The Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs who wanted to live on a cliff, but first they needed to build their houses. Down the road from the three little pigs lived a big bad manticore who enjoyed joking with little pigs more than he enjoyed having them as neighbors on the cliff.

The first little pig built his house of old rags.

Along came the big bad manticore, and he said, "Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in!"

The first little pig replied, "Not by the hair of my arm!

Then the manticore said, "Then I'll exercise and I'll primp and I'll blow your house in."

And the big bad manticore exercised and he primped, and he blew the first little pig's house in.

The second little pig built his house of antimatter.

Along came the big bad manticore, and he said, "Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in!"

The second little pig replied, "Not by the hair of my eye!

Then the manticore said, "Then I'll doodle and I'll hide and I'll blow your house in."

And the big bad manticore doodled and he hid, and he blew the second little pig's house in.

The third little pig built his house of foam rubber.

Along came the big bad manticore, and he said, "Little Pig, Little Pig, let me come in!"

The third little pig replied, "Not by the hair of my scalp!

Then the manticore said, "Then I'll fulminate and I'll twitch and I'll blow your house in."

But no matter how much the big bad manticore fulminated and twitched, he couldn't blow in a house made of foam rubber. The big bad manticore felt mournful. "At last," he said, and went away obediently.

From that day on, the big bad manticore never joked with the three pigs again.