Tiny-Stego Stampede Page 3

  “Speak a command. Teach the action. Toss a treat,” I said.

  “Speak, teach, toss. We can do that,” Lin said.

  “I know, right? But check this out.” I took the book from Lin and flipped to the chapter on herding. I spread the book out on the table, checking first to make sure the table didn’t have as much syrup on it as Lin’s little sister.

  “ChuChu see goggies,” ChuChu said. She held up her arms to Lin, giving up on her puppy act for the time being. Lin picked her up and plopped her down on the table next to the book.

  “Look how these dogs work with their ranchers to gather all the sheep up. I only skimmed this book a little in the library, but it says that they come to it naturally. It’s like they were born for chasing things,” I said as I turned the page. “And look here. They look so happy and satisfied when all the sheep are inside their little pens.”

  ChuChu tried to touch the book with her carpet-lint-covered, syrup-smothered, butter-slathered fingers, and I pulled it away just in time. “Goggie go woof,” she said.

  “Great. All we need now is a border collie and a herd of sheep,” Lin said as she used the damp dish towel to clean off her distracted sister.

  “We can do MUCH better than that,” I said with a smile. Then I looked at Lin and waited for her to put the pieces of the research puzzle together.

  Lin looked back at me and squinted her eyes for a second. Then they popped open and she smiled wide. “Wait a minute! You’re thinking the stegosaurus herd is like a herd of sheep, aren’t you?”

  I nodded and ChuChu baa-aaa-ed like a lamb. “And our very own Pizza and Cornelia are our border collies,” I said. “Now you see why I was excited to do some research.”

  After cleaning up after our pancake feast, Lin started packing for our next adventure while I began construction on the stegosaurus fence. I needed four long pieces for the border walls, and a big gate that would swing wide enough for a herd of stegos and a patagotitan.

  It only took twenty minutes to get ready, and before long, Lin zipped my pack, then stood up and held it out to me. “We’re ready. Let’s go,” Lin said.

  I paused, not sure what to say. I knew we needed to get going to the Microterium to begin the training, but there was a problem.

  “Lin. I think I should go back by myself,” I said.

  “What? Have you gone nutso?” Lin asked as ChuChu dropped the whistle and picked up a cake pan and a wooden spoon. She started banging them together and shouting “Nutso-Nutso-Nutso” over and over again.

  “I just think, well, the Microterium is not the best place for a pot-and-pan-banging two-year-old,” I said.

  “She’s almost three. And we can leave the pots and pans here,” Lin said.

  “I don’t know. It’s just not safe. And I don’t want you to get in trouble. You are babysitting, after all,” I said. I really didn’t want to leave Lin behind, but I just worried that taking ChuChu into the Microterium was a recipe for disaster.

  “Taking ChuChu on a field trip is very responsible. Fresh air is good for her,” Lin said. “Ah, come on, Danny. You gotta let us come.”

  ChuChu chucked the pan and wooden spoon in the garbage, then turned to us and yelled, “Ta-DAAA!” It was a new thing she’d learned, and it always made me smile, even when I was trying to be serious.

  “I think she could be a bit distracting,” I said.

  “We’ll take her Snuffle Bunny. It helps her relax,” Lin said. She picked up an old raggedy stuffed rabbit that was lying on the floor, dusted it off on her pants, then tossed it to ChuChu. The toddler caught it and ran out of the kitchen, into the living room. In seconds, we heard piano keys being smashed and some really strange singing.

  “What is she doing?” I asked.

  “She’s playing her Snuffle Bunny song. See. Totally relaxing,” Lin said with a grin.

  “Umm, yeah. That’s not very relaxing. I’ve seen fireworks displays that were more relaxing than that song,” I said.

  Lin gave me the saddest puppy-dog face I’ve ever seen. I sighed, not wanting to bring up my next concern, but knowing I had to.

  “We can’t have a two-year-old telling everyone about the Microsaurs. She hasn’t even learned what a secret is, let alone how to keep one,” I said.

  This made Lin really think, but Lin thinks fast. In a flash, she raised her pointer finger in the air and grinned all bright-eyed, like she was holding the key to the biggest mystery ever made.

