In the shade where he had just sat, stood a dinosaur, a triceratops. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “Are you real?”
Chapter 2 Excerpt: Oliver Oddsocks Trouble in Dino Land!
Passing by berry bushes with large blackberries and raspberries the size of apples, Oliver wondered if they were edible. They looked inviting, but he worried they didn’t look like the blackberries and raspberries his Mom gave him.
He said aloud, “These berries are way too big. Better to be cautious with things you are not sure about.”
He was hungry, then he remembered the banana in his pack. A shade tree nearby looked inviting; it was very warm for the time of day. Oliver walked over, sat down in the shade of the tree, opened his pack, and took out the banana. Eating the banana made him feel better.
“They are sweet and delicious,” a voice behind him said.
Startled, Oliver turned and crawled quickly away from the voice, out into the sun.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that I was curious. I have never seen a creature like you.”
Oliver looked up, amazed. In the shade where he had just sat, stood a dinosaur, a triceratops. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “Are you real?”
“Am I a real what?” said the triceratops as it moved closer to him. “My name is Tunni. My clan lives down by the lake.”
“You can talk? I didn’t know dinosaurs could talk,” Oliver said.
“I didn’t know whatever you are could talk either.” There was no mistaking the humor in the response.
“My name is Oliver Oddsocks. Nice to meet you. You are my favorite dinosaur.” Oliver stood up and dusted off his cargo shorts.
Tunni walked by Oliver and began to eat the big blackberries. She chewed and looked back at Oliver. “What’s a dinosaur? You are odd, Olibur Oddiestocks. You don’t have a crest or a horn. In fact, you look kind of soft. Maybe you are why the velios are acting up. They eat small soft critters.”
“My name is Oliver Oddsocks and I am very fit for my age.” Oliver picked a few of the blackberries, now sure that they were safe. He popped one into his mouth and chewed with yummy sounds. Berry juice ran down his arms and face.
“See Ooooleeeveer Ooodsoooksss, I told you they are good,” Tunni said.
Oliver sat down. “Dinosaur is what we call all of you, all the different kinds. I assume there are more like you. Actually, we call you a triceratops. I am a boy, but I am also called human.”
“Huuumaaan. Huuumaan. Huuumaan.” Tunni thought hard about the name. “No, boy is easier than huuuuummaaaan. But Oooliiiiver has a nicer feel in my mouth.”
“I like the way your name feels in my mouth, too. Tuuuuniiii.”