Horrific night

Fear comes in many shapes and sizes. Mine came in the form of a big, black dog when I was just four years old. That bloody affair one chilly winter night can still give me goosebumps .




I lived with my aunt as my father wanted me to go to a good school. You see, we lived in the country and there were no reputable schools in the vicinity of our small village. So one dark , winter night , my uncle was busy entertaining some guests. The smell of meat on the grill was tantalizing my nostrils; not just mine , but of Jack(the big , black dog) more. He kept snarling at anybody who passed by him as he sat near by the drinking men . In fact, he even snapped at one of them in the hope to snatch the meat out of an unwary hand. I remember my uncle yelling at him to  stop. I must have wondered in my little head why the usually happy dog was acting in such a ferocious manner.


As the adults talked around a crackling fire , the children ducked around playing chase ; or tucked themselves in corners in a hide and seek venture. I was already on edge , and when my cousin pushed me onto Jack’s unsuspecting back, he spun around and yipped at me . My heart skipped a beat. I pretended to be tired . “Aunty , can I please get ready for bed ? I am really sleepy!” My aunt , who was busy being the hostess , hushed me away unaware that I had not eaten yet.

After grabbing a quick bite from my cousin’s plate , I rushed inside to our room which we all shared . It was more like a dormitory. I snuggled in my quilt wishing it would warm my cold feet fast.I wished my dad was there rubbing my feet as he usually did to warm them. I must have slipped right into sleep because I didn’t hear the rest of the brood come in. Don’t know what happened , but I felt some sharp nails in my face and woke up screaming . And, what did I see? Jack, his big, black face snarling ferociously at me while I felt the warm liquid rushing down my face with my little fingers!


I screamed and screamed . There was a lot of confusion around. My uncle was yelling, my aunt was trying to calm me down. My cousins were huddling in a corner. It must have finally struck me that I had been bit by Jack!

The blood streamed down my face. I was in a daze , sobbing crying for my mother. My aunt cleaned my wounds with an antiseptic solution. We heard some gunshots in the distance. later, I learned that Jack had been shot dead, as he was running  away into the wheat fields. My uncle rushed in, waiting impatiently as my aunt bundled me in my coat and mittens. The motorcycle ride to the city hospital was bone-chilling in every sense of the term. I was groggy and tired and probably must have fallen asleep in the waiting room of the hospital , only to be woken up to a nurse holding a large needle over my belly. And , this contiued for 14 more times as I needed all those shots to save my life from the ravaging disease of rabies. And, I have the dog teeth marks on my face to prove that everything I recounted happened that night!

Did I fear dogs forever would be a relevant question at this point. Of course not! For a while , I remember running away from an approaching dog, and hiding my face. I don’t remember when I learned to deal with and overcome that feeling. These days I often say that the love of my life is my big, brown dog , MauMau.


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