  “We’ll disguise them!” Lin said.

  “Who, the Microsaurs?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but not all of them. Just the ones that she might see,” Lin said.

  “Yeah. That’s pretty much all of them, Lin,” I said.

  “No. Not really. I mean, we can tell her Bruno is a rhinoceros. And Twiggy and Zip-Zap, they are practically big birds. She’ll totally believe that,” Lin said.

  “Big bird, big bird,” ChuChu sang along with the piano-smashing song.

  “She pretty much repeats everything I say, anyway. All we really need to disguise are Pizza and Cornelia. And maybe Honk-Honk if she even sees her,” Lin said.

  “And an entire herd of stampeding stegosauri,” I added. “And about a hundred other Microsaurs that might sneak out of hiding.”

  “You’re overthinking this, Danny. She’s never seen a stegosaurus. We’ll just tell her they are lizard-cows and she’ll agree. Anyone who hears her talking about lizard-cows will just think she’s making things up,” Lin said.

  “Oh man, this is crazy,” I said.

  “Crazy-awesome,” Lin said. “I have some dog ears in my bedroom. Hang on. I’ll be right back.”

  “Dog ears?” I asked, but Lin had already sprinted out of the kitchen.

  “Goggie!” ChuChu said. She dropped to all fours, then crawled my way, holding Snuffle Bunny in her mouth. I worried the girl might actually turn into a puppy someday.

  Lin was back in a flash, wearing one pair of the dog ears and carrying another in her hands. “See. When we get there, you hurry down and put these on the twins, and I’ll distract ChuChu for a bit. Then we tell her they are big dogs, and she’ll never know the difference.”

  “Lin big goggie,” ChuChu said.

  “Yup. Lin is a big, goofy goggie, ChuChu,” I said with a grin.

  “A big, goofy, genius goggie,” Lin corrected. “Do we have a plan?”

  I thought for a minute. Lin didn’t look anything like a doggie, but Lin was correct, ChuChu repeated everything her big sister said.

  “You have to keep her safe,” I said.

  “Of course,” Lin said with a huge smile.

  “And I mean really safe. Like protected like she’s the most fragile egg ever made,” I said.

  “I have leftover bubble wrap from when my auntie shipped me that tea set for my birthday,” Lin said.

  “We’re gonna need more than bubble wrap,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, Danny. I know exactly what to do,” Lin said confidently, and it was just the thing I needed to hear to convince me.

  Convince me that we were making a huge mistake.

  CHAPTER 6

  GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

  Thanks to ChuChu’s wagon and Lin’s skateboard, we made it back to the Microterium in record time. We slipped through the large iron fence in front of Professor Penrod’s spooky-looking mansion, then ran through the deep grass to the barn tucked away in his backyard.

  Lin darted inside the barn-lab and lowered the secret back wall to reveal the Microterium while I unpacked the box of PIBBs and ChuChu from the little wagon. I wanted to hurry and get us into the Microterium as quickly as possible because every inch of the barn-lab was covered in breakable glass jars, dinosaur bones, science equipment, and other fun things for ChuChu to smash.

  I was about to make my way to the big metal step that turned on the Shrink-A-Fier, Professor Penrod’s incredible shrinking machine, when something rustled outside in the grass surrounding the barn. Normally, I’d just think it was a c
at, but ever since the book-tumbling experience in the library, I had this strange feeling that someone was watching us. SPYING on us even. I poked my head back out the door to take a quick peek, but I couldn’t see anything, or anyone, lurking around.

  “Are you all right, Danny? You’ve been acting strange today,” Lin asked.

  “Sure. I’m fine. I just thought I heard something. It’s just my imagination, I’m sure,” I said. “Now, where were we?”

  Lin was holding ChuChu on her hip and taping her toe impatiently. “We were standing on the big metal step, ready to shrink. You were staring out the door, looking for ghosts.”

  “Oh yeah. Sorry,” I said. I stepped over the box of PIBBs, leaving them behind because I didn’t want to shrink them, then made my way to the step with Lin and ChuChu.

  Lin passed me the dog-ear headbands. “Don’t forget to get these on the twins before you-know-who sees them,” she said with a wink.

