Every week I load up the back of my truck with groceries and supplies which have been temporarily stored in the garage. When I am done, I press the button and the garage door starts too close just slow enough for me to quickly run from the switch and out. The only problem was that this time, I didn't run out fast enough. In fact I was no where close. The door was almost two-thirds of the way down when I crouched down in an attempt to slither out along the ground only to get stuck. So there I lay face down with the garage door firmly pressing down on me just below my shoulders. Nobody else was home to help get me out, the neighbours were seemingly absent and all that there was was the light wind and the bright afternoon sun shining down on me.
In the distance the sound of a lawnmower could be heard and a dog barking. At first it seemed so silly but soon that feeling turned to frustration. A couple of hours had passed by when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a dark object moving nearby. I turned my head as far as I could to see that it was a squirrel. One of the ones which I probably have been trying to catch with the trap up in the attic. It is quite obvious that I have not been too successful with the small animal trap. Yet here I am in what appears to be the reverse situation. Here I am trapped on the ground with the garage door on top of me and this small furry creature just a few feet away from me, free to do whatever he or she wants to do... to me.
I stared at the squirrel and it stared back at me holding a small nut cupped between its two little clawed hands, knawing and chipping it with its teeth. More time passes by and it becomes more comfortable with my presence and lack of movement so it comes closer inch by inch, eventually deciding to jump up and sit on my head.
I became nervous, worried, wondering what it was going to do. Claw my eyes out? Fall asleep on me? I couldn't see what it was doing anymore from that angle and being so close. I could just feel the quick little movements of hits body and tail before the tiny crumbs of nut shells started to land on the side of my ear. The wind picked up and suddenly the squirrel jumped off and ran away.
In the late afternoon sun it started getting hot. Sweat rolled down my face as the heat continued to burn. In my mind I imagined eagles or vultures circling high above in the sky waiting. Waiting as I melted under the blistering light. In reality there was a couple of crows perched up on the edge of the gutter almost directly above me. I watched them for a long while as they seemed motionless until one crow turned around so its butt was hanging over the edge. It was dropping something and that something landed just a foot away from my head. I couldn't really see this but that is what had happened. A small pile of bird dropping laid on the concrete ground beside me. That I saw.
Then there was a jingle. The sound of light panting. It was a dog approaching me. It sniffed around me before settling down quietly beside my face and doing nothing. Around the neck was a dog tag named 'chip'.
"Hey chip... good boy chip. good dog chip" I said.
"Go get help ok? Go chip go... go get help"
Chip just sat there obediently quiet but unresponsive. Wonderful. Mans best friend here to keep me company but unable to get help or do anything. I pleaded with him some more but it was useless when chip started to lick the sweat off my face.
I was getting hungry by now. My stomach was making funny noises when chip the dog finally left. A car pulled up into the driveway. A door opened and closed and some footsteps came up to me.
"Hey Lei, what are you doing down there? Ha ha ha!"
It was my brother.