Savage street

Savage Street

Hege Bjerkelien

A pack of dinosaurs was circling Neil. He spun in all directions, looking for an escape, but he was trapped. He had been caught by the vilest carnivores that had ever set foot on the Earth. Neil knew a lot about dinosaurs, so he knew the group surrounding him was made up of the very worst killing machines in all of history: a terrifying T-rex, a spinosaurus and a giganotosaurus. He squeezed his eyes shut as the predators closed in on him. He was going to be their next meal.

2

In the distance, the school bell rang. Neil spun around again and saw his mom standing further down the road.

“It’s alright, Neil!” she called, smiling at him. “You just need to get used to them. Carnivores are actually quite sweet when you get to know them.”

The giganotosaurus took a chomp, and his mom’s hand was gone.

She was still smiling though, adding cheerfully: “See. They only take small bites.” She raised her bloody stump of an arm to show him.

3

“Neeeeeeil!” his mom screamed. “Wake up!”

Her voice was coming from a different direction now. “You’re going to be late for school!”

Neil’s eyes shot open. He had rolled into a corner of his bed and was bunched up in his duvet, all sweaty.

His mom kept on, unaware of the nightmare he’d just woken from.

“You’re going to be even later than normal!”

He pulled himself from the deadly dream and got dressed as quickly as he could. When he got to the kitchen, his mom handed him a sandwich.

The fuss was continuing outside.

BARK ... BARK! BARK-BARK ... BARK! Neil looked out onto the street as he gulped down his breakfast.

Their neighbor, Mr. Gundersen, was walking what had to be the biggest dog in the world past their house. Its teeth looked like something belonging to a prehistoric monster.

4

Its mouth throbbed with each bark, sending great big globs of drool flying in all directions. The giant dog was called Ramses, the name of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. It made Neil think of a tyrannosaurus rex, whose name meant king of the tyrant lizards, whenever he saw the dog chasing pigeons in the park.

Even if there always was a gigantic poop bag tied to his leash. Neil secretly called him “Ramses Rex”.

Ramses noticed him through the window and barked again.

Neil nearly choked on his sandwich.

“Uh, Mom. Can you drive me to school?”

His mom sighed. “You need to get used to them, Honey.”

Neil groaned. “But Mom ...”

“This can’t go on forever,” she complained.

Neil gulped down the rest of his breakfast, trembling all over.

He checked through the window that Mr. Gundersen and Ramses were out of sight, then snuck out through the front door.

5

The sweat was already running down Neil’s face as he turned the corner into Savage Street. Its real name, ironically, was Clement Street, but he hadn’t called it that for as long as he could remember. There were dangers lurking everywhere here, and no way of avoiding them.

Making his way down Savage Street, he was so startled by the sound of frantic barking that he leapt into the middle of the road. Luckily, no cars were driving by, or he would have been flattened! Fluffy and Precious, the two ill-tempered little dogs who were making the racket, were jumping around their garden and launching themselves against the fence. They reminded Neil of the carnivorous hairballs in a horror movie he’d once seen called Bloodthirsty Mutants. Fluffy and precious indeed, until their stomachs were empty. Then the truth came to light. The hairballs transformed into raging killing machines and ate everyone who crossed their path, leaving only a series of bloody skeletons behind.

6

The garden on the other side was even worse. A dreadful muscle-mutt was sitting on the lawn there, guarding the gate.

The house had been broken into a couple of years ago, and within a few days the owners had brought home this viciouslooking watchdog to keep any future thieves at bay. Its name was Hannibal, but Neil secretly called it “Cannibal”.

It must cost them a fortune to keep such a gigantic animal fed, he thought. They probably don’t even mind if it eats someone once in a while, so long it keeps protecting their house.

Neil was now trapped in the middle of the road. On one side of him, a beast that could swallow him with one bite, and on the other, two blood-thirsty mutants. It was like being in his nightmare all over again; only this time, he couldn’t escape by waking up.

