The County Fair Queen

Chapter Eight

PHILLIP PIGCRACKER Beau, filled with determination, while I was filled with absolute disgust. The scents wafting around us were both terrifying and triggering. Rot and excrement with traces of… lavender? It made no sense, because there wasn't a single flower to be seen. Still, it was there. Floral-masked pig shit.

Brenda/Carole and the rest of the crew tagged along, occasionally hanging back to get a wider shot. The pen itself was cute in a rustic sort of way. The metal fencing was made of waist-high chicken wire, with beams of wood atop, squaring the perimeter. Inside the fence, there were several small enclosures. They looked similar to dog houses, only much less adorable. Inside of the enclosures, porkers lounged lazily in the shade. Another set of pigs stood in front of an empty plastic tote, waiting for food, I assumed.

"When we get in there," Beau explained, his grip tight around my hand, "I want you to stay on guard, okay? They get a little ornery when they're hungry." He pointed at two waist- high boards with holes at the top. "We got those little boards to protect our knees if we need them, but be careful, okay? If they charge, just hold the board in front of you and you should be fine."