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The Big Stink
By: Crystal Crowell, age 11
It was around 8:00 p.m., the sun had already set and the moon had come out. It was now pitch black outside where once it had been blue and bright. My dad, brother, and I were sitting in the living room watching the movie Titanic on channel 207. Right before my eyes the largest ship ever built hit an iceberg.
We started getting really excited because the movie was filled with lots of action. In my mind I imagined what I would do if I were on the ship. How would I handle such a dangerous situation?
We were just getting to a good part in the movie when my dad said, “Crystal, go get Tigger.”
Tigger is my dog and he was in the dark with shadows all around him, and all alone. We usually bring him in before it got too dark so he could eat supper. But I was late because I was wrapped up in the movie. So I grabbed the blue leash and headed for the door. Normally this would have been an easy task, except now it was pitch black outside.
Bang! Before I could turn on the flood lights my brother slammed the door on me. Instead of getting angry with my brother the way that he wanted me to, I decided to prove to him I could go get Tigger even in the lightless backyard.
“I can do this,” I said to myself. Little did I know my life was about to be hit with disaster.
I was standing in the dark shadows and felt as though I couldn’t move. Then I ran down the frosty red steps onto our lawn. It was filled with mucky dead leaves, and the water from the wet leaves traveled through my socks and iced my feet. I walked to the trailer and noticed Tigger’s chain went under it.
I didn’t want to reach under my dad’s trailer toward Tigger. I was worried I would startle him so bad he would nip at my fingers. Cautiously I whispered under the trailer. “Tigger, it’s supper time.”
The air all of a sudden smelled . . . horrible. It reminded me of when my brother left milk out on the counter; only this was worse!
Rattle. Rattle. Rattle. Tigger’s chain rustled as he came out from underneath the trailer. That was when my bright brown eyes saw a scary sight.
“OH MY GOSH!” I screamed. 
I saw my dog with a peculiar creature in his mouth. My jaw dropped open and I screamed like the panicking people on the Titanic when it was sinking. My mind went blank and my legs started running. I looked at the house instead of my dog. I was on the first step when suddenly I stopped, deciding to be a brave girl and help Tigger. With a smile of determination on my face, I ran back to him.
I thought to myself, I know Tigger didn’t like animals, but I didn’t think he would go to these extreme measures. I knew he always chased squirrels up trees and he once almost jumped out of the back of the truck to get a poodle. But this was way of the charts.
The animal was black and white. It was a dead skunk. I wanted to gag but I felt even worse for my dog. The skunk was hanging limply in his mouth. I thought about how nasty that must have been for my white Siberian Husky, who was only a puppy. I felt so bad for Tigger. I decided to take a risk and grab the skunk out of his mouth.
In a second, the skunk was on the slimy ground. Tigger was saved and I felt so courageous—like a Super Hero! After all the excitement, I walked Tigger to our house, thrilled I could run back inside and watch the movie.
Watching the historical adventure now made more sense having had one of my own. I could now relax. I knew that Tigger and I were survivors of the terrible skunk mishap.
It was the next day my dad and I brought Tigger to the lake and let him swim the stench off. Even after several bottles of dog shampoo, he still wreaked horribly. Eventually the skunk “perfume” wore off. As a result of my horrid experience, I learned several lessons. One is skunks and Tiggers don’t mix. Another is Tigger would rather eat a skunk instead of eating his dog treats. My last lesson is I would do anything for Tigger . . . even if it had a huge risk.
Tigger will always be the best dog—ever!
~The End~ Illustration Copyright © 2008 Clipart Creations
Copyright © 2008 by Crystal Crowell |
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