Tiny-Stego Stampede Read online

  “What’s wrong with them?” I asked. Pizza looked up at me and groaned.

  “Maybe they are hungry. They’re growing so fast that they may need more food,” Lin said. She ran to the food storage bin, opened the big door, and pulled out a full slice of pepperoni so big it looked like a blanket. “Help me with this, will ya?”

  Lin and I carried the pepperoni slice to the observation deck and heaved the big chunk of oily meat over the edge. It fell to the playpen, right between the twins. We used to give them small chunks of pepperoni, but watching them tear a big piece to shreds was so cool that we’d started giving them full slices.

  The twins slowly walked to the pepperoni and nibbled at it.

  “Where is all the tearing and shredding? That’s my favorite part,” Lin said. “It’s like they grew manners or something.”

  “Hey, Pizza,” I hollered down. “What’s up? Are you feeling sick?”

  Pizza looked up at me and smiled a little. He scratched his chin with his big back foot, then slumped down in the grass and huffed out a big breath of air.

  “Corney. Whatcha doing, girl?” Lin asked. Cornelia looked up at us, then wagged her tail. She looked at it like she’d just noticed that she had one, then chased it around in a circle a few times, like an overgrown puppy. She fell to the ground as well, softly chewing on her tail.

  “They look tired. Maybe they need more sleep or something,” I said.

  “Oh no, Danny. It’s much worse than that. This is bad,” Lin said, which really got me worried.

  “What? What is it?” I asked.

  Lin looked at me with a very serious face. She cleared her throat, then spoke slowly. “Danny, I’m afraid the twins are bored.”

  “Bored?” I asked.

  “Yes. It’s quite serious. There is nothing worse in the whole Microterium than being bored,” Lin said.

  “Are you sure, because one time I fell from the sky while being carried by a flying pterodactyl.”

  “That was dangerous, but this is worse,” Lin said.

  “And if you remember, we were chased by a pack of hungry oviraptors while we were carrying a gigantic egg,” I said. “That was much worse.”

  “Are you kidding? I’ll remember that day forever. It’s like one hundred times better than being bored.”

  “Lin. We were nearly flattened by a stego stampede today,” I said.

  “Even you have to admit that was better than being bored,” Lin said.

  I shrugged because she did have a point. “Yeah, that was pretty awesome. But still, being bored isn’t the worst thing. At least the twins are safe.”

  “Sure, they are safe, but they are safe and bored. Every time I’ve been bored, I have ended up in trouble. Ask my parents,” she said.

  I had to think about it for a while. I didn’t agree with Lin, but at the same time, I couldn’t really disagree with her, either. Being bored was, well, it was boring.

  “Well, what do we do now?” I asked.

  “One of us stays here to un-bore the twins, and one of us goes and builds the fence. I think we know who the expert fence builder is here, so I’ll volunteer to stay behind and play with Pizza and Cornelia,” Lin said.

  “That sounds like a good plan, but we better get rolling. We have a ton to do today,” I said.

  “Fine by me. I don’t have a single thing to do today other than this. It’ll be fine if it takes all day,” Lin said with a smile.

  “Well, the Expand-O-Matic is warmed up. I guess I’ll unshrink and see you back here in a bit,” I said.

  “Sounds good,” Lin said. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was looking forward to playing with the twins while I was building the fence. And a little part of me—okay, a pretty big part of me—wanted to stay behind and play with the twins as well.

  Just before I took the last few steps to zap back to regular size, my phone rang.

  “Hello? Oh, I’m just fine. Sure. Hang on a second,” I said into the phone. Then I called for Lin before she had a chance to scoot down below to the playpen.

  “Hey, Lin. I hate to tell you this, but I think our plans are changing before they even begin,” I said.

  “Why?” Lin asked.

  “Because this is for you,” I said as I held out the phone. Lin’s shoulders slumped, and she let out a deep sigh.

  She took the phone and started listening, and I could tell it wasn’t good news.

  “But can’t we find someone else to watch her? I have an emergency to deal with today,” she said, but even I knew the answer to that question. I motioned to Lin, waving, then jumped high and raised my hands over my head to try to look as big as possible. I wasn’t great at acting games like this, but she got the idea. I was going to go unshrink and start building the fence. Lin shook her head and mouthed a big NO, while she waited for her mom to talk.

