What If Porcupines Were as Big as Pigs?

I found this pig statue, just a pudgy, happy-looking pig sitting contentedly at the Dow Gardens. I tried to ignore it but my mind started wandering so I had to stop.

I didn't see bacon.

I didn't think about farms.

I thought about porcupines.

More specifically.... I wondered. What if porcupines were as big as this pig?

Can you imagine that?

A quill pig, the size of me. Not the cute little Annie the Porcupine from my books, but a massive, lumbering ball of bristles and curiosity. Would it shuffle through the yard like a slow, prickly bear? Would it still try to climb trees or just lean against them like, "No thanks, I'm good down here"?

My mind wanders in weird directions sometimes, but that's kind of the fun of it. One minute I'm out on a walk, and the next I'm imagining a world where my favorite prickly character towers over the Children's Garden like a porcupine Godzilla. 

Would people still find her cute? Would kids want to pet her? Would anyone ever hug a giant porcupine?

Probably not. But maybe they'd admire her from afar. Maybe they'd be a little more respectful of her space. Maybe they'd notice her more.

And maybe... just maybe... that's the real question under all of this:

What happens when something small and overlooked becomes big enough to be seen?

Anyway, I don't always have answers. Sometimes I just have pig statues and wandering thoughts.

But if you ever see a quill pig the size of a person—tell her Annie says hi.