Inside Dinosaurs

 

Tony and Elora were playing make-believe. They were pretending to be dinosaurs. They raised their arms to make themselves seem bigger and made their fiercest growling sounds.

Tony turned toward their mom and shouted, “ROAR!” in his loudest voice.

Giggling, Elora tried to give her biggest growl, but it came out half growl, half snicker.

“Oh my,” their mom said. “Dinosaurs. In the house. That will never do.”

Pixel and Oliver, who were hiding under the couch from the stomping dinosaurs, meowed their agreement.

“Dinosaurs belong outside.”

“I’m an inside dinosaur,” Tony growled.

Elora snarled her agreement.

From beneath the couch, Pixel stuck out a cautious paw. Oliver’s tail flicked nervously.

“Inside dinosaurs scare kitties,” their mother said. “That isn’t very nice. Dinosaurs belong outside.”

Tony immediately began tiptoeing while still raising his arms. He growled a little quieter. Elora, picking up on the new game, imitated her brother.

“Inside dinosaurs are quiet,” Tony said in a whispered growl.

“Quiet,” Elora agreed.

Oliver stuck his head out from beneath the couch, but Pixel, not quite sure, moved farther back.

“Well,” their mom said, “as long as you’re going to be quiet dinosaurs, I might as well let you stay for dinner. What do quiet dinosaurs eat, I wonder?”

“Trees,” said Tony.

“Leaves,” said Elora.

“How about broccoli?” their mother asked as she headed toward the kitchen. “It looks like little trees.”

Tony and Elora tiptoed through the dining room to the kitchen.

From under the couch, Pixel crept out. Oliver followed to see what was going to happen next.

“Dinosaurs don’t like broccoli,” Tony said, forgetting to growl.

“Inside dinosaurs do,” his mom said. She pulled broccoli from the refrigerator, along with carrots and celery. “They eat them with dinosaur sauce.”

“No they don’t,” Tony said. “Inside dinosaurs like cake and ice cream.”

“YEAH!” Elora growled, forgetting to be quiet. “ICE CREAM!”

“Inside dinosaurs only get ice cream if they are quiet and eat their broccoli first,” their mom said.

“Then they get ice cream?” Tony asked.

“Then they get ice cream,” his mother said. She set two plates on the table with a bowl of dinosaur dip.

Tony and Elora climbed into their chairs. They eyed the vegetables suspiciously.

“What is dinosaur dip?” Tony asked.

“Oh, it’s the best kind of dip. It helps little dinosaurs grow up big and strong.”

Cautiously, Tony picked up a piece of broccoli and dipped it into the sauce. He took a bite.

Crunch.

Then he tried a carrot.

Crunch.

Watching her brother, Elora picked up a piece of celery and dipped it into the sauce.

Crunch.

“Dinosaur sauce is good,” Tony said.

“Good,” Elora agreed.

Oliver and Pixel watched from a safe distance. Maybe inside dinosaurs weren’t so bad.

When they finished their vegetables and dip, their mother gave them a little bit of ice cream.

Then it was time for inside dinosaurs to take a nap.

Very quiet dinosaurs.