The Case of the Dinosaur Birds by John R. Erickson

Author:John R. Erickson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: cowdog, Hank the Cowdog, John R. Erickson, John Erickson, ranching, Texas, dog, adventure, mystery, Hank, Drover, Pete, Sally May
Publisher: Maverick Books, Inc.
Published: 2015-05-05T17:29:02+00:00

Chapter Eight: I Try to Help a Family in Need

In my line of work, we have to guard against being tenderhearted. That’s why we wrap ourselves in layer after layer of steel and iron. That’s why the general public thinks that we Heads of Ranch Security have no feelings. We’re tough because we have to be tough, but once in a while . . .

I began pacing back and forth, as I often do when my mind is trying to wrap itself around the taco meat of Life. “We know all about your secret. Your mother’s a dinosaur, and you’ve never told her. Fredly, Frankie, I’m shocked that you’ve withheld the truth. What kind of son are you, anyway?”

He thought about that for a minute. “Well, I’m the kind that don’t have nerve enough to tell his momma she’s a dinosaur.”

“That’s exactly my point, Frankie. She needs to know.” I stopped pacing and delivered my next words in a firm voice. “She looks totally weird and doesn’t even know why!”

His eyes bugged out. “You think my momma looks weird?”

“Of course I do! Look at her! Look at that nose!”

He squinted at his mother. “Well . . . she looks just like me, only a hundred years old.”

“Frank, she looks like . . . may I call you Frank? I mean, Frankie sounds a little childish, don’t you think? At some point, we have to grow up.” I resumed my pacing. “Frank, your mother looks like a Terradogtail Dinosaur . . . because she is, and she deserves to know why everyone laughs when she walks down the street!”

He took a step backward. “Who’s been laughing at my momma?”

“Frank, listen to me. I’m speaking to you as a friend. Our mothers give us their love and devotion. The least we can do is tell them the truth.”

He scratched the top of his head with the tip of his wing. “Well, I have to admit there’s been times when I thought she looked a little old-fashioned.”

“There we go! You’ve made the first step toward the truth. Fossils always look old-fashioned. It’s a reality that can’t be denied. Just tell her.”

He rolled his eyes up to the sky. “She ain’t going to like this.”

“It might hurt her feelings at first, but in the long run, she’ll be glad to know. I mean, deep inside, we all crave the truth. We want to know who we are and where we came from.”

“Well, that don’t sound exactly like Momma, but if you think we ought to tell her . . .”

“I do, Frank, I really do.” I placed a paw across his back. “Come on, pal; I’ll go with you and give you some moral support. Everyone will feel a lot better when this is out in the open. Let’s go.”

Together, my new friend and I walked toward the poor lady with the outrageous beak. It was a pretty touching moment. Just think about it. These birds and I were separated by thousands of years. They were living fossils, and I belonged to the modern age.

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