Read Buddy for Free Online Page A

“And then a hand came out the sky. A giant hand. And it snatched him up and whisked him off into the clouds.”
    Mama hugs Tanya up so tight, Tanya says, “Umph.”
    â€œThat’s the hand of God,” Mama says. “He took Buddy to dog heaven.”
    Tanya’s tears are starting up again. “But the hand was scary,” she says. “And now Buddy’s gone.”
    â€œIt was a dream,” Daddy says. “Buddy’s sleeping in the shed.” Daddy looks out the window. “He’s in a dry place for a change. He’s a happy dog tonight.”
    â€œHe’s dead,” Tanya says. “He’s gone, gone, gone.” She’s looking down at her hands now and the tears are just rolling down her face.
    â€œThat’s foolishness,” Granpa T says. “You need to be quiet now so your daddy can sleep. He’s got to work in the morning. T Junior, go change that baby’s diaper and put him back in the bed. Everybody, go back to sleep.”
    Mama kisses up Tanya real good and pulls the covers up to her chin. She walks out the door and flips off the light. Me and Tanya are laying there in the dark listening to the rain and watching the lightning on the wall.
    I’m thinking about Buddy laying in the dark outside. That shed’s dry, but it’s got a tin roof and when it rains, it’s so noisy you can’t hardly hear the thunder.
    â€œHe didn’t never stand up?” I say real quiet.
    â€œNo,” Tanya says. “And then a big hand came.”
    â€œDo you think Buddy could die from laying down?”
    â€œHe already did. And he grew angel wings.”
    â€œHe ain’t dead.”
    â€œI saw it. I didn’t tell that part. He laid down on his side and he closed his eyes and he was still all over. And then his whole body started to twinkling like a holy spirit was in it and then,
boom
, he was on his feet and he had angel wings.”
    â€œYou dreamed it.”
    â€œI saw it. He’s dead.”
    I sit up in my bed. “You’re just a baby. You can’t tell the difference between for true and dreaming. You
dreamed
he’s dead!”
    â€œI saw it! With my own eyes!”
    Daddy busts open the door. “Y’all be quiet. We’re trying to go to sleep now.”
    â€œShe says—”
    â€œBe quiet. I mean it.” Daddy slams the door. The dark fills up the room. I hear Tanya breathing all jaggedy next to me. In my mind I see Buddy laying on that green army blanket. He’s got it all pushed into bumps and hills. He’s got his nose resting on his front feet. His sides are going in and out with breathing. And then in my mind, his sides stop going. Everything freezes up. There ain’t no twinkling. He turns to stone. And then he’s gone.

    In the morning it’s still raining so hard Daddy can’t go to work. The TV says schools are closed. They’ve got flooding up on Claiborne Avenue and the street out in front of the house is a river. I dress and find an umbrella while Mama is still looking in the refrigerator for Baby Terrell’s bottle. Daddy says to go see if we got a paper, but I ain’t listening. I’m out the back door and splashing through the puddle at the foot of the steps. I’m standing at the shed where that sign says buddy’s house like it’s so proud or something, and then I’m opening the door.
    I’m opening the door and—
    And there’s Buddy, standing up on three legs. He’s standing there all by himself with his white foot in his water bowl and that old blanket all gathered up under his feet and his tail just a-going. That caterpillar eyebrow is cocked to one side, and he’s grinning straight at me.
    â€œRrrruuff!” Buddy says.
    I scream and Tanya comes running outside holding her doll by the hair and splashing through the rain.
    â€œHe’s dead?” she’s yelling. “I saw it! He’s