In Too Deep...

I love animals. 

Wait a minute, by "animals" I mean that I love domestic animals and definitely not the wild ones. Meanwhile, I heard cats are adorable and some people just can't stop gushing about them. That's cool but I will pass. It is nothing personal and you can blame  all the scary movies for my skepticism.  

Puppies on the other hand are so cute, observant, cuddly, smart, clingy and can be your best friend, baby, confidant or whatever you want. I prefer a pet dog any day. Their love and trust for you is absolute.

Well that was my opinion before my misadventure some years back.

Maggie; my mysterious colleague back then, had called in sick and being a nerd, nobody wanted to go check on her. Having cleared my desk earlier than the rest, I volunteered to be the Good Samaritan. My driver was out of town for the week and that left me with the option of flagging down cabs. It was for a week, so I didn't mind.

The cab man knew his way around town so locating Maggie's street and later her house was no big deal. It was supposed to be a very brief visit; pop in say my hellos, check on her sharply pop out and head out with the cab man who was to wait behind. That was the perfect plan.

The cab stopped in front of an impressive black gate that had seen better years.  With a glance, I took in the high walls and tree branches peeping through the jagged edges of the battered fence. The street was peaceful and the gate ajar. I had called Maggie earlier and she had promised to leave their gate open so I could let myself in. Not bothering with second thoughts; I pushed the heavy iron further open and stepped into another world.

The compound was massive and reeked of lack of attention. The flowers were wild and the driveway leading up to an old faded mansion hidden behind huge tree trunks was riddled with pot holes and small heaps of dead leaves. A wave of panic swept over me;

"What in the blazes! What is this place?"

I wriggled my toes in my fitted shoes as I watched leaves dance in circles as a gentle breeze passed through the dump. I could swear I saw a squirrel run up a tree branch.

" This cannot be Maggie's home. But I am so sure this is the only number 2 with a black gate on the street!" I argued with myself. "Nikky nobody lives here, turn around and go home. Maggie won't do this for you even if you were dying..." a voice in my head commanded.

Bravely shutting off my fears, I advanced into the compound. As I drew closer, the freshly mowed lawn in front of the house caught my attention. I narrowly missed a large pothole as my eyes ran over an old power bike pleading for a thorough wash that was leaning against a tree trunk. The sound of a voice croaking to loud music streaming out of wide open windows of what seemed to be the living room made my heart to miss a beat. I swore silently;

"Whoever has that voice should be talking not singing."

It was a good sign that the house was obviously inhabited and I was determined to fulfill my promise of checking up on Maggie. Feeling more at ease, I stepped onto the patio and the loud music stopped abruptly. I sighed with relief and was about to take another step towards the front door when I heard a deep and low growl that froze me in my tracks. My eyes darted towards the direction of the sound and I almost turned into a statue.  I love dogs, but definitely not wolves! My heart jumped to my throat.

A ferocious charcoal black dog slowly got up and turned fiery eyes on me. Its growl deepened and my mouth automatically became dry. 

This is a Rott! Nikky that's a Rottweiler! My brain screamed at me

I tried not to move a muscle as droplets of sweat trailed down my tense spine. It felt like being a prey in a wild life documentary.

Oh my God! Jesus... God please! Were the ejaculatory prayers that ran through my head. In two seconds, I had called Jesus almost a thousand times.

I was in too deep, so running was not an option. As I calculated my moves, the gate seemed to be in another country and my legs suddenly felt like boulders. Besides, even if I were Hussein Bolt, running on my stilettos would be me begging to be mauled. 

My brain was on high-performance as I considered my very limited options. Shouting would only infuriate the boss dog who was also weighing his options while slowly advancing closer. The loud music started up again and the dreary singer resumed his performance, oblivious of my plight. Maggie was nowhere in sight. The dog took another step towards me and I told myself; Nikky you are finished!!

As I waited for the dog to pounce on me, the tune of an old song filtered into my dazed mind;

 “I believe I can fly…”