Beware the Tiny-Spino
Page 6
After sliding off our rides, Lin and I climbed up on a big mushroom and had a rest, but Vicky was determined. She grabbed a big, sloppy armload of the food mush and headed off on her own.
“Vicky. Let’s go back. We can do this later,” I suggested. “Frank-N-Spine is probably having a nap somewhere.”
“We’re so close. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” Vicky said. “Can’t you almost feel him nearby?”
Vicky took a couple more steps into the muddy bog, then pushed back a tuft of grass that was taller than her head. That’s when I noticed the ripples in the water and the deep growling sound.
“There he is,” Vicky said. “Come on out, Franky. I brought you a treat.”
The big, wide, wart-covered head of the spinosaurus slowly rose up from the water. His eyes were still a little pink and puffy, but the goobers around his nose were almost gone. Vicky held out her arms, which were still full of the meaty treat she’d brought along.
Frank-N-Spine raised to his full height, water running from his head and neck in little rivers. The massive Microsaur scowled down at Vicky and showed her his big, shiny teeth. He growled and lowered his head toward her, and I felt a flutter in my stomach and my heart beat like a drum in my chest.
He got closer and closer, and then he sniffed through his wide nostrils. The smell of mashed pepperoni and soggy corn dog, mixed with the scent of Dr. Carlyle’s Miracle Elixir, and I saw something I never thought I’d see in my entire life. I saw a real, friendly, smiling spinosaurus.
Then, much to my surprise, Frank-N-Spine carefully nibbled away at the treat in Vicky’s arms.
“There you go, big guy. I told you it was yummy, didn’t I?” Vicky said as she rubbed his forehead. The big beast purred as he finished his snack. Then he licked Vicky’s arms clean.
“I think he wants some more. Can you two bring some over here? He’s pretty fun to feed,” Vicky said.
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Lin said. She jumped up and grabbed a huge armload of the food gunk from Honk-Honk’s back. I followed her, gathering up the rest, then joined her and Vicky next to Frank-N-Spine.
Our big new friend growled and purred and nibbled until every last smudge of the meaty muck was gone. Then he licked our arms, burped, and grinned as he sat in the mud of his bog.
“Okay, okay. I’ll admit it. After that, you have definitely passed the IMPA challenge. I mean, you didn’t just feed him; you fed him, helped cure his cold, tamed him, and made him purr like a kitten,” Lin said.
“Not bad for a day’s work,” Vicky said, looking proud as can be.
Just then, my phone rang. It was Professor Penrod, and I could tell by the image on my phone that he and Dr. Carlyle were standing in the barn-lab.
“Hello, Professor Penrod. Hello, Dr. Carlyle. Good to see you are back,” I said. Lin and Vicky leaned in and waved at the phone.
“My goodness, you three are a mess,” Dr. Carlyle said.
“It happens in the Microterium,” Lin said, and we all shared a little laugh.
“The place smells wonderful. I turned off the Bunsen burner. It seems like we have plenty of Fog rolling around down there,” Professor Penrod said.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Are you guys going to enter the Microterium?” Lin asked.
“Are you kidding me?” said Dr. Carlyle. “I can hardly wait!”
“How goes the IMPA challenge?” Penrod asked.
“Almost finished. Vicky only has to recite the Promise Keeper’s Oath, and then she’s all finished,” I said.
“Great. We’ll have another helper in the Microterium. I couldn’t be more pleased,” Professor Penrod said. “Why don’t you three meet us at the Fruity Stars Lab 3.0, and we’ll witness her taking the oath ourselves. After that, I have a little surprise for all of you.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
“I love surprises,” Lin said.
“Who doesn’t?” Vicky asked, and we all laughed.
CHAPTER 14
THE PROMISE KEEPER’S OATH
“I … state your name,” I said with my hand raised.
Lin and Vicky raised their hands and repeated after me.
“Promise to do my best to look after the Microsaurs,” I said.
They followed.
“And to play with them to keep them happy. I promise to give them healthy snacks and to make sure they have plenty of space to roam, shade to sit in, and safe places to have long naps when the day gets long.