The sweat running down his forehead was making his eyes itch, and his bladder suddenly felt unpleasantly full.

7

HONK. HOOONK ... HONK HOOONK! Neil jumped out of the road as a big car came buzzing toward him.

HOOONK HOONK, the driver blared at him in passing, unaware of the added terror it was causing the boy. Neil whimpered and glanced around. The hairballs were barking more furiously than ever. Hannibal was licking his mouth, staring straight into his eyes. Then, the muscle-mutt took a step toward him.

Neil sprinted all the way to school.

8

Once he was safely inside, he collapsed onto the stairs and tried to catch his breath. His classmate Jacob noticed how upset he was.

“Did you run into those dogs again?”

Neil nodded.

“You’ll get used to them,” Jacob tried to comfort Neil. “They aren’t dangerous really.

They just seem that way. Would you like to walk home together after school?”

Neil thanked him and smiled, feeling himself calm down a little.

9

The school day was over. Neil strolled back home, feeling safe now that Jacob was with him. He pressed against him while they passed Hannibal, sighing in relief when the ordeal was over. Fluffy and Precious were thankfully out of sight.

Their routes diverged at the park near Neil’s house. Agreeing to walk together again next week, Jacob began his route through the park while Neil continued along the road. Neil was almost enjoying the journey now, and he began to whistle along with some of the birds twittering in the trees.

BARK, BARK ... BARK-BARK! RUFF, RUFF ... RUFF-RUFF! Two familiar voices interrupted the little concert. Neil’s heart started hammering in his chest as the two dreaded hairballs turned the corner in front of him. Lillian, their owner, was striding behind them, holding their leashes tightly. Neil jumped behind a tree.

BARK, BARK! RUFF, RUFF! Fluffy and Precious had already picked up his scent.

Monsters could always smell fear. Lillian noticed him too now, hugging - but not quite hidden by - the tree.

10

“Oh, hi Neil! What are you doing behind there? You’re not afraid of Fluffy and Precious, are you?” Her voice went baby-like when she said the horrible dogs’ names.

“Uh, hi Lillian,” Neil stuttered. “I’m just looking for ... ants. On this tree. We’re learning about them at school. I really like ... science.”

Lillian shuddered and tugged the hairballs closer to her. “Well, good for you. I can’t stand creepy crawlers.”

Suddenly, a squirrel darted out from underneath a bush and up the tree trunk. The hairballs went crazy, jumping and yapping and practically strangling themselves on their leashes to get at it.

BARK-BARK, BARK-BARK! RUFF-RUFF, RUFF-RUFF! They kept jumping up, trying to reach the trunk. Lillian stumbled helplessly after them until, eventually, a final tug pulled her completely off her feet. Before Neil could run forward to save her, she fell, landing flat on her belly.

Her hands let go of both leashes.

The wild beasts were loose.

The dogs sped, jumping, barking and drooling, round and round the tree trunk. Round and round Neil.

Nothing could stop them from savaging him.

Spotting a gap in their whirlwind, he escaped, running at full speed until he was able to storm through his own front door.

11

His dad came out from the kitchen, startled by the commotion.

“Are you OK, Neil? What happened?”

Neil clutched his side, trying to breathe. “The dogs. The dogs went nuts.”

His mom stuck her head out from the bathroom. “Which dogs?”

“Fluffy and Precious,” Neil sniveled. “They went completely bananas! They could have eaten me!”

He told them what had happened, but his mom didn’t seem impressed.

“I doubt Fluffy and Precious would eat anything except the most expensive food from the pet store. You could at least have given Lillian a hand before you ran off.”

“But I was scared!” Neil sobbed.

12

He ran to his room, crying, and slammed the door shut behind him.

He lay on his bed for hours, trying to escape into science shows on his TV. Today, his favorite show was looking at insects and other invertebrates in the Amazon jungle. Unlike Lillian, he liked creepy crawlers.

The show’s host, though, was shaking. An indigenous person wanted him to hold a large spider. The host cringed away from the creature, growing paler by the second, and refused to offer his hands. He was clearly terrified.

