1. 1
LEXI’S BABY SITTER
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NARRATION
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A Man’s Best Friend happened to be no other but a dog.
Everywhere he went, his best friend followed him with an
unwavering banner of loyalty with or without a collar and a leach as
symbolized by the non-verbal communication of the constant tail
wagging...
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Beware all ye readers, for this is an anti-hero story where man
becomes the antagonist and dog becomes the protagonist in the
natural setting OF THE WILD HABITATION OF HUMANITY
The Poet Emmanuel Kojo Baah presents
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LEXI’S BABY SITTER
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Yes sometimes, a dog dreams, and becomes a hero. And
sometimes a dog gets on the nerves of a man.
A dog could make a man angry like a nagging little kid. A dog could
whimper.
2
A dog could howl like a wolf.
And the most scary, intimidating and annoying sound of all that a
dog could make is barking.

2. Hark. A dog harks, and spits, and grinds all of its canines together,
ready to tear up any Frankenstein and nibble the bones clean,
especially when put on hunger strike.
This story is set in Ghana, in Africa, for the convenience of the
author’s cinematic aspirations and artistic endeavors to represent it
in his filmmaking career. The site where the action and sequence of
events had taken place might also peak the curiosity of AIC
Education’s Annual Changemaker Challenge participants.
The setting is also motivated in serving the purpose of exposing
Heritage Academy Farm’s Sustainable Agricultural Site, whose
previous manager, was called Appoo Brim.
And it came to pass that once upon a time, on this land, that now
belongs to Heritage Academy, Appoo Brim had a dog with him
when he left the house to go to farm with his wife and their bouncing
baby girl.
The name of the bulldog was Luxi, and the baby girl was named
Lexi. Luxi although he could sing no lullabies was Lexi’s Baby Sitter
while Appoo Brim tilled the earth until he could feel sweat on the
brim of his forehead. The mother, Asantewaa, made mounds for
yams, while heating hot water for Moringa tea.
3
According to Sir Godsway of Heritage Academy, a cup of moringa
tea contains enough nutrients equivalent to drinking four cups of
milk.
Anyways, the nuclear family had settled under a tree which
provided enough shade where they had had leur pétit-déjeuner sur
l’herbe as illustrated in the painting of the great French
Impressionism Painter, Claude Monet.
After breakfast, Appoo Brim and Asantewaa left Lexi napping under
the tree trusting that in the watchful and capable eyes of Luxi, she
would be in safety.
Around high noon, when the sun was scorching like fire in a kiln,

3. Luxi started barking like a mad dog. Although Appoo Brim and
Asantsewaa heard the raucous, they were exhausted and felt like
doing nothing about it in the heat of the sun, but to take a nap
themselves and have a siesta as it might have been done in the
leaver culture of Daniel Quinn, author of Ishmael, as it might have
been done in the garden of Eden.
Appoo Brim, who must have lost his temper in the heat of the sun
started cursing out the name of Luxi on top of his lungs, calling the
bulldog funny names, like Lucy, Luny, Luby, Lucky, Dube, Dumby...
Asantsewaa could not understand why Luxi was barking, for no
human voice of intrusion had been heard in their midst. They had
no company engaging them.
4
But little did she know was transpiring where Lexi was napping
under the tree.
Lexi was no longer napping. In fact, her eyes were wide open and
interrogating the norm, as the subject of an objective realism, the
audience of a great spectacular moment. A drama was being
staged right in front of her, a confrontation, a conflict between a dog
and a snake, between man’s best friend and his worst enemy, a
battle between good and evil, between the destroyer and a savior,
and she was in the front row of the action, the daughter of man, who
might be visually assaulted, victimized and put into a compromising
state of being.
Coucou, Asantewaa called out to both Luxi et Lexi. Luxi stopped
barking then.
After all the manifestations, Luxi had fought a revolutionary battle,
like a knight defending Lexi.
A mighty python had taken a shortcut through the woods, looking
for some of the chicken on the farm for dinner, and when it found
the chicken wires too small for its head, settled on a duel with Luxi

