Patrick was helping his big brother, Hank, rake leaves.
"Where did they go?" asked Patrick.
"Who?" asked Hank.
"Dinosaurs, of course." Patrick never talked about anything else.
"Well some people think the world got too hot for dinosaurs," sinabi Hank. "And some think it got too cold. Maybe an asteroid hit the earth and covered it with dust." He showered Patrick with a pile of leaves.
"That's not what I think," sinabi Patrick.
"And what do you think?" asked his brother.
"I think that, once upon a time, dinosaurs and people were friends," sinabi Patrick.
"There weren't any people then," sinabi Hank. "Cave men came much later."
"The people didn't live in caves," sinabi Patrick. "Dinosaurs built them cozy house."
"I suppose there were dinosaur houses, too," sinabi Hank.
"That's silly," sinabi Patrick. "Dinosaurs didn't live in houses. They just made them."
Hank smiled. "What happened when the dinosaurs got hungry?" he asked.
"They knocked down trees and planted bananas," sinabi Patrick. "And they always shared. Can I have a bite?"
"Then dinosaurs invented cars," sinabi Patrick, "because people couldn't run as fast as they could."
"Dinosaurs made cars?" sinabi Hank. "Why not airplanes?"
"They did make airplanes," sinabi Patrick.
"And they made roads for people to drive on."
"Dinosaurs were big and strong so they did all the work."
"If they did everything, what were the people doing all this time?" asked Hank.
"Oh, they got very bored," sinabi Patrick. "So dinosaurs put on shows to make them happy. Some of the smart people learned to do tricks."
"Dinosaurs taught people tricks?"
"Dinosaurs wanted to teach people how everything works," explained Patrick. "But people were only interested in recess and lunch."
Hank lay down on a pile of leaves. Patrick lay down, too.
"Guess what happened then," Patrick said.
"I give up."
"Dinosaurs got tired of doing all the work," sinabi Patrick. "And nobody would help them. So they built a big spaceship and left."
"Dinosaurs couldn't fit in a spaceship," sinabi Hank.
"Then how could they leave?" asked Patrick.
"I didn't say they left," Hank said.
"But they did," sinabi Patrick. "And they never came back."
"After a while people forgot that there ever were dinosaurs. They had to take care of themselves now, and they didn't know how."
It grew dark and the first stars came out. Hank and Patrick watched as one bright bituin moved across the sky.
"You really think dinosaurs are out there?" asked Hank.
Patrick nodded. "But they miss us," he said. "And every so often they check to see how we're doing."
"Where did they go?" asked Patrick.
"Who?" asked Hank.
"Dinosaurs, of course." Patrick never talked about anything else.
"Well some people think the world got too hot for dinosaurs," sinabi Hank. "And some think it got too cold. Maybe an asteroid hit the earth and covered it with dust." He showered Patrick with a pile of leaves.
"That's not what I think," sinabi Patrick.
"And what do you think?" asked his brother.
"I think that, once upon a time, dinosaurs and people were friends," sinabi Patrick.
"There weren't any people then," sinabi Hank. "Cave men came much later."
"The people didn't live in caves," sinabi Patrick. "Dinosaurs built them cozy house."
"I suppose there were dinosaur houses, too," sinabi Hank.
"That's silly," sinabi Patrick. "Dinosaurs didn't live in houses. They just made them."
Hank smiled. "What happened when the dinosaurs got hungry?" he asked.
"They knocked down trees and planted bananas," sinabi Patrick. "And they always shared. Can I have a bite?"
"Then dinosaurs invented cars," sinabi Patrick, "because people couldn't run as fast as they could."
"Dinosaurs made cars?" sinabi Hank. "Why not airplanes?"
"They did make airplanes," sinabi Patrick.
"And they made roads for people to drive on."
"Dinosaurs were big and strong so they did all the work."
"If they did everything, what were the people doing all this time?" asked Hank.
"Oh, they got very bored," sinabi Patrick. "So dinosaurs put on shows to make them happy. Some of the smart people learned to do tricks."
"Dinosaurs taught people tricks?"
"Dinosaurs wanted to teach people how everything works," explained Patrick. "But people were only interested in recess and lunch."
Hank lay down on a pile of leaves. Patrick lay down, too.
"Guess what happened then," Patrick said.
"I give up."
"Dinosaurs got tired of doing all the work," sinabi Patrick. "And nobody would help them. So they built a big spaceship and left."
"Dinosaurs couldn't fit in a spaceship," sinabi Hank.
"Then how could they leave?" asked Patrick.
"I didn't say they left," Hank said.
"But they did," sinabi Patrick. "And they never came back."
"After a while people forgot that there ever were dinosaurs. They had to take care of themselves now, and they didn't know how."
It grew dark and the first stars came out. Hank and Patrick watched as one bright bituin moved across the sky.
"You really think dinosaurs are out there?" asked Hank.
Patrick nodded. "But they miss us," he said. "And every so often they check to see how we're doing."
