(The dinosaur that wasn’t a dinosaur.)
Ronan and his Gran were busy collecting eggs in the hen house.
“Wow, it is a dinosaur egg. Can I have this Gran, please?”
“Of course, dear,” she said. “But I don’t think it could be a dinosaur.”
Ronan wrapped it in his jumper and put it in a box to take home.
Climbing into bed that night, he looked at the egg. “You will be a dinosaur.” He said.
His mum thought it looked like a hen’s egg.
When he woke he saw the egg was wearing his dad’s glasses.
“Hey, that is not funny. Lickity Split doesn’t need any glasses.” At bedtime that night Ronan checked to make sure the egg was warm
The next morning the egg was wearing a hat and scarf.
“I thought it looked cold,” Mum said.
“No, he isn’t,” Ronan said.
Ronan’s best friend Dave giggled when he saw Lickity Split.
“Will he be able to do this?” Dave pointed to Flip, his dog.
Dave said, “Flip go to sleep.” Flip lay on the floor and closed his eyes.
Ronan said, “Maybe, I don’t know yet.”
Dave smiled. “Flip. Sit up and ask.”
When Flip sat up and barked, Dave gave him half his biscuit.
“A dog would be better. If Lickity is a dinosaur he will gobble up the furniture, gulp down Flip, and wolf down you and me.” Dave said.
Ronan didn’t like this idea. He didn’t want dad or Mum or Dave or his grannies or granddads or that nice Mrs. Mullins in the shop who always gave him a sweet, to be munched on.
Ronan asked dad, “If Lickity Split is born we will be gobbled up. Then there would only be him, what will I do?”
“I think perhaps you should get another pet from the pet shop. A pet with a smaller mouth!”
Ronan groaned. “I don’t know what to pick.”
“Well” dad smiled, “pets often pick you.”
“How can a dog or a hamster let me know they want me?”
“If you walk around a room full of dogs, they will all sniff you and the one who likes you best will go home with you.”
Ronan smiled ‘We could try that.’
They did and came home with Buster, who had big bright eyes, wore a smile and never stopped wagging his tail.
One morning, when Ronan woke up, the egg was broken. There was a funny noise in the box. Ronan peeped in and there was a fluffy yellow Lickity Split.
He picked him up and ran to the kitchen. “This is Lickity , but what is he?”
Dad laughed. ‘Well done, this is a Lickity Split who will not eat you! We need to build him a home.”
No one liked to tell Ronan that Lickity Split was really a chicken but Dave soon told him.
Lckity Split lived to be a ripe old age and kept Ronan’s dog “Buster” company for many years when Ronan was doing important stuff at school.
Image courtesy of Pixabay