That was how it was, sometimes. You put yourself in front of the thing and waited for whatever was going to happen and that was all. It scared you and it didn't matter. You stood and faced it. There was no outwitting anything. When Almondine had been playful, she had been playful in the face of that knowledge, as defiant as before the rabid thing. Sometimes you looked the thing in the eye and it turned away. Sometimes it didn't.David Wroblewski
About This Quote
The reference to the "rabid thing" is perhaps the most chilling of all. It's a reference to an animal that looks like a dog but is actually an English wolfhound. The author, David Almond, refers to this beast as "Almondine". This animal is frequently described as a "demonic" and "mindless" beast.
When Almondine was playful and defiant and defiantly playful, it turned away from its owner and barked at the boy. Confronting this beast and refusing to turn away or run away was what made the boy brave.
Source: The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle
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