“We are both tenant in this house, so you can’t disobey the landlord at your own will” my mum shouted, trying to calm her down.

“Either you like it or not am going to bring that dog here” she said angrily.

“And there is nothing anyone can do about this” she reaffirmed.
Our fear of dog in this house and the street isn’t far fetch, just two months ago a four year old boy with a promising future and one of the brightest in the school bark to death in an instance of a dog bite. Before that the only young girl of young couple also died, the fact is, no one takes there dog for treatment since it’s a local dog. It is believed that since it’s a local dog it has this immunity against all diseases, but we were wrong and our ignorance has cost us two bright life. The incidence opened everyone eyes though.

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The following week our neighbour has brought her dog in against the community agreement of no dog, actually they didn’t agree like in committee or round table meeting. It was just an unanimous decision due to the grief that is still fresh. His name was “Bingo”. Everyone was reluctant at first to go near him; I think the dog felt that too. But the eagerness to have fun which is encoded in a child DNA made us moved closer, one by one in just a month Bingo became part of us. Fred our friend whose mum bought him the dog soon became a celebrity, the dog we were all afraid of has become our friend.

A year has passed now and our neighbour is ready to move, Fred gave us the news and it was sad to hear such. We won't see bingo again. I team up with my friends to plead with Fred if per chance he will let Bingo stay with us. After much pleading he finally agreed with us. Bingo was willed to me as the eldest among the boys. Immediately my rank increase among my friends, Bingo sometimes run errand for me.

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A day came Bingo ran back home backing furiously at my me, mum heard that from the kitchen and came out, he grabbed mum's cloth by the helm beseeching her to follow him, we did, down across the alley is the head of the street landlords lying lifeless on the ground, we rushed to him , thank God he was still alive.

When he got better , he told us how he had an heart attack and couldn't control his breathe anymore, he thanked us. The news of this deed got to the street with the landlord's head also reaffirming the news in the landlords meeting. This single act has canceled all the previous grief in the street.

The following week, in the mood of celebration we woke up the morning to see Bingo lying lifeless in his pool of blood, clearly it shows he vomited to death. I nearly collapse that day. I cried like a baby and wouldn't go to school, It's as if my pride is stripped off from me, which actually is. Bingo is gone, I still can't come to term how, why, what could have happened ?. People came to greet me but I refused to be consoled.
In two weeks time, as young as I was I became depressed, the death of Bingo scares me at every time I remembered it. Soon mum and dad made a conclusion for us to change environment.

That single act made me till date not to have a pet to call my own.
So many years have passed now and am now in my second year in the university. I heard my name been called from far distance looking back to see a stranger greet me.
"Henry! Right? " sternly looking at me.
"Yes." I replied.
"Don't tell me you can't remember Mohammed" looking straight into my eyes.
On a second thought his face starts to look familiar.
"Ahmed! What! " I hugged him.
"Oh my God " it's nice to see you.
Ahmed just went straight to the dog issue, he told me how the street felt after that incidence. It got everyone concerned that some findings were made. The father to the boy whose son was killed had arranged such an evil act. The man couldn't believe the community just forgot his son just like that and moved on to praising a dog.

I still couldn't come to term with the words coming out of Ahmed mouth, come to think of it, my dog was innocent.

This is my entry into @averageoutsider contest NEW 'Outsider' Pic-a-Topic Writing Contest

Comments, criticism and corrections are welcome.