My friend Madison and I had just set foot outside. It was a hot summer day and the sun was already beating down on my face. School had recently ended. In a few months we would be as our teachers said, “top dog”, “top of the totem pole” or as we said, “fifth graders”.
As we started our walk, we passed a few houses. Then we turned the corner onto another street in our neighborhood. The trees were luscious and green and flowerbeds bloomed. We passed a couple more houses and saw a boy on the driveway a couple doors down. We walked closer and came to realize he was a boy we attended school with. We went over to say hello and chatted for a minute before he turned into the obnoxious boy I thought all boys were like.
He spun around, facing the wooden gate that led to his back yard. With a mischievous smile, he said he would set his Rottweiler on us. The gate rattled loudly. My heart skipped a beat and then started racing twice as fast as its normal pace. Madison and I took off running. Adrenaline pumped thickly in my ears and I wanted to do was scream. We sprinted up and down the black, tar-covered roads trying to lose the dog in case he really was after us.
We slowed down trying to catch our breath when I thought I saw a small movement behind us and before I knew it we had begun running again.
Our neighborhood was fairly new. There were many houses in the process of being built. Madison and I dashed inside a house that was basically only a wooden frame.
We waited for a while inside the soon-to-be house. Then finally we headed for home. We were miserably hot and sweaty, ready for some ice cold lemonade. Once at Madison’s house we were able to calm down. Later that boy came over to apologize, saying that he really didn’t set any dog on us and was just teasing.
Now that I look back on it, running down an open street and hiding in a house with no walks probably wouldn’t keep ANYONE safe from a vicious dog.