Don’t Run

‘Don’t run when a dog is about to chase you’ Mama you said to me. Mama you should have seen this dog. It was taller than Tsidi when he was six years old, and bigger than Abui when she got pregnant. Mama you should have seen this dog. Its teeth were longer than my fingers and looked sharper than the knives Capo uses to slice goat meat for his khebabs. Mama you won’t believe it. When this dog started running towards me, I felt the ground shake. I felt the hotness of its breath even from a distance. It came at me in a blur, and I could see Death in its eyes. I was scared Mama. I was very scared. But I didn’t run, just like you said. I stood there, even though I didn’t know what to do. I was brave Mama. And Fui came just in time with a well aimed stone to make sure it didn’t touch me. It didn’t touch me, Mama. But I wish it had. I wish it had landed at least one good bite so that Fui would feel bad everytime he starts laughing at me; telling everyone how I stood there while a dog was about to bite me, with shorts stained by fresh urine.