“I promise to never, ever, EVER tell anyone about the Microsaurs, because I know that they need our protection,” I said.
They repeated the last line, and I dropped my hand.
“Well, that’s it. We’re official,” I said.
Professor Penrod and Dr. Carlyle cheered, and I was glad to hear Bruno, Zip-Zap, and Honk-Honk join in.
“Wait. Does this mean no bug jar?” Vicky asked.
“Well, for now. But I think I’ll hang on to it just in case,” Lin said with a smirk.
Then Vicky, Lin, and I joined the celebration as well, cheering and dancing on the surface of a huge copper penny.
“Professor Penrod, don’t you have something for our newest IMPA members?” Dr. Carlyle asked when the cheering came to an end.
“Good gravy, I nearly forgot,” he said. “Stand together, you three. Closer now. That’s it.”
He dug in his pocket and brought out three small silver items. “Close your eyes, and hold out a hand,” he said.
As we stood together, Professor Penrod placed a tiny object in each of our hands. I couldn’t wait to see what it was. I nearly peeked, but I resisted.
“Okay. Open your eyes,” he said.
I gasped.
“No way,” Lin said.
“What is it?” Vicky asked.
“It’s an official IMPA pin. Where did you get this, Penny?” Lin asked.
“From the IMPA, of course,” the professor said.
“Wait. The IMPA is real?” I asked.
“Of course it is. We thought you knew all along,” Dr. Carlyle said.
“We kind of just made it up,” Lin said.
“I thought it was just something for fun that you guys did to test me, actually,” Vicky said.
“Well, it is fun, that’s for sure,” Professor Penrod explained. “But I assure you, it is absolutely real. The IMPA has been around for a long, long time,” Professor Penrod said. “Longer than you and me, if you can believe that.”
“Whoa. My mind is kind of blown right now,” I said.
“I might have told you sooner, but in a way, you were being tested as well. Part of being an official IMPA member is sharing the secret with another trusted member. Vicky here was as much a challenge for you as the challenges you set were for her. Having friends in the IMPA is the only way the whole thing works,” Professor Penrod said.
“You see, while this is the first Microterium you’ve visited, it isn’t the only one. There are Microteriums all over the world. Thirty-one of them, to be exact. And we all help each other out from time to time. It is why I travel so much, actually. Dr. Carlyle and I are included in the IMPA, the secret group devoted to the protection, discovery, and happiness of the Microsaurs,” Professor Penrod said. He pulled back the lapel on his shirt and showed me his silver pin.
Dr. Carlyle rolled up the sleeve of her shirt and showed us her pin. “And today,” she said, “we have three new members of our fine society.”
I looked at my pin. It was so shiny that it sparkled in the sun. The head of a blue triceratops with green spots smiled on the face of the pin, surrounded by a beautiful ribbon and the words International Microsaurs Protection Agency. Underneath the chin of the triceratops, which I knew had to be Bruno, were two words I recognized as Professor Penrod’s favorites: Adventure Awaits.
“Are you serious? Is this for real?” I asked.
“As real as a Microsaur,” Professor Penrod said. “Welcome to the club.”
We all cheered again.
It had been a long day, and it was time for us to get back. Professor Penrod warmed up the Expand-O-Matic. We said our good-byes, and then Lin, Vicky, and I expanded for the final time that day. But as we grew, I looked at my two friends and knew that it wouldn’t be long before we’d be tiny again and working on another big adventure.
A MESSAGE FROM PENROD
“Hello to the newest International Microsaur Protection Agency member, Daniel Hammer! A bit official-sounding, isn’t it?
“I must say, it was a treat to see you and Lin in person again. And meeting Vicky was wonderful. I’m sure she’ll be an excellent addition to our Microterium.
“Things around the old place generally look pretty good, but I’m afraid I have some bad news. Don’t worry. The Microsaurs are healthy as can be, that isn’t the issue.
“But Dr. Carlyle is suggesting some big changes to the Microterium. A new transit system, a repositioning of the Expand-O-Matic, and a fully automatic weather system are first on the to-do list. And that’s only the beginning.
