Dogs & Cats

It had been raining all day here, as it usually does in the Pacific Northwest. I was running late after school, and I could see the bus approaching the bus stop when I left my last class.

I started running to catch it before I was stranded and had to walk home. It was a 3-mile hike to the top of the hill where my house was, and it would not be pleasant in the cold rain.

I arrived at the stop just a second too late as the bus had already started making its way to the next stop. I was, standing alone, soaked from the head down to my chuck tailors, and I was freezing and dreading the walk home.

I went through the alley this time, cutting through parts of the neighborhood. Since last summer, I hoped to bypass most of the felines that seemed to overtake these parts.

It was a quiet afternoon; all you could hear was the rain hitting on the roofs of some of the old houses. The city hoped to tear them down to brighten the area and attract better people.

In the distance, I saw what looked like a large dog. Unfortunately, he distorted my vision in space because of the massive downpour of fluid from the sky.

What a day to miss the bus! I screamed out loud. I had interrupted whatever I had seen in the distance, and it started to make its way toward me. It wasn't a dog.

It was a Hyena all as it got closer, walking on four legs from the start, and by the time it reached me, it was on two legs now with a paw reaching out to say what seemed to be a warm hello.

I hesitated to go for the claw-extended foot but decided to take a chance. This day couldn't worsen. As we shook, a slight growl came out of his mouth as he spoke.

He said, "I have been watching you since I arrived in town." My first instinct was to run, but I remembered I was talking to a four-legged animal, and he would surely catch me and maul me to my untimely death.

I calmly replied with a shaky voice. Oh, yeah, so what do you think? Do I have talent or not? I had been on the varsity soccer team for two years, so that's why he was watching me.

I waited patiently for his reply. I took a minute to look at him. His eyes were bright blue. If I gazed into them long enough, I thought I could be swept out to the ocean in his eyes. Finally, he replied, "you do!"

"All you need is to tighten up on your technical form and stop trying to impress the cheerleaders in the middle of the playoffs." He thought I had a real shot at the pros.

I was puzzled by his response and was unsure whether to yell at him in outrage over that allegation or if it could be true. However, my attempts to snag the prettiest girl in school aren't going to ruin my chances of going to play professionally.

The rain had settled down, and I could now smell the odor of wet dogs. Was it him or me? At this point, I wasn't sure. So I replied that you smell like a damp dog, still slightly annoyed by his earlier remark.

He was on top of me without hesitation, clawing and biting me, ripping my clothes to shreds. I tried to escape, but I was no match for him. His large sharp teeth had pierced my throat, and I was bleeding to death.

He suddenly stopped, now knowing that I was close to the end. Then in a calm voice, he said, "I am a mammal and wet; we all smell like this, not just dogs."

But thanks for the insult. I lay there close to extinguishing my time on this planet. I should have known better than to start talking to a stranger.

Publisher and Editor: Vanessa.Moon