Bingo And The Black Mamba

Bingo barked again, louder this time.

Laila opened her eyes. She made a small, sleepy sound and waved her arms.

The snake lifted its head.

Bingo rushed forward and pushed the bed’s hanging cloth with his nose. The cloth fell between Laila and the snake. Laila began to cry.

“It’s all right,” Bingo whined. He glanced at her, then back at the snake.

The snake slid around the cloth.

Bingo tried another way. He caught the edge of Laila’s soft blanket in his teeth and pulled. The little bed moved a short distance across the floor. Laila’s crying grew louder, but the bed was now farther from the doorway and closer to the strong wooden chest beside the wall.

Bingo pulled again.

The bed bumped against the chest. It could not move farther.

The snake came nearer.

Bingo looked at Laila. Her cheeks were wet, and her tiny fingers reached toward him.

He understood that the bedroom was not safe.

Bingo seized the blanket gently and dragged Laila’s bed cloth toward the side door. He pulled with all his strength. The cloth slipped beneath Laila, and he drew her across the floor, away from the snake and toward the covered side of the house.

Laila cried, but Bingo stayed close. He moved her behind the low stone step near the side wall. The step was wide and strong. It gave Laila a safe place to lie while Bingo faced the snake.

He nudged her blanket around her feet.

“There,” Bingo breathed.

The snake slid through the doorway.

Bingo turned.

The Black Mamba moved into the bright yard. Its long body made a soft sound over the dust. It was between Bingo and the bedroom, but Laila was now tucked safely behind the stone step.

Bingo planted his paws.

The snake lifted its head.

Bingo barked and sprang to the side. The snake struck the empty ground where he had been. Dust puffed into the air.

Bingo jumped back. His fur brushed the wall. He could hear Laila crying behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder. She was safe, wrapped in the blanket.

The snake turned toward her.

Bingo moved in front of it again.

The yard was small, with a clay pot near one wall and a stack of firewood near the other. Bingo could not run far. He needed to keep the snake away from Laila.

He barked once and darted left.

The snake followed.

Bingo darted right.

The snake followed again.

“Look at me,” Bingo growled softly. “Not her.”

The Black Mamba struck. Bingo twisted aside, but its sharp teeth caught the fur on his shoulder. He yelped and rolled away. A small tear showed in his coat.

Laila cried louder.

Bingo rose at once.

He shook dust from his fur and stood between the snake and the baby. His shoulder hurt, but he did not leave his place.

The snake opened its mouth.

Bingo remembered what Noura had taught him when he was small. Do not rush without care. Watch. Wait. Move when the path is clear.

He watched the snake’s head.

The snake slid closer.

Bingo waited.

It struck.

Bingo leaped aside, then sprang toward the snake’s long body. He caught it near the middle and pulled away from Laila. The snake twisted hard. Its scales were cold and smooth against his teeth.

Bingo held on.

The snake whipped its tail. It struck the dirt beside his paws. Bingo stumbled, but he did not let go. He dragged the snake farther across the yard, toward the empty patch beside the woodpile.

Laila was behind the stone step now, safe from the fight.

The snake twisted again and bit Bingo near the side of his mouth.

Pain flashed through him.

Still, Bingo held on.

The snake’s own venom touched its wounded mouth and body as Bingo kept his grip. The Black Mamba weakened. Its twisting slowed. At last, it lay still in the dust.

Bingo released it and stepped back.

The yard went quiet.

Only Laila’s cries remained.

Bingo turned toward her. He was breathing hard. His shoulder and mouth were sore, and dark blood spotted the dust. More blood had marked the blanket where the snake had struck during the struggle.

Bingo limped to Laila and nudged her hand.

She closed her fingers around his fur.

Her crying softened.

“You’re safe,” Bingo whispered in the only way he could, with a warm lick and a tired wag.

He rested beside the stone step. The Black Mamba lay still near the woodpile. Laila was alive, warm, and close to him.

Far down the road, Noura returned from the market with a basket on her arm.

She hurried toward the house, thinking of Laila’s nap. Then she saw the open side door.

“Laila?” she called.

No answer came from the bedroom.

Noura stepped inside. Her basket slipped from her hand. Oranges rolled across the floor.

There was blood near the bed. Blood marked the blanket. Blood spotted the doorway and the path leading outside.

“Laila!” Noura cried.

She ran from the bedroom to the side yard.

Bingo lifted his head when he heard her. He tried to stand, but his legs shook. He looked at Noura, then at Laila, who lay safely behind the stone step.

Noura did not see the baby at first.

She saw Bingo covered in blood.

She saw the torn blanket.

She saw the quiet room.

Her face went pale.

“What have you done?” she cried.

Bingo wagged his tail weakly. He tried to crawl toward Laila.

Noura stepped back.

“No! Stay away from her!”

Bingo stopped. His ears fell low. He wanted Noura to look behind the stone step. He wanted her to see that Laila was safe.

But fear filled Noura’s eyes.

She saw the blood and thought the worst. She believed Bingo had hurt her baby.

Near the wall lay a machete that Noura used for cutting branches. She reached for it with a trembling hand.

Bingo gave a soft whine.

Laila made a small sound behind the stone step.

Noura did not hear.

“Laila!” she cried again.

Bingo turned his head toward the baby. He tried once more to rise, but pain pulled him down. His eyes stayed on Laila.

Noura raised the machete.

The yard seemed to grow still.

Bingo did not run. He was too tired, and he would not leave Laila alone. He lowered his head and kept his body between Noura and the place where the snake lay.

Noura brought the machete down.

Bingo fell beside the stone step.

Laila began to cry.

This time, Noura heard her.

She dropped the machete and spun around. Behind the stone step, Laila kicked beneath the blanket, alive and unharmed.

Noura stared at her baby. Then she looked at Bingo, who lay still in the dust.

Near the woodpile, the Black Mamba was silent.

The blood had come from the battle, not from Laila. Bingo had dragged the baby away from danger and guarded her until the end.

Noura covered her mouth with both hands.

“Oh, Bingo,” she whispered.

Laila reached toward the dog.

Noura gathered the baby into her arms. Laila pressed her face against her mother’s shoulder, safe and warm.

Noura looked down at Bingo, and tears fell onto the dusty ground.

Bingo had guarded the doorway, moved Laila to safety, and faced the snake alone. His brave work had saved the baby, even though fear had made Noura misunderstand what she saw.

In the quiet yard, Laila’s small hand reached toward Bingo’s paw.

Noura held her close and whispered, “A loving heart must look carefully before it judges.”

End of chapter one. 5 more chapters and about 7,931 words in the full book.