Perseverance story: When pigs fly

There was once a town where instead of people animals lived. Not far from the town was a meadow where a small bull named Tom lived with his father, mother, and two sisters. Tom was the youngest in the family and was very adventurous by nature. Soon it would be Tom’s birthday and for his birthday he asked his dad to get him a bicycle. His dad looked at him strangely and said, “Tom, you know very well that cows don’t ride bicycles. Have you ever seen a cow ride a bicycle?” A bit confused Tom replied, “Not yet.” The dad thought the matter was settled but he was wrong, Tom kept begging and begging and begging, and every time his dad replied “No.” Then finally one day his dad gave in and said, “Ok Tom, I will buy you a bike, when pigs fly.” Tom thought about his dad’s words hard from then on. Then one day while playing with his friends flying kites he saw a helicopter fly by. He stopped playing and said, “That’s it, I need to learn how to fly a helicopter.” His friend Ned looked at him strangely and asked, “Why do you need to learn to fly a helicopter? You know that cows don’t fly right?” Tom smiled and replied, “Not yet!” Ned looked at him in confusion and Tom explained, “My dad promised me that he would buy me a bicycle when pigs fly.” Ned was now even more confused, “But Tom, pigs don’t fly and cows don’t ride bicycles.” Tom with a smile on his face replied, “Not yet!“

The next day, Tom went to the airport where the helicopters were. There he saw a goat named Tina loading suitcases onto a plane. “Excuse me,” said Tom. “Is there anyone here who can teach me how to fly a helicopter?” Tina looked around in surprise. “Hmmm… John could teach you,” she said, “but you know that cows don’t fly helicopters.” “Not yet,” Tom smiled. So Tom went to find John and when he finally found him asked him if he could teach him how to fly a helicopter. “Why would you like to learn to fly a helicopter?” asked John. That’s when Tom’s eyes light up and he explains to John “My dad said that I can get a bicycle when pigs fly.” John quickly interrupted Tom and said, “But pigs don’t fly and cows don’t ride bicycles.” Tom smiled and said, “Not yet,” and continued, “You see if I learn how to fly a helicopter I can take a couple of my friends who are pigs on a ride and show my father that pigs can fly. And then I will get my bicycle.” John smiled and agreed to teach Tom how to fly a helicopter for free.

Every day for a month Tom went to the airport after school where John would teach him how to fly a helicopter. Tom learned to fly up and down, left and right, forwards and backward, and even how to do circles. When Tom learned everything that was to learn about flying a helicopter and when he passed all the tests, John told him he could fly the helicopter on his own now. The next day he went to his friends Joan and Macy and asked them if they would like to join him on a ride in a helicopter. Both of them were surprised and replied, “But Tom we are just pigs, pigs don’t fly.” Tom laughed and said, “Not yet. But would you like to be the first that did?” Joan and Macy agreed and they all left for the airport, where they got into the helicopter and flew over the town where everyone saw that pigs could fly… Tom made sure he passed his house and made a couple of circles around it so that his dad would see them. And he did, in fact, everyone in town saw them and started making jokes that pigs do fly. When they finally landed at the airport Joan and Macy wanted to invite Tom for an ice cream to thank him for the ride, but Tom replied, “I can’t, I have to go home so that my dad can take me to the store and buy me a bicycle.” Joan and Macy laughed and said, “But Tom cows don’t ride bicycles.” Tom smiled and said, “Not yet. Remember until today everyone also thought that pigs can’t fly.” Then Tom turned around, went home and his dad had to buy him a bicycle. Tom learned to ride his bicycle the same day.