  “Okay, I’m coming home. But can Danny come help babysit, too? He LOVES babysitting,” she said, looking at me. I waved my arms and shook my head. I liked Lin’s little sister, but I had a fence to build, and we needed to find a solution before the bored T. rexes tore the place apart. Plus, I still had to figure out a solution for getting the stegos in the fence.

  Lin and I quickly expanded, but as we grew, I couldn’t clear my mind. I had a lot of things to figure out, and I was pretty sure babysitting with Lin would not help me come up with a solution. There was an idea tickling at the back of my brain. I wondered if there was some way I could combine our T. rex issues with the stego issues, but I needed to do a little research before I was ready to share my idea.

  “I can’t. I need to run to the library to do some research,” I said quietly to Lin. She brushed me off as she kept talking to her mom.

  “Yeah. He said he can’t wait. Thanks, Mom. I’ll be home soon,” Lin said. We walked through the secret barn-lab that was used as an entrance into the Microterium. I twisted the photo of Professor Penrod’s first dog, Bruno the First, and a fake wall lowered in the back of the barn, hiding the Microterium from anyone who might get a peek inside.

  “Good news,” Lin said. “You can come help me babysit ChuChu.”

  “Um, yeah, I guess you didn’t hear me. I’m not sure I have time for that today,” I said as we jogged out of the barn.

  “But you have to. If not, there will be three bored people in your life. Pizza, Cornelia, and ME!”

  “You won’t be bored. ChuChu is hilarious. She’ll keep you busy,” I said.

  “Busy, yes, but I’m not so sure about hilarious,” Lin said.

  “I need to stop by the library first. I need to look something up. Then I’ll go to my house and grab the PIBBs, and you can help me build the fence while you babysit ChuChu. How does that sound?” I said.

  Lin put her skateboard on the sidewalk. “The library? That’ll take forever. Every time you go in there, I’m afraid you’ll never come out.”

  “Don’t worry. I think I know what I’m looking for. It’ll go fast,” I said.

  “I thought you said you were a slow-and-steady guy,” Lin said.

  “That’s only when it comes to riding Microsaurs. When it comes to research, I’m lightning speed,” I said.

  “Fine. But stay in touch with me,” Lin said. She tapped her finger to her ear, turning on the SpyZoom Invisible Communicator she was wearing. I heard a click in my ear as mine turned on as well. Lin kicked away on her skateboard, gliding down the sidewalk toward her home.

  “Danny, can you hear me?” she said in my ear.

  “Yup. Crystal clear,” I said.

  “Good. Then hear this. I’m going to make pancakes for me and ChuChu when I get home. You know that I’m the best pancake maker on planet Earth, and if you hurry, there might be a couple left for you, so HURRY!” she said as she zoomed out of sight around the corner.

  “When it comes to pancakes, I’m faster than lightning speed. I’m Zip-Zap speed,” I said.

  CHAPTER 4

  THE ANTI-BORE-ITORIUM

  The city library
is one of the oldest buildings in town. It is made of yellow-brownish bricks, has a statue of George Washington on the front lawn, and is surrounded by shady trees and nice places to read on a summer day.

  I opened the door, and the smell of old books and carpet shampoo filled my nose. It was a nice, homey feeling, and my mind buzzed with all the things I could discover inside. Sitting behind an old wooden counter was the nicest person in town. I know because there was a town vote, and Mrs. Breen won in a landslide.

  The librarian put down a book so large I wondered how she held it up in the first place. She smiled as she recognized me.

  “Well, hello there, Daniel,” Mrs. Breen said. She always called me by the name on my library card, even though nobody else ever did. Not even my dad.

  “Hello, Mrs. Breen,” I said.

  “Are you having a good summer?” she asked.

  “Yeah. The best. Hey, I was wondering if you had any books on training animals?” I asked.

  “Sure. Plenty of them. Did you get a new pet?” Mrs. Breen asked as she started walking out from behind the desk. I joined her as we shuffled between the long bookshelves.

