I saw the colossal, crimson red fire truck pull up outside as I clutched a white towel with an ice pack to my face. Have you ever made a mistake before? Maybe you got lacerated, maybe you didn’t. Let me tell you a tale so you can understand what happens when you don’t think before you act.

It started on a crystal clear summer day in South Carolina as my family and I strolled along the shopping square, going into shops here and there. We found a dog treat shop. It was a diminutive place with a substantial window in the front of the building.

Inside the store there were two crowded walls with wooden shelves and legions of baked dog treats. In the back there was a cut-out with a counter. Behind the counter there was a worker. There were also two hounds behind the counter with the employee.

My mom and dad decided to get some doggy delites for our neighbor's dog because our neighbors were babysitting our dog. As my mom and dad were surveying the shelves, where the dog treats fought for room, the store clerk decided to let the dogs out for me and my sister to pet even though there was a “Don’t Pet” sign.

I pulled and pushed my hand through the dog's fur. All of the sudden the dog snarled at me.  My heart skipped a beat. I should have backed away from the dog and left the dog alone, but I still just sat there a little shaken. I was still petting the dog a few minutes later when it suddenly jumped at me. The force knocked me back as the beast tore into the flesh of my face. I slammed my hand into the muzzle of the creature and shoved it away.

I touched my face with trembling fingers as my dad dragged me out of there. I looked down at my hand, and it was covered in blood like the color of a rubby. The shopkeeper herded the dogs behind the counter and closed the doggy gate. My dad sat me down on a chair; the shopkeeper brought over a white towel with an ice pack. Looking out the blurred front window, my dad told me to keep the towel constricted to my face.  

Finally I saw the colossal, crimson red fire truck pull up outside as I clutched the white towel to my face. The sound of the siren was as bad as a baby's whail. As I hurried outside they finally shut it off. They assessed me and then brought me to an ambulance to take me to the hospital. The firefighter said I would have to get stitches.  At the hospital I got a wristband and my own room.

Later in the day the doctor tried to give me stitches, but I squirmed a lot, so they had to give me stitches under anesthesia. Afterwards I was still a little screwy, but I managed.

In the end, I should've backed off when the dog growled. Thinking before you act is an important skill to learn. If you think before you act you will make fewer mistakes.

 

 

 

 

-Christian H.