Villagers think it’s a bit odd the way the first brother goes and talks to the boar every day, as if it was his best friend. Even odder the way the boar seems to be listening. Seems both brothers had their wits addled that day. Word goes around that nobody’s to set foot in Dreamer’s Pool. The water’s cursed. A fey place.

One day, around dusk, the first brother takes the second brother, the half-wit, by the hand and leads him out to the sty where the boar’s being kept. He opens the gate and lets the pig out, and the three of them walk all the way to Dreamer’s Wood. The moon’s full and by the time they get there the pool’s shining with a strange light, so you can almost see the magic.

How’s he going to do it? Doesn’t want to set foot in the water himself, somehow has to get the two of them in. The boar understands what he wants; it wades in straight away, then swims to deep water, a big speckled bulk in the moonlight. But the second brother, he doesn’t want to go in. Scared stiff. Plants his feet on the shore and pulls away from his brother as hard as he can, once he sees what’s happening.

First brother goes in up to his ankles, praying that he won’t be changed. Calls his brother the way he used to call the boar. Hoooo-piggy-piggy! Hooooo-piggy-piggy!

Second brother shivers and shakes. Tight as a bowstring in his brother’s grip. Won’t go in.

First brother’s got a secret weapon. He fishes it out of his pocket. Throws it out into the pool, into the deep water. Lump of fresh cheese. His boar would do anything for cheese.

Second brother runs forward, snorting. He’s in to his ankles, his knees, his hips. He’s diving under, he’s gone.

First brother backs up onto the shore, checking his feet to make sure they haven’t turned into trotters or something worse. Waits with his heart in his mouth. Nobody’s told him this will work. It’s just the only thing he can think of to set this right. You can’t eat your own brother for the midwinter feast.

Long wait. He’s thinking they’ve both drowned, and he’ll get charged with murder, when there’s a thrashing and a splashing out there and ah! There’s the boar swimming back to shore and oh! There’s the second brother coming after, gasping out, Morrigan’s curse, it’s freezing in here!

The boar gets out first, shakes himself, rolls around in the dirt a bit, snuffles and grunts as pigs do. The brother comes next, and the first thing he does is hug his brother and say Thank you, Brother, thank you! Oh gods, I’m never setting foot in this place again as long as I live!