Writing assignment
The
elevator opened and a stranger entered. My brain instantly started gathering
data about this well-dressed, matronly woman being led by a seeing-eye dog. She
had that familiar smell of powder and paint and perfume. She asked me to punch
the fourth floor and I did. Then my eyes trailed down to the German Shepherd beside
her. I had had a fear of large dogs since my childhood and this one brought a
brain freeze to my attention.
I was taken back to the tree swing in Grandpa’s back
yard. Oskar, the dog next door, had always been there, observing, but never
bothering or attempting to approach in any way. Then on one particular visit,
for some reason he was running along the fence and barking wildly as I was twisting
and twirling in the swing. Maybe the merry-go-round motion was the problem. I stopped
and watched him more closely.
Grandpa
and Mr. Limply both bounced out their back doors at once to see what all the
commotion was about. They arrived just in time to watch Oskar jump the fence
and run straight for me. I froze. Was I doing something wrong?
He leapt up and pushed me out of the swing. I fell over
backwards and my leg got caught in the rope. He grabbed the rope in his mouth
and started winding the swing around and around as a drug along the ground
skinning my back and getting dirt and leaves in my hair.
Mr. Limply ran for the swing to stop Oskar and Grandpa
grabbed me up in his arms and held me tightly. I was crying, not hurt but
scared. We never understood why Oskar lunged at me except maybe to play because
it looked like fun to him, too. From then on I was very leery of big dogs.
I
stared down at this large dog now confined so closely in my space. His owner
was speaking quietly and calmly saying, “Its okay, Max. We’ll be home soon and
I’ll give you a good meal for being so patient with me today.” She stood so
gracefully and confidently with her protector. He turned and looked up at me,
then put his head under my hand and I gently stroked his ears; my first touch
of a dog since childhood.
The elevator opened and a friend exited. I felt protected
now, too, living in this building. I hoped to see them again.
Writing prompt for class: "The elevator opens and a stranger enters. Your brain instantly starts gathering data about this . . . "
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