My Grandma

One bright sunny day I was walking along, to see my Grandma so, and as I went along a winding lane a black dog came out from behind a crumbled wall. Instantly I froze, “What is it?” Asked my brain with these eyes I am. Am fired to flight now, running for my life as fast as I can. My friend Johnny had told me, see!, “Black dogs are Devil Dogs!” And he made all kinds of scary noises at me.

I ran and I ran, fast as I could go, so glad the Devil Dog don’t catch me, run inside and tell my Grandma so.

‘Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!’

‘What’s wrong boy?’ She cried.

‘A Devil Dog! A Devil Dog!’

‘What?’ Said Grandma, looking all beside.

‘A Devil Dog! A Devil Dog! - He gonna eat me all up inside!’ My Grandma opened her arms and stretched them out all wide.

‘Come here you silly boy.’

I ran straight at her arms now, wishing her to pick me up and sit me on her knee - she did.

‘Now tell me about this poor dog.’

‘A Devil Dog! A Devil Dog!’

‘How you know it’s a devil dog?’

‘Johnny told me, they eat you all alive!’

‘Oh! I see, and you got really scared, huh?’

‘Shit! Scared - Grandma!’

My Grandma shook my shoulder’s and promised to soap my mouth, if she heard that word again.

‘Devil?’

‘Well I was thinking of the other one, but Yes Devil!‘

I was shit scared Grandma!’

‘Well that wasn’t the dog’s fault, was it now?’

‘Not my fault either.’

My Grandma hugged me close and held me oh so tight.

‘What Johnny said and did, made you think a dog a devil! - you boys just pretending and practicing so, that’s all.

’‘Practicing what Grandma?’

‘Instincts for survival boy! - your mostly instinct, you know!.’

‘Johnny said devil dog - not my fault!’

‘I know, I know, and you boys have such vivid imagination - don’t worry, it will come in handy some day - although I can‘t think how and why?’

I sighed then and hugged and kissed my Grandma so, and felt her held tight reply. She kissed me back and pushed me off of her knee, while telling me to go outside now and play and play and play, and mentioning me not to fight. As I went to run outside though, I thought I heard a muffled sigh, and some words about weaker sex, needing truth to grow up high?

I ran all the way to Johnny’s house and I told him, I told him why!.

‘My Grandma said there is no Devil Dog see! - it’s, it’s - I don’t know, something inside, something beginning with “I”

Earlier than this a dog had scratched himself just wondering why! - Why boy run and hide so, why he cannot play.