1995. San Francisco, CA. I am eight years old. Sitting in the backseat of my dad’s ’91 Ford Aerostar, teeth chattering as I tighten my grip of my cousin’s beach towel, draped around me. Beneath that towel, I shiver in my drenched clothing. Tears trickle down my cheeks as I recollect what had happened just moments before.
Plop! Kneeling alongside my cousins on the dry, grainy shore, I empty a bright red bucket packed with moist sand. The sun’s warm rays embrace my back as the soft breeze plays with my skin and hair. The gentle roaring of the waves tumbling onto the shore is therapeutic. Out in the distance, a flock of seagulls cry as they fight each other for crumbs. JINGLE. JINGLE--a foreboding sound triggers a defense mechanism within me. I look up to see a monstrous black dog prancing straight our way. My heart thumped heavily as I get up on my feet and neurotically maneuvered around our little group. Keeping a cautious eye on the beast, I silently plead for it to continue on past us. But it lingered around. The four legged creature trekked over to my little cousin first, sniffed his butt, and then locked its attention on me. My heart jerk out of my chest and I move—fast, weaving in and out amongst my group, trying my best to not show fear as the creature trails me. Thump thump THUMP THUMP! My heart drums into a frenzy and I RUN along the coast of Ocean Beach, crying out “Help! HELP!” Onlookers watched –but no one came to my rescue. Realizing that help will not come, I made a quick detour straight into the ocean, hoping that the dog will stop pursuing me. A few feet in, I turn around and there it was, paddling only seconds behind me. The thick undercurrent slowed my desperate attempt to escape and grew stronger the further I kept going. At waist deep, an advancing wave finally knocks me off my feet, swallowing me into the sea. It dawned on me that I might die there with that stupid dog as I ingest gulp after gulp of the salty water. Suddenly, a hand extended towards me and I grab a hold onto it. The owner of the puppy saved my life.
