Monkey The Dog Part2

When I turned onto the Harbour Road I saw in the distance, at about 200yds, a large lean Rottweiler emerge from a big grand house with ornate iron gates. A fear so overwhelming and new hit me like a fry-every-day-for-20yrs heart attack. I have always been afraid of dogs, even the little ones. It’s their barking strikes terror in me. I was in mid step when I saw this affront. I had not even laid my foot on the tarmac, but stopped, frozen stiff like this big black dog were channelling Medusa and turned me to stone. On seeing me it stopped frozen like, too. I started to immediately expel fear pheromones. I imagine that smells something between shit and cancer, the smell of which dogs can famously pick up on. My breathing became shallow, but my heart was beating fast like a high performance engine’s chrome pistons. I hoped I’d die of a fear induced heart attack before the beast got within pouncing distance. He made the first move. He turned had the look of an athlete waiting for the starting gun. The ancient flight or fight instinct introduced itself to my thinking. But...before I could come down decidedly upon one or the other the dog launched into a full throttle gallop, and seeing more often than not I’ll run anyway, even from a gang of girls, run I did. I ran for my life. A satanic low growling came from its unimaginable throat. The rumble grew louder as he gained on me. I ran to the end of the road and came up level with a field that was bordered with a four foot high hedge. I hurdled the hedge and ran at an angle across the field. In the distance there was a tree. The dog entered the field by running straight through the hedge like a bullet through the fog. I had moments to reach the tree. The mud underfoot was slowing me down, but to the dog it proved no problem. With less than a second to spare I reached the tree and without sourcing branches I scrambled up it, sticking my nails in the bark and hauling myself up like an adept Thundercat.

It was the middle of the afternoon. Low fag-smoke grey dome of clouds overhead. Very cold. I must’ve been stuck up that tree 2 hours. Occasionally the Rottweiler would enthusiastically leap up and snap its jaws in an attempt to catch the leg of my jeans.

Tomorrow more...