  “Not really. I’m just interested in the topic,” I said, which was true. The Microsaurs weren’t my pets, and I was interested in learning more. Very interested.

  “Well, you’ll find everything you need on this shelf,” she said as she led me down the aisle. “Anything you’re looking for in particular?”

  “I’d like to learn more about dogs that can herd sheep or cows,” I said. I knelt and started reading the spines on the books. I was shocked how many there were.

  “Oh, then I know the perfect book. I had a friend with a border collie once, and she trained him to herd her chickens back into their pen. It was the cutest thing you could imagine, and she said that the dog was so smart he practically learned it on his own,” Mrs. Breen said.

  The librarian traced her finger along the books until she found the one she wanted. She slid the book from the shelf and handed it to me. I turned it in my hand and was about to open it up, when I noticed a pair of eyes shining back at me for a second from behind the shelf. I leaned over to get a better look at the eyes, but they were gone in a flash. I shook my head to clear the thought, then turned my attention back to the book.

  “Training Ranch Dogs Lickety-Split,” I said, reading the title out loud.

  “The title has a double meaning. Not only does lickety-split mean fast and easy, but the dog in the book is named Lickety-Split,” Mrs. Breen said. “I think you’ll really like it.”

  “That’s a great name for a dog,” I said. I flipped to a page in the book where a brown-and-white border collie wearing a red bandana smiled right at the reader. I was about to ask Mrs. Breen if she’d ever trained a dog, when a crash sounded on the aisle next to mine.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “Just some books falling off the shelf. It happens from time to time,” Mrs. Breen said. “Actually. I have something else you might like. Want to follow me to the DVD section, Daniel?”

  The librarian whisper-talked as we walked, which was also one of the great things about Mrs. Breen. She might be the best quiet talker I’ve ever met because you can understand every word. I guess it comes with lots of practice.

  “So, if you do get a pet, will you get a puppy?” she asked as we walked.

  “I think so. I’ve always wanted one. My dad would let me get one, but I just want to make sure I know what I’m doing first. Do you have any pets, Mrs. Breen?” I asked in my best whisper-talking voice, which wasn’t very good. I was afraid most of the library could hear me.

  “I have goldfish, but they are lousy at herding sheep,” she joked as we arrived at the DVD shelf. “Now let’s see. Where is it?”

  Mrs. Breen scanned the shelf, but she couldn’t seem to find what she was looking for.

  “Hmm,” she mumbled. “I don’t see it here. Let me go check in the computer and see if it is already checked out. Want to come with me, Daniel?”

  “No. Thanks. I think I’ll just go browse for a second. I might find something else, but I think this is the perfect book already. Thanks, Mrs. Breen,” I said. I tucked my book under my arm and smiled.

  Messing up my hair as she walked past, Mrs. Breen walked back to her post behind the desk, humming a little tune in her quiet librarian voice.

  I waited until Mrs. Breen was out of sight because I wanted to check one more thing before I left, but this time it wasn’t a book. Tiptoeing, I made my way out of the DVD area and back to the aisle next to the pet-training section where I had heard the noise. Sure enough, there were books spilled on the ground. I went in for a closer look and noticed a light dusting of purple glitter on the cover of one of the books. I picked it up and read the title.

  “Young Detectives Agency Presents: How to Spy Like a Pro, Volume 1,” I whispered to myself. There was something odd about the book, the glitter, and the little eyes I’d seen poking out from behind the shelf. Part of me wanted to investigate, but there were more important things on my mind. Like pancakes and stampeding stegosauri.

  I hurried to the desk to check out my book, and while Mrs. Breen was helping me out, someone scampered out the front door. I turned to look, but all I saw was a blur of purple.

  “Did you see who that was that ran out the door?” I asked the librarian as she handed me my book.

  “Sorry, dear, I didn’t,” Mrs. Breen said. “Is something wrong? You look concerned.”

  “No. Everything is just great. I’m just seeing ghosts today, I guess,” I said. “Thanks for the book. It’s perfect.” I smiled as I dropped the book in my backpack.

