. He looked at the others and felt very envious. The cow swished its tail with such ease. The horse had one like a whisk. The rooster had a most beautiful one: bright and wavy! The dog and the cat had thick furry tails. Even squirrels had such bushy tails.
Every day, the pig went around looking miserable. The animals liked the pig and wondered why he was looking so sad. Finally, the duck, who was a very motherly creature, asked him what the matter was.
“It’s the tail,” said the pig, “You all have very fine tails of some sort. But look at me! I don’t have a tail.”
The duck looked and said very sympathetically, “You’re right. One does feel a little incomplete without a tail. But you mustn’t let it worry you. Look at the farmer. He doesn’t have a tail, does he?”
“That’s because he’s only a farmer, not a useful creature like us.”
This was very true. So, the duck consulted all the others on the farm about how to help the pig find a tail. Each one came up with an idea.
“Perhaps some hair from my tail could be clipped on him?” suggested the horse.
“It can’t be clipped. His back is as smooth as butter!” said the goat, “We’ll have to stick it on.”
The hens giggled. “Perhaps we can stick the rooster’s tail on him then,” they suggested.
“Oh, no! He has no feathers, so it’ll look very odd!” said the cow.
A little field mouse was busy eating some of the seeds in a sack and listening to this conversation. He was scared to come out because the fat farm cat was sitting with the others. Hiding behind the sack, the mouse called out, “I have a suggestion.”
Keeping one eye on the cat, he said, “There is a row of sweet peas growing in the garden. They have beautiful curly tendrils that could easily be stuck on the pig.”
“That seems like a good idea. Let’s try it,” said the horse.
So, the mouse ran and got some curly tendril. The pig had been rooting around in a muddy patch and the tendrils caught on easily in the mud. They soon became so firmly fixed that the pig found he had a tail!
Ever since that day, all pigs have curly tails!
