I was at Nina's house yet again. My parents were who-knows-where for the weekend, so I was staying with Nina Carson and her family.

Now, something you have to understand about the Carson house. It is a lovely two story brick home, but the downstairs, especially the large open living room, belongs to Ferguson. He is a black and white spotted Great Dane. Like all Great Danes, he is HUGE, and he really, really likes to play. Normally, I get along with Ferguson, but there are times….

On this Saturday night, Mr. Carson sat in his blue recliner reading the paper while Nina and I watched TV.

"I could so carry Nina if I wanted to."

"I don't think so…" Mr. Carson said, and went back to the paper. Part of me wished that He hadn't made a comment about the newspaper article, because now I had to prove that I could pick up the girl sitting next to me.

"Nina, Stand up!" She made a face at me. "Come ON! Get on my back."

"This isn't a good idea Sue…"

After much persuasion on my part, Nina hopped onto my back.

We began laughing, NEVER a good idea with Ferguson around.

"See. I can pick her up." Unfortunately, as I began boasting, the unthinkable happened. Ferguson jumped.

I started to run in circles around the room.

"FERGUSON! Stop it! AHHH!" cried Nina. The faster I ran, the more Ferguson jumped, and the more Ferguson jumped, the more Nina slipped off my back.

"Careful girls." Mr. Carson said off-handedly.

"THANKS A LOT!" I screamed. Nina slipped further and further.

BANG! Nina fell to the ground, laughing so hard that she cried. As soon as she fell, Ferguson was on top of her.

"NO! Ferguson! Get off me now!"

"Come on boy, get off of her!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled, but to no avail.

"Ferguson! Please! I'm the one you love! Attack HER!" Nina cried out between laughs. The dog didn't listen.

Thankfully, at that moment, Mrs. Carson came in the back door. Apparently, she was more interesting than Nina.

Looking back, I realize how dangerous that could have been. Nina managed to escape with nothing but a sore bum and a scratched nose, but I learned a valuable lesson that night. Never give your friend a piggy-back ride when there is a hyper-active Great Dane in the room.