“You see, this is why I partnered up with Dr. Carlyle in the first place. I’m great with the Microsaurs themselves, but when it comes to plants, I’m horrid. And as we saw today, that can lead to some pretty serious consequences.
“I’m going to be a busy man for a while, but in the end, I’m convinced it will make the place infinitely better, for us and the Microsaurs.
“I’d love to hear your thoughts on improvements, Lin’s as well. And we both know that Vicky would be happy to lend a hand on the decorating bits. But until we get the Expand-O-Matic put back in place, we won’t be shrinking down for a while. Of course, you can bring a magnifying glass and say hello to all your Microsaur friends in the meantime. Just watch where you step, and keep your bright mind dreaming.
“Take care, my friend, and remember. Adventure awaits!”
FACTS ABOUT SPINOSAURUS
There is no doubt where the spinosaurus got their name. The spines on the back of this hundred-million-year-old dinosaur reached over seven feet tall. That’s as tall as two third-grade children stacked on top of each other.
Spinosaurus lived in murky waters, were excellent swimmers, and used their powerful back feet and tail to shoot through the water.
Scientists believe that the spinosaurus used its spiky sail as a warning to signal intruders. And it was certainly an effective warning at that. Can you imagine seeing a seven-foot spiked sail poke out of the water when you approach a muddy bog? It’d make you think twice about going for a swim.
While the spinosaurus’s menu would include anything they could catch, we know that the sharp teeth, which pointed slightly back, were perfect for catching large mouthfuls of fish, and its lack of molars (chewing teeth) lead scientists to believe that it swallowed a lot of its dinner nearly whole. Bite, tear, gulp!
And while we often think of the T. rex as being the king of the beasts, there is evidence that the spinosaurus was actually the largest carnivorous dinosaur. Unfortunately, the fossils that have been found of spinosaurus so far are pretty incomplete, so we don’t know exactly how big they were, but scientists believe that the spinosaurus could have been as long as fifty-nine feet long and weigh as much as twenty thousand pounds! With teeth like that, that’d make the spinosaurus one seriously terrifying dinosaur.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, I’m surrounded and grateful for the many people who assist in the production of a book. Top of the list is Holly West, editor extraordinaire and fellow believer in Microsaurs. Liz Dresner, purveyor of all artistic things inside these pages. And the valiant army of editors who make me look smrt. I mean, smArt. (It happens more than you can imagine, dear reader.)
And there’s no doubt this book would only be a shadow of itself if it weren’t for the brilliant third- and fourth-grade students of Ephraim and Manti Elementary. Visiting, laughing, imagining, and plotting with you makes my mind sizzle with new problems (better than ideas, right?). I’ll make you a deal. If you keep reading, I’ll keep writing.
And lastly, and mostly, I must once again thank my wild family of creative wizards. Here’s to making up great stories in life, as well as for the page!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DUSTIN HANSEN, author of Game On! Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More and the Microsaurs series, was raised in rural Utah. After studying art at Snow College, he began working in the video game industry, where he has been following his passions of art and writing for more than twenty years. Dustin can often be found hiking with his family in the same canyons he grew up in, with a sketchbook in his pocket and a well-stocked backpack over his shoulders. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1: Burritos, Crepes, and Impossible Tests
Chapter 2: Making Plans
Chapter 3: The First Official Challenge
Chapter 4: Frank’s Bog
Chapter 5: He’s not that Cuddly
Chapter 6: The Snuffle Cloud
Chapter 7: Ahoy, Mateys
Chapter 8: Sprinkler
Chapter 9: The Microterium Provides
Chapter 10: Snow Lake
Chapter 11: A Tree Full of Trouble
Chapter 12: Dr. Carlyle’s Miracle Fog
Chapter 13: Back to the Bog
Chapter 14: The Promise Keeper’s Oath
A Message from Penrod
Facts about Spinosaurus
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by Dustin Hansen
A Feiwel and Friends Book
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
mackids.com
All rights reserved.
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018944941
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First hardcover edition 2019
eBook edition January 2019
eISBN 9781250090379
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