The Unexpected Visitor

My brother and I lived a peaceful life, a child’s utopia filled with joy and laughter. We lived in a big city, went to school, played outside a lot. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened in our lives.

One day we were visiting our uncle’s farm in a small village. It was midafternoon. The sky was a rare deep blue, and the hot sun shone down on our backs. My brother and I wandered down the dusty road to the main square, looking for some kids to play with.

We were about to turn the corner when all of a sudden we heard a noise like thunder. Frightened, we looked up the road to see a blur of reddish brown spots against white. As it got closer, a flash of gray sharp horns became apparent. It was a crazed mad devil of a bull, stampeding the village angrily. And it was heading straight for us!

I screamed. Quickly I grabbed my brother’s hand. Together we flew to the nearest house. The whole world blurred before my eyes. For a moment I couldn’t see. Then I heard the noise of wood splintering. We had broken through the fence. I got up from the ground and continued running, my brother next to me. We knocked on the door of the house. The door opened and I crashed on the floor, planting for breath. My brother clung to me, terrified.

“What is the matter, children?” our motherly neighbor asked, concerned.

“Didn’t you hear?  There’s a mad bull out there!” I replied. My brother whimpered.

“Ah, the Unexpected Visitor,” our neighbor replied, nodding her head.

“Yeah, it was quite an unexpected visitor,” I said.

“Indeed. In fact, this particular bull escapes from the pasture quite often. So often, that we have nicknamed it the Unexpected Visitor.” She laughed. “But enough talk. I’m sure the bull is doing more than its share of damage. I’ll go and call the sheriff.”

My brother and I watched form the window as the sheriff caught the great beast. This was an event that I would never forget.