4. for the grand prize, a hand in marriage to the little princess, in the
embodiment of Lexi, to put her through a long sleep, for better or for
worse, death is a long long sleep. Death was visiting Lexi to
entangle her in the fray.
But Lexi’s baby sitter was a tough nut to crack. Luxi’s teeth were
screening in action like a Texas Chainsaw Machine, and started
attacking the intruder in the territory.
5
After the battle of bulls and horns was settled, the flying colors of
reds, whites, and blues, with stars spangled the body of Luxi, the
underdog, and Lexi clapped her hands in standing ovation
congratulating the victor of such a spectacle and feat.
Celebrating too soon, the gladiator bulldog headed towards Appoo
Brim, on a victory march, hoping that triumphal arches constructed
out of the skeletons of Frankenstein would be uplifted to commend
him.
Unfortunately, when Appoo Brim saw the cold bloody garment that
Luxi wore, he did not commend the warrior, but screamed in anger
and tore his clothes, and in his rashness, maimed Luxi with his
sword, mistaking the reds of the blood for Lexi’s, thinking the hungry
dog might have turned into a rabbis dog, or perhaps a werewolf,
and bitten into the skin of the baby girl, instead of being the
responsible baby sitter guarding her. Appoo Brim, mistook Luxy for
the enemy, a wolf in a lamb’s cloak, picturing the terrifying nature of
the horrific scenes straight out the books of Stephen King, who
once said, “Fiction is the truth in a lie.”
Asantewaa also yelled, “Oh shit. This cannot be true,” and rushed to
the place under the tree only to find Lexi playing, re-enacting the
scenes with her hands, and performing the victory dance with her
hands and feet, as if she was playing DDR.

5. 6
She was spotless, unharmed, without a scratch and moving just
fine. Touched, Asantsewaa realized what had happened.
She called out Luxi’s name, in celebration, and hailed him savior of
Lexi, a braveheart, a mighty dragon that had defeated a mighty
python. She grieved for the maimed dog, and cursed the name of
Appoo Brim. She wished he was thrown into a dungeon, the killer of
the savior of her one and only baby girl. She thought about
dungeons and dragons.
She thought about the dragon that guarded the entrance into the
castle of the little princess, whose eyes had been spit-attacked by
the poisons of a mighty python and sustained injuries, only to be
toppled down by a slaying giant, physically characterized in the
multiple personalities of Fee Fi Fo Fum, worse that the
Frankenstein monster, also the embodiment of father of the
princess, who should rather have payed an homage, a tribute, in
gold and precious treasures, as represented by the dwarfs of the
mountains over the hills and under in the tales of J.R.R. Tolkien,
author of The Hobbit.
Luxi did not deserve an untimely death. He was dead because
Appoo Brim judged him in his anger as a criminal and a murderer.
And in the process of passing down the judgement, Appoo Brim,
had become the criminal and the murderer of himself. For the
measure he measured unto Luxi, so he measured unto himself. For
when Appoo Brim also came to his senses, remembering the advice
not to judge or make a decision when angry, it was too late.
7
A man’s best friend, a dog, was slain. Appoo Brim had betrayed
Luxi. The illusiveness of the bloodstains and the judgement he
made based on the physical appearance was a mistake. Appoo
Brim, had gone astray and played the role of the antagonist. He had
done his worst, and accomplished the mission unattained by the
trespassing python, with the weapon in his own hands.

6. Then, Appoo Brim trembled and ached, as the venom rubbed on his
heart. He had a heart attack upon critically analyzing, reviewing and
evaluating the aftermath of the deadly battle, and he drew
conclusions, and threw himself on the edge of the same sword he
had used to maim Luxi.
Asantsewaa had to bury the hatchet with its owner, like a yam
inside a mound.
She left for the house with Lexi, who cried leaving without her baby
sitter, Luxi.
8
NB: To reconnect or stay in contact with the author, Emmanuel
Parke Arthur, email,
earthur1@fandm.edu
Franklin and Marshall College '15 International Student Voice (ISV)
Ambassador Ex-President of F&M International Club '12 Bonchek
College House PA '12-'13
F&M Film Society
I mind my own business.
My business, Liberal Arts Movie Production, is strictly professional.
Respect given with interest is respect received with interest and
returns!