The indigenous people were laughing at him. None of them had ever been afraid of an innocent spider.

Neil shook his head.

“If you’re scared, you should really try to hold it. Once you get used to it, it won’t seem so scary anymore.”

This gave him an idea.

13

The next day was Saturday, but Neil was so excited he woke early.

He snuck into his parents’ bedroom and gently nudged his dad awake.

“Dad,” he whispered. “I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?” his dad murmured, his eyes still closed. It was hard to tell whether he was awake or sleep-talking.

“Remember how you and Mom have been talking about getting a dog? To help me feel safer around them?”

“Hm.” “You and Mom said it would help if I had my own.”

One of his dad’s eyes peeled open. The rest of his face was still buried in the pillow. “Can we talk about this later?”

But Neil was too excited to stop.

“I’ve decided I do want to get a dog, one day. But maybe, I should have a smaller animal first? So I can learn to feed it and clean up after it and things like that.”

His dad groaned, but Neil didn’t give up.

14

“I can buy one with my birthday money. I can take care of everything myself.”

His mom was awake now too.

“Stop nagging, Neil. We’re tired.”

“But Mom, I can do it. I promise! And you know Christine at the pet store, she’s nice. She can help me with everything.”

“Let him do it,” his dad sighed. “We’re the ones who’ve been pushing for it. If he’s ready now, and it helps get rid of his fear, we may as well try.”

“Alright,” his mom groaned. “But not a rat!”

“I promise!” Neil shouted as he ran out, grinning from ear to ear.

15

Christine was just opening the shop when Neil came bounding over to her.

“Hi Christine!” He waived his wallet in the air. “Guess what I’m allowed to do!”

Christine immediately understood, and her face lit up. Neil had been coming by frequently the past few months, his large eyes drawn ever-increasingly to one creature in particular. She smiled and opened the door, wafting him with the warm smell of exotic animals.

“She’s in her usual spot.”

Neil stepped inside, walking past the goldfish, the rabbits, the hamsters and guinea pigs, the budgies, and the huge parrot that could greet people in fifteen different languages. The hairy animal he’d come to buy was at the back of the shop. He stopped in front of her glass tank and peered inside.

It took a bit of searching, but finally he spotted her. She was half-hidden below a tree root, with only a few legs and some of her eyes visible.

16

“Hi, Rosa!” He grinned down at her. “You’re coming home with me today.”

Neil opened the lid and reached his hand down, but Rosa was in no hurry. She felt her way ahead of her before stepping carefully onto his hand.

Christine came over and handed him a box for carrying her.

“Congratulations, Neil. And look here.” She gestured to the shelf beside them. “Here are all the things you’ll need to look after her.

A terrarium, sand, different kinds of roots, everything.”

Neil looked up at her, suddenly worried.

“It’s too much to carry home, though.

Does that mean I can’t take her yet?”

Christine gave him a friendly smile.

“Of course, you can. Just take some food with you for now, and put some water in the box when you get home, and I’ll drive the rest over at the end of the day.

How does that sound?”

“Thanks, Christine,” he beamed, and placed his new little friend in the box.

“It’s just a short walk,” he whispered to Rosa. “Then you’ll be in your new home.”

17

When he let himself in, the house smelled like burned bread.

“Mom, Dad!” he called. “Come and meet Rosa!”

His mom called back from the kitchen. “I’ll be there in a minute, honey. I just need to rescue these buns. Your father’s gone out, but Lillian will be over soon for coffee ... and burned pastries.”

“Oh ... OK,” he said hesitantly, stepping past the kitchen. “Please make her keep the dogs on a leash though.” He did not like the idea of those two little monsters in the house.

He decided to distract himself with his new friend. He could just make out her delicate movements inside the box.

“I think you’ll really like Rosa. She’s this pretty red-brown color, and her legs are so fluffy, all ei ...”

The fire alarm in the kitchen interrupted him, clearly fed up with the burning.

