It seems that strangers are always dropping in at dinner time, but usually they leave after eating. My brother, Max, and I do not mind as long as they eat and leave. One day “he” showed up and never left. I asked him his name, but he just ignored me. Can you believe that? Here I was being friendly, in spite of the fact that I did not want him to stay, and he would not even look at me. The nerve! He made himself right at home, so I just ignored him. He tried to do face rubs with me, but I would slap at him. I tried telling him to go away, but he would not stop.
“She”, the lady of the house, talked baby talk to him. Boy, did he have her fooled! Why, she even named him! I could hardly believe it when I heard her call him Harry. When you get a name that means you are part of the family!
One day we were all sleeping on the porch, and those mean old dogs from down the street came running into our yard. I was the first to hear them so I jumped up and screamed “Run!”, and took off up a tree. Max was right behind me! As I jumped to the roof, I looked over my shoulder, and what I saw made my hair stand on end. Harry was still asleep, and the dogs were getting closer to him. Max and I were screaming “Run, Harry!”, but Harry just lay there.
“She” heard all of the barking and came out on the porch. She saw the dogs and ran towards them. All of a sudden Harry got up and took off. The dogs were in hot pursuit, but Harry made it to a tree safely. Whew! That was a close call.
After getting the daylights scared out of us, I heard “She” talking about Harry being deaf. Then I understood why Harry would never answer my questions or talk to me. Harry cannot hear me or the dogs. I decided right then and there, that if “She” loved Harry enough to give him a name, then I would look after him and accept him as my brother.
Now, when danger approaches, before I run up a tree, I wake up Harry and motion for him to follow me.