  “Right,” I said as the machine whirled to life. A shower of orangish mist sprinkled down on us, and in a second, we were all ant-sized again.

  “OOOH!” was all ChuChu could say, yet I totally understood how she felt. Shrinking in a flash really did give you an oooh feeling.

  “To the Slide-A-Riffic!” Lin said.

  She jogged, ChuChu still in her arms, toward a colorful contraption bolted onto the metal step. The Slide-A-Riffic was part roller coaster, part people mover, part terrifying.

  “You’re going to love this part, ChuChu,” Lin said as she put her sister in the Slide-A-Riffic’s travel basket. “It’s super fast!”

  “Oooh!” ChuChu said again. She had a hard time moving around with pillows strapped to her front and back, so she kind of toppled over, plopping down on her bottom, which made her giggle.

  Lin jumped in with ChuChu. “Come on, Danny. Let’s go.”

  The basket swayed back and forth when I climbed in. After checking to make sure everyone was ready, I pulled the lever to release the brake and the Slide-A-Riffic. It was slow at first, but soon gravity took over and we were flying down the cables that held the sliding cart in place.

  The Slide-A-Riffic zoomed over the top of a small grove of trees, then whizzed down the cables as we sped toward the ground. I leaned back hard against the brake lever, and we came to a stop, a split second before we smashed into the ground. It was my best landing yet, and I smiled as the cart swayed and rocked slowly.

  “Again! Again!” ChuChu said, bouncing up and down like an excited puppy in a bacon factory.

  “That was fun, eh, ChuChu?” Lin said. She lifted her out of the travel cart and put her on the ground. “But you should have seen it before Danny ruined all the fun by installing brakes.”

  “Ruined the fun? I improved things. Did you not notice my smooth landing?” I asked.

  “Smooth is for milkshakes, Danny. I’m more of a crash-landing kind of girl,” Lin said, which might be the most honest thing she’s ever said in her entire life.

  “CRASH GIRL!” ChuChu said as she started running around. She smashed her fists together, then spread her arms in a fake explosion. “CRASHY-BOOM!”

  “You two are weird,” I said, but I couldn’t help but laugh. ChuChu was exactly like her big sister. Built for adventure, and not afraid to show it.

  We ran behind the Fruity Stars Lab 3.0, and I stopped as I reached the large gate that held the meat-eating twins in place.

  “Okay. You and ChuChu wait out here for a second while I go check on our doggies,” I said with a wink.

  “Goggie?” ChuChu said.

  “Not yet, ChuChu. Let’s eat some chips first,” Lin said. “We’ll see the doggies later, isn’t that right, Danny?”

  I turned my back to Lin so she could get the bag of chips from my backpack. “Sure. Chips now, doggies later,” I said. I pushed the tall gate open just enough to squeeze inside, then shut it quickly before Pizza and Cornelia escaped the playpen. But it turns out, I didn’t need to worry about that. They didn’t even get up when I entered; they just turned their heads and smiled a little. There was no doubt—they were the most bored Microsaurs I’d ever seen.

  “Hey, guys. I’ve got something for you, and I think you’re going to like it,” I said as I approached them, holding the fake ears behind my back.

  CHAPTER 7

  FOLLOW THE LEADER

  ChuChu pretty much went bananas when she saw the twins dressed up like dogs, or “goggies” as she put it. She ran to them, gave them huge hugs, and started acting like a dog, too.

  At first I was worried that ChuChu wasn’t going to be helpful at all, but boy, was I wrong. The twins liked her as much as she liked them. They sniffed her, which made her giggle, which made the twins very curious. After that, Pizza and Cornelia followed ChuChu around the playpen like she was their long-lost big sister. Every move she made, they were right behind her trying to act just like her.

  “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Lin asked.

  “Yeah. I think so. Our training might be a whole lot easier than we planned,” I said.

  “Can I try something?” Lin asked.

  “Of course,” I said. I handed Lin the little bag of treats I had taken out of my backpack, and she gave me a wink.

  “ChuChu. Sit, girl,” Lin said, and her little sister sat just like a good dog.

  “Woof!” ChuChu said.