“I’ll have a look later,” his mom yelled over the noise.

Neil carried Rosa’s box to his room and set it down on his desk.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang, and he heard his mom open the front door. Peering down from his room, Neil could see Lillian step inside with a tail-wagging dog in each arm.

“There, there, Fluffy, Precious,” she said in her baby voice. “Stay calm.”

“Come show us your new pet then,” his mom called up to him.

“I’m coming.”

18

Opening the box, Neil let Rosa crawl onto his palm. He held her carefully against his body, then went downstairs and greeted Lillian.

“You’ve got to stay calm,” he said. “Rosa might scare easily.”

He opened his hand.

For a moment, all sounds in the house stopped.

Then, Lillian screamed.

“GET IT AWAY, GET IT AWAY!” Still clutching Fluffy and Precious, she ran into the living room and jumped onto the couch.

“IT’S VENOMOUS!” she shrieked.

Inspired by Lillian’s panic, the dogs began yapping and wriggling frantically in her arms, making Neil’s skin tingle uncomfortably.

The soft couch wasn’t meant for climbing. In seconds, the seat began to cave in beneath Lillian, and she lost her balance. Still clutching the dogs, she was unable to use her arms and get it back in time. Neil shielded Rosa and his mom covered her eyes as the wailing Lillian fell and crashed backwards onto the coffee table, holding the dogs up to protect them.

19

Fluffy and Precious, finally able to escape her grasp, began tearing around the room, knocking over pot plants and shattering one of the standing lamps. They became entangled in the curtains and, for a moment, it looked like they were about to tear them down.

Then they saw the half-open door to the garden and went galloping outside. Before anyone could even get to the garden door, they had found a gap in the back fence and began squeezing through.

Lillian was blubbering on the coffee table, surrounded by shattered cups and spilled coffee. Seeing her dogs trying to escape, she jumped up with a groan of pain and chased after them, screaming hysterically. By this point, Neil had pressed himself to the wall, carefully protecting Rosa with his hands but keeping his eyes squeezed shut.

He heard Lillian scream as the dogs made it to the other side of the fence and ran off.

“They must be trying to get to the park,” Lillian panted, rushing back through the house. “I’ve got to find them.

And you need to fix your fence!”

Neil’s mom just stood there, gaping.

Finally, she sighed, heavily. “Neil ... we had an agreement.”

“She’s not a rat!” he said defiantly, stretching out his hand to show her Rosa.

“She’s a tarantula.”

His mom flinched away from the spider, but then became even angrier.

20

“A TARANTULA IS WORSE!” Neil was unfazed. “Rosa’s not just any tarantula.

She’s a purebred Grammostola Rosea. That’s why Christine called her Rosa. Isn’t she pretty?”

His mom sneered. “Pretty? Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND? SHE’S A VENOMOUS SPIDER! Why didn’t you get a scorpion while you were at it? Or a couple of rattlesnakes? Some cockroaches might be nice as well, especially if they’re of the disease-carrying kind.”

She buried her face in her hands and moaned.

After a few seconds, she raised her head and fixed Neil with her eyes.

“We need to help Lillian find her dogs. Go put the spider somewhere safe.”

“But Mom,” Neil begged. “It’s a war zone out there!”

“Come on, it’ll do you good.”

She shut the garden door and went to fetch her handbag.

Neil groaned, knowing this was a fight he wasn’t going to win.

He went upstairs and put Rosa back in her box.

Wouldn’t leaving her be mean, though? She’d be alone in an unfamiliar place, without even being able to see her surroundings. “Come on, Rosa,” he said, scooping up the box and heading downstairs again. “We caused this problem together, so let’s help fix it together. With any luck, we’ll be back in time for when Christine brings the rest of your things!”

21

There were hordes of people in the park when Neil arrived, and even more dogs. His mom wasn’t around to protect him, having sped on ahead to look for the hairballs at the other end of the park.

