Oh Henry! part 2

"Like I said before Dad, I only heard it and then saw a shadow of something and then Stephen came out from behind the bushes all bloody." Jarred explained to his and Stephen's parents, what he knew. Which as it was, wasn't much. "I heard a deep growl and a few barks. Then I heard Stephen say ‘HENRY NO!’, real loud. He kinda screamed it. And by the time I got down out of the club house and over to the bushes, Stephen was on his way out." "You didn't see anything else?" Asked Mr. Meyers. Jarred hesitated... "WELL!?!" Shouted Mrs. Meyers and Mrs. Heart simultaneously (just like the boys do – strange that). The fathers grabbed hold of each of their wives hands to calm them down a bit, and then all four of them said in a much calmer voice. "Well!?!" "Well” Jarred continued. “I thought I saw something, but I was coming down the rope so fast that it burned my hands and I lost sight of it." Mrs. Meyers went into the kitchen to get them all something to drink, and as she walked past her husband she attempted to whisper but said. "Jim ask him what he THOUGHT he saw." They all heard her and instead of looking to Mr. Meyers for his response, the all looked toward Jarred again. Mrs. Crow got up to help with the drinks, when Jarred stuttered out. "It loo-loo looked like a big wolf." The Crows and Meyers were all silent for a few seconds. Then Mr. Crow got up from his chair and said. "I seriously doubt it was a wolf." "And that will be the last of those late night scary movies for you boys too." Mrs. Meyers said, as she and Mama Crow came back to the living room. "It wasn't a nightmare Mrs. Meyers. I wasn't dreaming." Jarred said as seriously as he could while wiping his brow with his t-shirt sleeve. "I only got a glimpse, and that was the first thought that came to mind." He finished. "Well, then. If that was your first thought, what do you think it might have been now." Jarred's eyes started to tear up a bit. His hands were shaking, and he averted his eyes away from the adults. He went from confidence in his first thought to concern over his later second thought. With his lips trembling, he whispered. "I think it was Henry."

There was talk. Real talk. Talk that scared Jarred, and brought tears to the eyes of Momma Meyers, and Mrs. Crow. The Meyers' went home. It was late and everybody but Mrs. Meyers went to bed. She had Mr. Meyers bring up her favorite rocking chair, and spent the night in Stephen's room. He was released from the Hospital, still very woozy from the pain medication they gave him. She dozed off a few times but for the most part she just prayed and tried to give comfort to her son. Twice that night Mrs. Meyers was jerked out of a light sleep by Stephen talking in his. "HEY! What are you doing over there?" He wasn't talking very loud, but Mrs. Meyers was suspicious that he was having a flash back of some sort. "Hey Henry. Come here boy. Come’ere." Mrs. Meyers could see by the light from outside that Stephen's eye brows were up all the way, and he was looking scared. "Henry!" He said with a stern voice. "Come Here boy!" "Who are you barking at, you crazy dog? Come h............. What the heck?" "HENRY!" Stephen shouted. "HENRYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Mrs. Meyers jumped up and sat on the bed next to her son. She lifted him up and held him close. "Shhhhhhhh. It's okay now Stephen. You’re home now." She said in that sweet tender motherly tone. Stephen's breathing jumped so high, and now was slowing again. "Henry! Henry! No Henry! No!" Stephen just repeated that 4 or 5 more times and then drifted back off. Momma Meyers had some awful thoughts about what she was going to do to that dog when they found him. ‘Hurt my baby, when no body's looking! I'll show you a hurtin’!’ she thought to herself. But that thought also disturbed her. ‘That dog is the absolute best. Short of that cat Pickles he chases, there isn't a soul that wouldn’t trust Henry with their life.’ She leaned back on the head board still holding Stephen and dozed off her self.

The next morning both the Crows and Meyers house holds were out looking for the alleged attacker. That's right, I said alleged. Ya see, when Stephen woke up he didn't have much more to add to what Jarred had already said. "I was headed up to the club house when I thought I saw Henry in the bushes. I didn't want him to get in trouble for digging back there so I went to get him. When I got back there, I tried to coax him out but he started growling and barking. I couldn’t see anything and then I heard Jarred ask what was going on, and when I turned to look at him something jumped me from behind. I started to get up and saw Henry jumping my way, and I yelled NO HENRY!" Stephen went on. "Henry was acting real strange and angry! Maybe he thought I was an intruder or something! The next thing I know Jarred is taking his shirt off and wrapping it around my arm. Did Henry bite me Dad?" "We’re not sure Stephen." Mr. Meyers said. "But we're going to find out."

The search around the neighborhood went on for hours. You could hear Henry's name being called for several blocks in every direction. Sometime after noon Jarred stopped by Stephen's house to see if he was awake. "Man I thought you were gonna lose your arm." Jarred said. "Jarred, you saw it didn't you. Did Henry attack me?" Stephen’s eyes were pleading for a "NO" answer, but all Jarred could say was ‘I don't know’. Then from down stairs they boys heard some commotion. Jarred walked side by side with his best friend down the stairs, to see everybody outside of the patio doors. "What are you doing out of bed young man?" Momma Meyers asked. "I wanted to see if Henry was back, and if he was alright." Stephen said as he and Jarred stepped out the big sliding glass door way. "HENRY!" the boys chimed together. They stepped closer to a wagging tail and a happy pant, but then noticed the blood on Henry's mouth and nose. "Step back away from him boys." Mrs. Crow said. Mrs. Meyers lead the boys in the house, as their fathers began to talk. "You know we're gonna have to put him down, right?" Mr. Crow said. Then boys darted back toward the door shouting "NOOOOOOOOO! You can't do that. Momma, don’t let them do it." The two Mrs. pulled their boys in for some close hugs, and tried to comfort them. Mr. Meyers had hold of Henry's leash and was about to lead him to the clothes line pull to tie him there when........."HENRY. RUN! RUN BOY." "GO HENRY GIT OUTTA HERE." The boys started shouting. A bit of commotion and Henry made a run for it. He leaped off the patio, fell onto his side, whimpered in pain, and sort of ran away in a fast limp. They boys were in tears. They may have saved is life, but their buddy and pal was now a fugitive.

Everyone went out looking again. Mr. Crow and Mr. Meyers were over heard talking about rabies, testing the brain, and shots. Their wives were heard talking about healing and scars, and blood stains on clothes. Everyone was talking. "But Henry was such a sweet dog." WAS?!? What do they mean was. Don't talk about me in the past tense. How rude. "He loved to play fetch." Yeah that was true. "He did once nip the mailman on the butt." I was playing with him. He knew it was a joke. "Gonna have to put him down." Put me down where? I can lay down. And I can jump down. But what is this put me down?
This was all scary talk, and Henry didn't like it. He heard almost all of it while hiding around every corner. He knew he could go and rest out at the lake for the evening. He would just come home tomorrow and see the boys and..........................

To be continued. Again.