Sidi 2022

When we first moved into our home in Waipahu, our little corgi mix immediately took to resting and sleeping under our bed.

Overnight, if your hand happened to dangle off the side of the bed, she would nibble on it because you were encroaching on her territory. Then, of course, you would learn to not do that again. The dog's name was Sidi; it just seemed to fit her. She was a part of our everyday life; I mean, she went everywhere we went except for the bathroom, that is. We needed some kind of privacy, after all. Oh, and the other thing? We would lock the door for that. Sidi did have one nasty habit because she was so territorial about the underneath of our bed; she would nip at your ankles if you stood too close. If Sidi wasn't so cute, she'd be out on the street. One evening, while my wife and I stood on the opposite ends of our bed, having our usual conversations before we retired, we found it disconcerting that Sidi didn't nip at our ankles. For a moment, we thought something was wrong; perhaps she was sleeping or maybe even not feeling well? My wife let out a blood-curdling scream first, and then she jumped on the bed. Before I could comprehend what happened, a ruff calloused hand shot out from under the bed and firmly squeezed my ankle before it let go. I screamed too, but at the same time, I flipped the mattress over, and there was nothing there.

The next second, Sidi comes walking into the room and freezes. All the hackles are standing upright on the back of her neck, and she's letting out a deep rumbling growl. She charges for whatever is under the bed frame, and it knocks her back to the door. She lets out a yelp, but she recovers and goes after it again. She got it by an appendage this time because my wife and I heard this unearthly roar. Even though we can't see it, we see Sidi lift into the air. She has it in a death grip by her teeth. It jumps out the window, shattering the jealousies, and Sidi goes with it. The motion detector lights flood the front yard, and Sidi struggles with the invisible creature in a life and death tussle. It finally tears Sidi off, and with Sidi goes its literal flesh and blood. Whatever it is, it goes tearing down Kahualena street, damaging parked cars along the way. Our little corgi mix is bruised and battered but still very much alive. Thanks to her territorial demeanor, come hell or high water, no one was going to encroach on her space under our bed. Not even an invisible demon.