Neil kept his grip on Rosa’s box tight as he zigzagged between wagging tails and sharp-toothed mouths snapping after balls. Then, from just outside the park, came the sound of two familiar, highpitched voices.

BARK, BARK ... BARK, BARK. RUFF, RUFF ... RUFF, RUFF. Fluffy and Precious had run over to the tree where the squirrel had appeared the day before. Now they had taken up their hunt for it once more. Neil’s heart pounded wildly at the sight of the pair uncontrolled by a leash.

He backed away and sat down on a bench by the entrance. He would keep an eye on them from a safe distance.

He peeked into Rosa’s box and whispered, “You understand, Rosa.

The city’s much scarier than your jungle.”

“Fluffy! Precious! There you are. Mommy’s been so worried.”

Neil looked up to find Lillian trotting towards the dogs, panting heavily. Once they were safely on their leashes again, she turned to smile at him.

22

“Thank you for finding them, Neil.”

“Oh ... you’re welcome.”

Lillian caught sight of the box on Neil’s lap and shuddered. He felt bad now for what had happened earlier.

“Sorry for scaring you,” he said.

“That’s alright,” Lillian answered, and then chuckled. “I’ll know to be careful next time you want to show me something!”

Neil smiled and took out his phone to tell his mom that the dogs were safe, but she was already walking over to them. She ruffled his hair, saying he could go home now if he wanted to, and then went to join Lillian outside the park.

“Hey, it’s you!” said a cheerful voice behind him, making him jump.

“Oh no,” Neil whispered when he realized who it was.

Mr. Gundersen and his huge mongrel were walking over. Neil tried to look away and pretend he hadn’t heard, but it was too late.

“Ramses wants to say hello,” Mr. Gundersen said.

“He loves kids, you know.”

23

The dog came closer, panting hot breath all over Neil, while his owner kept a tight hold on his leash.

Neil’s throat tickled. He held his breath and prepared to run.

“Calm down, Ramses,” Mr. Gundersen chided. “That’s enough.

I think you’re frightening the boy.” He reeled in the leash and sat down on the other end of the bench. The giant dog lay down beside him with a huff strong enough to blow out a hundred candles.

“Good boy.” Mr. Gundersen then looked over at Neil, who had curled himself up around Rosa’s box. “What have you got in there?”

Neil hesitated. He looked at the dog. At Mr. Gundersen. At the box.

“It’s Rosa,” he said quietly. “She’s my new pet. Would you ... like to see?”

“I’d be delighted to,” Mr. Gundersen answered. “What is she?”

“She’s a ... Grammostola Rosea.”

“Well, I don’t know what that means,” Mr. Gundersen chuckled. “But I’m sure she’s lovely.”

Carefully, Neil opened the box.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said.

Mr. Gundersen looked inside.

“Why, look at that,” he said, as if talking to himself. “Aren’t you a beauty.” He reached out to stroke Rosa gently.

Neil remembered Lillian’s reaction, the complete opposite to this.

He looked up at Mr. Gundersen.

“Aren’t you scared?”

Mr. Gundersen chuckled.

24

“Of a tarantula? Why, these spiders are harmless. But of course, like any other animal, you’ve got to treat them with respect.”

Neil sighed. “Tell that to my mom.”

“Ah, most people go wacko when they see a spider. Not you though.”

Mr. Gundersen leaned in, as if to make sure no-one else could hear. “I get the impression that maybe you’re not so fond of dogs?”

Neil felt hot and itchy with embarrassment.

“I ... prefer spiders.”

Mr. Gundersen laughed and gave Neil a firm pat on the shoulder.

“You’re a funny boy, Neil.”

Neil turned to look at him cautiously.

“Is there nothing you’re afraid of?”

Mr. Gundersen looked like he was thinking for a moment. Then he gave Rosa a final stroke and put the lid back on her box.

“There is something. But if I tell you, you’ve got to promise not to laugh.”

“I promise.”

Mr. Gundersen leaned over and whispered into Neil’s ear.