  Mrs. Breen and I shared a wave, and then I hurried toward the exit. I took the steps in a single bound, my backpack bouncing on my back as I landed, and I started running toward my house to pick up a box of PIBBs. Then it was on to the next stop, Lin’s house, where our work for the day had only just begun.

  CHAPTER 5

  A PLAN FOR PIZZA DOGS

  Because I was carrying a box of PIBBs, I used my forehead to knock on Lin’s door. It wasn’t the first time I’d done it, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

  “Come in, Danny,” Lin shouted from inside. She didn’t need to ask me twice because I could smell the pancakes from the porch and it made my stomach rumble.

  “How did you know it was me?” I asked, letting myself in.

  “Because you knock funny,” Lin said. She was carrying a large stack of pancakes to the table, and she had a little bit of flour on her chin.

  “My arms were full. What do you expect?” I said with a grin. I placed the box of PIBBs on the kitchen counter, then dropped my backpack to the floor and pulled out my library book.

  Lin looked inside the box. “That’s a lot of pieces. And is this what I think it is?” She held up a pre-built contraption that I had stuffed in the box before coming over.

  “Yeah. It’s a second Slide-A-Riffic. I thought it might be handy to have a few more in the Microterium for getting around a little faster,” I explained.

  “Hmm. Smart. And fun,” Lin said as she wiggled her eyebrows up and down and grinned.

  ChuChu, Lin’s little sister, who was jumping on the couch in the other room, finally noticed me. I kept seeing her head bob up and down over the back of the couch, and every time she saw me, she waved with both hands. “Dan-nee! Dan-nee!” she said with each bounce.

  “Hi, ChuChu,” I said, calling her by her nickname. Lin had called her that since she was a baby. Her name was actually Chen, but ChuChu always seemed to fit her better.

  ChuChu climbed over the couch, leaving a syrupy handprint streak along the back. Her shirt was covered with chocolate milk and butter, and her hair was stuck to her cheek on the right side of her face.

  “She looks sticky,” I said.

  “She’s always sticky,” Lin said. “Come here, ChuChu.” She was holding a dish towel in her hands, and ChuChu ran away, knowing that Lin wanted to un-sticky
her.

  “ChuChu sticky! STICKY!” she shouted as she ran down the hall, and dove into her room headfirst with a crash.

  Lin rolled her eyes and tossed the towel over her shoulder. “I’ll catch her eventually. But you better eat before these get cold.”

  I helped myself to a couple of pancakes, then motioned to my backpack. “All right, I’ll eat. You read,” I said.

  “Read what?” Lin said. Then she noticed the book sitting on top of my backpack. Her eyes got wide as she read the title of the book. “Oooh! Wait…? Did you get a puppy?”

  “Puppy?!” I heard ChuChu say from the room behind us.

  My mouth was full of perfectly fluffy pancake, so after I swallowed it down with a gulp of milk, I answered, “No. No puppy. This is our research.”

  “About dogs?” Lin asked.

  “Goggie?” I looked over my shoulder to see a sticky ChuChu leaning out her door with a curious look on her face.

  “Border collies actually,” I explained, then forked in another huge bite.

  “Border collies?” Lin said. “Um, I like dogs and all, but where are you going with this, Danny?”

  ChuChu started barking, then crawled on her hands and knees down the hall toward us. She woofed, stuck her tongue out and panted, then woofed again.

  “That’s right, ChuChu. Dogs go woof!” I said.

  “These dogs are really cute,” Lin said as she paged through the book.

  “And smart. Smartest dogs in the world. Check out the first paragraph on rapid learning. I think its chapter three,” I said. ChuChu crawled up to me and started rubbing her sticky cheek on my leg. I bent over and petted her head and she woofed again.

  “Okay. I found it. It says, ‘Border collies are best trained with affection and acknowledgment as a reward for good behavior. Treats work as well, but your border collie needs more than snacks. She needs love. Choose an action word for your new trick, something simple and short, then say the word. Next, show the dog the trick, or guide her into action. If your dog doesn’t understand the action, repeat the word and try again. Once your border collie has completed the trick, reward her with a kind acknowledgment word or phrase, pet your pup, and, if she has been especially good, toss her a little treat,’” Lin said.