  “Good job,” Lin said as she tossed her sister one of the pepperoni treats. ChuChu woofed again, then started to pant.

  “Pizza, Cornelia. Sit!” Lin said. The twin Microsaurus rexes growled a little, looked at ChuChu, who was still chewing on her pepperoni treat, then they sat at the very same time and looked back at Lin.

  “Good job!” Lin said as she tossed a snack to each of the twins.

  “Oh my goodness. This is even better than the training rules in the book. Let’s try again,” I said.

  The training went slow at first. Even with ChuChu as our little example giver, the twins got distracted from time to time. But once they realized that it was fun to learn new things, they got the hang of it. After about an hour, Lin and I had taught them to sit, fetch, roll over, and stay.

  But, it was only the first step in the process. We had to teach them to herd the stegos, and for that we were going to need help, and more volunteers.

  “Hey, Lin. Why don’t you get ChuChu and the twins to learn how to run in a big circle, while I go find us some sheep,” I said.

  Lin agreed and kept her training going. I squeezed out of the playpen gate and started looking around for Microsaurs to help us with the next part of the training. I found Zip-Zap, but I knew he’d be too much for the twins to handle. Then I walked around the front of the Fruity Stars Lab 3.0 and saw the perfect little group of Microsaur sheep.

  Five squatty ankylosaurs were munching on some leaves and grumbling to one another. I’d spent a bit of time with them in the past, and aside from their spiny tails and tiny horned heads, they were totally harmless. I shooed them toward the playpen, then pushed the gate open and let them inside. The always curious Zip-Zap entered as well, and he squawked at Lin as soon as he saw her.

  “Oh, hi, Zip-Zap,” Lin said.

  “Big birdie,” ChuChu the girl said. Then ChuChu the doggie said, “Woof!”

  “What do you think, Lin?” I asked. “Will these little guys work?”

  “They’re perfect,” she said. “Bring them over here.”

  Lin and I had to pretend to be sheep to get the training started, but before long, ChuChu and the twins were able to chase the ankylosaurs anywhere Lin or I told them to go. Eventually ChuChu was so tired from all of her goggie make-believe that she was ready for a rest. Zip-Zap was sitting in the shade watching the whole thing, and his fluffy feathers made a perfect bed for ChuChu to take a little nap. She climbed on Zip-Zap’s back and fell asleep while Lin and I kept training the twins.

  Before long, the twins could herd the little group of anklyosaurs into any corner I pointed to. I’d just point, shout “Get ’em o
n up!” and the twins would do the rest.

  “It is like they’ve been doing this their whole lives,” I said.

  “They are born herders,” Lin said.

  “Thanks to ChuChu,” I said. “I bet Professor Penrod would love to see this.”

  I was about to suggest that we give the professor a quick call, when a loud SQUAAAAWK changed my mind.

  Lin and I both turned back to look at Zip-Zap. ChuChu must have woken from a strange dream because she was looking bleary eyed and hanging on to two tiny handfuls of Zip-Zap’s feathers. He jumped up and tried to shake ChuChu from his back, and when he realized it was no use, he sprinted out the door of the playpen.

  We followed him out and up the little hill next to the Fruity Stars Lab 3.0. We got to the top just in time to see Zip-Zap bolt out of sight, zipping into the deep jungle grass.

  “What are you standing there for, Danny?” Lin shouted as she ran after Zip-Zap. “Zip-Zap has ChuChu! RUN!”

  CHAPTER 8

  FOLLOW THAT ZIP-ZAP!

  “Bruno! Help!” I shouted, and the trusty Microsaur charged into action. He ran right past me, shaking the ground with every step, and I swung up onto his back without him even slowing down. “Follow Lin!” I shouted as I pointed the way to go.

  Bruno and I caught up to Lin pretty fast. She heard us coming up behind her, and she raised a hand as we went by. I grabbed her and pulled her onto Bruno’s back with me, the extra weight not bothering Bruno one bit.

  “They went that way,” Lin said, pointing toward a small opening in a tall clump of bamboo. The grass was still moving where Zip-Zap and ChuChu had entered, but the Microsaur was nowhere in sight.