25

“PIGEONS?” Neil leaned back so he could see whether Mr. Gundersen was being serious. “You’re scared of pigeons?”

“Shh ...” Mr. Gundersen hushed. “I’m embarrassed enough.”

Neil apologized, then whispered back.

“How can you be afraid of pigeons when you walk around with a huge dog?”

“I know it sounds strange,” Mr. Gundersen answered. “I actually got Ramses because I wanted to scare away the pigeons when I come here.

And he certainly keeps them away.”

Neil glanced at the giant mound of hair and teeth lying in the grass. Ramses squinted back up at him. For the first time, Neil thought the look seemed friendly.

“Are you going to be scared of dogs for the rest of your life?” Mr. Gundersen asked.

Neil brushed his foot through the grass, then looked back at the old man.

“Are you going to be scared of pigeons all your life?”

26

“I guess you’ve got a point there, kid.”

Mr. Gundersen looked around the park, as if scouting for the dreaded birds.

Neil had another idea.

“How about we help each other?” Mr. Gundersen looked at him, eyebrows raised. “You help me with dogs. I help you with pigeons.”

Mr. Gundersen scratched his head, then nodded slowly.

“What do you have in mind?” * From that day on, Neil met Mr. Gundersen at the park every day.

On some days, all three of them would go together, and Neil would hold onto Ramses’ leash alongside Mr. Gundersen. The giant dog really did seem to be nice. In time, he even began to demand cuddles from Neil.

On other days, Mr. Gundersen left Ramses at home, because then it was his turn to face the pigeons. In the beginning, he would stop at the entrance to the park, refusing to go in without his dog. Neil eventually became strict and demanded he go in. There were a few false starts, involving Mr. Gundersen running out of the park as soon as a pigeon showed up. But Neil would keep dragging him back until, eventually, he was able to stride in confidently and even approach the birds.

This went on for several weeks, until Neil could hardly believe he had once been scared of Ramses.

One day, while they were sitting in the park, Mr. Gundersen asked, “How would you feel about being with Ramses on your own?”

Neil hesitated for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

27

“Well, it’s been years since I last went away on vacation, and there’s plenty of places I’d still like to see. The thing is, I can’t take Ramses with me, and I couldn’t leave him here on his own.” Mr. Gundersen turned to look right at Neil. “But I’d feel alright leaving him with you.”

Neil’s heart started beating faster.

“You mean ... you think ... I can look after Ramses? On my own?”

“Sure you can,” Mr. Gundersen said confidently. “If you’d like to.

And if your folks say it’s OK.” Neil cheered and threw his arms around Mr. Gundersen, then around Ramses, who answered with a gigantic lick that covered his whole face.

28

And that’s exactly what happened. Mr. Gundersen went traveling, and Neil looked after Ramses. They went on walks together. They played, they snuggled, and at night, Ramses slept in Neil’s room.

Preferably in his bed. Neil felt like the luckiest boy in the world to have both Rosa and Ramses in his life.

The dinosaurs disappeared from his dreams, and, when he walked down Savage Street, it didn’t seem that savage anymore. He realized now that Hannibal was smiling at him, not trying to eat him.

Sometimes, after school, he and Ramses would visit Lillian and play with Fluffy and Precious, who were still wild, but definitely not monsters.

29

Shortly before Mr. Gundersen was due to return home, an envelope arrived in the mail addressed to Neil. Inside was a letter from Mr. Gundersen, telling Neil all about his travels, but there was also a photograph. In it, Mr. Gundersen was standing in Venice, Italy, in the middle of St. Mark’s Square.

On each of his arms was a pigeon, and he was grinning from ear to ear.

30

31

© Hege Bjerkelien Bjerkelien forlag 2022 ISBN: hardcover: 978-8-2691-7789-3 softcover: 978-8-2691-7788-6 Editor: Vibeke Koehler Illustrator: Christina Winther Graphic designer: Ida Nygaard Thanks to: – Nina Zoë Jørstad – Boldbooks – Rolf and Julia