In the meanwhile Thomas remained very sad about loosing his good friend. He was unable to get a good nights sleep because he could only think about what could have happened to Valentine. Through his window he watched the oak trees full of shiny acorns that nobody ate and he felt sorrow in his heart.
Every afternoon Thomas took a stroll past some of the neighbouring villages and towns, hoping to encounter Valentine but he never caught a glimpse of his friend Valentine.
On one afternoon he met another young farmer called Herman. They talked about their farms and Thomas could not resist asking Herman if he had seen a strange pink animal with a curly tail. Herman was surprised by the strange description and with unbelief he asked him ‘You mean a pig?’. Thomas did not know what a pig was and insisted that is was a very strange animal of which he did not know the name. Herman was absolutely sure it was a pig. ‘A pink animal with a flat snout and a curly tail, that is a pig!’. To confirm that it really was a pig he proposed to Thomas to accompany him to his farm.
Thomas accepted the invitation and together they walked to Herman's farm. He had ducks, chickens, sheep, horses, cows and in the back of his farm he had dozens of the pink animals of which Thomas had spoken. His eyes got bigger and he was absolutely amazed.
He could not believe what he was seeing and could not help himself but check to see if Valentine was one of these pink animals but he did not see him. Thomas could not stop asking Herman everything there was to know about pigs.
Herman explained the animals were very tasty and recently gotten very popular and were worth a lot of money. Very surprised he asked Thomas how he had managed to lose his own pig. Thomas explained that his wife Miranda hated these animals because they are filthy and did not have any real use on a farm. Herman asked Thomas, ‘Do you want to change your wife's mind?’. Without hesitation Thomas replied with a firm ‘Yes’.
Herman was convinced that if Miranda tried some tasty juicy pig meat she would change her opinions about pigs for the rest of her life and he invited Thomas and his wife for a nice dinner at his farm.
Thomas thought it was a very good idea and excitedly walked home because it had gotten dark already. At home Miranda had started to worry and she was happy to see Thomas when he arrived.
Thomas, out of breath, started telling everything that had happened to him that afternoon. He told Miranda what kind of animal Valentine was and that pigs were very valuable and very tasty animals. He also mentioned that Herman had invited them for a dinner to try some pigs meat. Miranda was shocked about the idea of eating meat from such a dirty stinky animal but she was also very curious and after some thought she decided to accept the invitation.
The next day Thomas and Miranda went to Herman's farm to have dinner. Even before entering the door they noticed a delicious smell around the house. They took their places at the table and Herman offered them an abundance of different plates.
They tried a big plate of cured ham with an extraordinary taste, fabulously barbecued ribs, marinated cutlets, sausages, bacon and a lot of other tasty dishes.
Miranda could not believe it and she could not stop eating. Every new dish seemed tastier than the previous and Miranda was surprised by the huge range of flavours.
Thomas could hardly look at all the food on the table. He did not want to think about the possibility that one of those pieces of meat could be his friend Valentine. He was unable to enjoy the food and during the entire evening he did not even try a small piece of meat.
Miranda had definitely changed her mind. She was surprised by the big number of different products that could be made from a pig. After this evening her interest could not be stopped, asking Herman all she could about taking care of pigs and about their value.
Herman patiently explained everything, the ideal weight of a pig before it should be slaughtered, the type of food which is the best and everything about taking care of a pig. Miranda remembered Valentine and started daydreaming about his tasty ribs, juicy sausages and all of the tasty products they could make.
During the dinner Miranda kept insisting that their should try and find Valentine. Thomas started thinking the worst. He knew that if they would find Valentine now, for sure Miranda would want to eat him. His friend was in danger!
After the dinner Miranda and Thomas decided to walk home. That way Miranda, who had ate a lot, was able to let all the pig-meat settle. Poor Thomas was walking with an empty stomach and a heavy heart. They walked for more than an hour passing various paths and unfamiliar towns.
It was a very nice stroll until suddenly Thomas saw a strange light at the end of a curvy street. He focused his vision on the window and immediately recognised a familiar sight. A curly tail that could only be of his friend Valentine!
Even though he could hardly control his emotions he decided not to say anything to Miranda.