I doubt there is anyone in this world who would come out and say, "I never had fun or played any game while growing up." Growing up, I never had the luxury of using an iPad or so many toys, but that didn't stop me from having fun. I was so playful that whenever I came back home, my mom was always angry because of how dirty my clothes were.
"You will stay indoors tomorrow. Do you think it's a machine that's washing your clothes for you?" My mom would always nag at me when I got back home, but when the sun set and rose again, she would let me go play with my friends. I can say we are lucky to have a washing machine now.
I was a child who loved going out to play, but something happened one day, and I was indoors for almost a month, even though my mom wanted me to go out.
It was a bright evening with a golden round sun; it was the kind of sun you could look at without any blinding effect. It was a beautiful sight. I was helping my mom pick some beans; we planned to cook them that night.
"This one you are helping me to pick beans this evening. Don't pick stones with the beans, and that doesn't mean I will give you extra portions of beans." She said because she knew I was the child that hardly helped in the kitchen unless I was looking for something that would benefit me.
"Ahaaaa, Mummy, you know I always help you cook. I just feel like staying with you," I said with all sincerity, but as soon as I finished my statement, Daniel came around, and I already could tell what he was after. He didn't want to say it in front of my mom so he just said...
"Guy, make we go fly," meaning "Guy, let's go out," Daniel said. That was our coded way of saying, “let’s go out.” My mom raised her eyes at us, but didn’t stop me. I told her I’d be back soon.
We were heading to the next street, about a mile away. Just two young boys, walking, laughing, and talking about random things. On our way, we came across something I’d never seen before, a massive crossbreed dog tied to a pole. It was the kind of dog that could eat rice and stew out of an empty water melon shell because of it big mouth. But being the brave boys we thought we were, we stayed at a safe distance and started playing with it.
We threw sticks at it. It barked viciously. We threw more sticks. It barked louder. The louder it barked, the more excited we got. It was all fun and game until we heard a terrifying clank, and it was then we knew we were cooked. The chain broke and the angry dog was free.
Before we even had time to process what was going on, we saw that the distance between us and the dog grew closer. Without even looking back, Daniel took off like Usain Bolt, leaving me behind and I was running like Kelvin Hart. The dog, of course, chose the slower target—me and I could do was scream my friend name as tears flew out of the side of my eyes
“Daniel wait for me!!” I was screaming at the top of my voice as I ran aafer him.
I didn’t know I could run like that. I screamed, I jumped, I dodged people and potholes, and I even ran past our street. The dog chased me for what felt like forever, until finally, finally, it stopped and turned back. Maybe it got tired. Or maybe it decided I wasn’t worth the bite because of the way I was screaming. I collapsed on the ground, heart pounding, my legs were shaking, and my face was covered in dust and tears.
I made my way home after I got a hold of my breathing, and I was just saying “evil dog” continuously. When I finally got home, Daniel was already there, laughing like a madman. It wasn’t the dog that was evil, it was my friend that was evil. I didn’t talk to him for days because he left me behind.
Since that day, I always avoid coming in contact with any dog because the face of that dog has been imprinted on me and I can never forget. It was all fun and game until the trauma came. I won’t even go near a dog that’s chain because I still have the fear that the chain might brake.
The End
Thanks for reading my name is fashtioluwa.
