Fiends of the Night

[For Louise's Class]

The summer of my sixteenth birthday the Atlantic Ocean separated my parents and me. Somehow, I was granted permission to live in Vienna. I had finally achieved the independence and freedom all teenagers covet and was excited for my new, perfect life. I did not realize, however, that with my newfound freedom came a great responsibility for myself. I had to learn to choose to do what was right instead of what was fun. Learning that meant I made some pretty big messes.

Such a mess was the night I stayed at a café an hour away from my house watching Law and Order on my computer until midnight. I missed the last bus by about 45 minutes. I was walking up my street at 1 in the morning. To say I was jumpy was an understatement; I had the images of the raped and murdered girls of Law and Order running through my head. I was sure I couldn’t make it home alive.

When I heard a dog bark, I jumped. Not the jump where your back stiffens quickly, my feet actually left the ground. When a man and his German shepherd emerged from a front door, I sped up my walk to a near jog. The dog growled at me. He was not on a leash and I was concerned about his sharp teeth and their ability to tear my flesh. I walked ahead of them, looking over my right shoulder every 3 steps.

I suppose the man grew tired of my fearful looks of accusation. He shouted out something in German. My spine stiffened. I planted my feet and turned around.

“Kein Deutsch. English.” I said it as an apology. Americans are pests here.

“He won’t hurt you.” He pointed at the animal. “He is a guard dog. He is just barking and growling because that is what he is trained to do. He is beautiful, yes?”

I looked at the dog that had trotted ahead of us. I felt like Hagrid had just asked me if his giant spider or baby dragon was precious. This dog was a weapon, a machine of terror. It had no beauty. Still, I did not want to anger this potential rapist.

“Ja, he is beautiful. His coat is so shiny. His teeth are so sharp. And he is really muscular. What a beautiful dog. What kind is he?” I felt like red riding hood flattering the wolf to save herself.

“He is a pure bred German shepherd. His parents were in dog shows.”

“Really? That is so cool. He is very beautiful. Was he in any shows?” I was trying to keep the conversation going. I was still two minutes away from my house. Two minutes was enough time for this man to kill me.

“No. He has a spot of fur that is white on his chest. It is like a model having a birthmark. He couldn’t win anything.”

“Well I’m sorry. He looks like he could have won. Why do you need a guard dog anyway? I was told Vienna is pretty safe.”

“Wien is safe. But this street is known for having burglars.” My stomach dropped as he told me that. Now, in addition to this potential rapist and murder and his dog that would surely cripple me for life, I had more criminals that would prevent me from getting home alive to worry about. He continued, “The dog is better than an alarm. It will not only scare burglars, but also attack them.”

“And he is more beautiful” I added in for good measure. I was ready to leave this man and his beautiful weapon. I was scared. I did not want him to know where I lived. So I lied, “It’s been really nice talking to you, ehhhh, I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.”

“Markus.”

“Well Markus, it has been really great talking to you and learning about your beautiful dog. This is my street, and I have to go. But I hope I see you again.”

And with that I walked down the closest side street, waited until Markus was out of sight, sprinted home, and prayed I would never see the fiends again.