up outside schools, making the flyers, stuff like that. Scoop wants to work at the museum once it’s built.”
Dean climbed up onto the truck bed. “Let’s put this guy back together, Jud,” he said.
“How do you put him together?” Dink asked.
“Easy, like building a model with an Erector set,” Dean said. He pointed to a box of large nuts, bolts, and cables on the truck bed.
“What’s Tyrone made of?” Ruth Rose asked. “Is he heavy?”
“Not really,” Jud said. He took the Tyrannosaurus’s tail from Dean and laid it gently on the ground.
“Tyrone’s mostly fiberglass and rubber. His bones are aluminum. The teeth, toenails, and eyes are plastic.”
The kids gently touched one of the six-inch-long teeth. “It looks so real!” Josh said.
“Careful, some of those edges are sharp,” Dean said. He grinned and wiggled a finger that was wrapped in a green Band-Aid.
They all looked over when Scoop’s red car zoomed up. Scoop parked thecar and climbed out with a stack of papers in his hand.
“How’d you kids like to help out?” he asked. “Can you take these flyers around town?”
Scoop handed the flyers to Ruth Rose. She looked at the top one. Beneath a picture of a Tyrannosaurus were the words:
COME MEET TYRONE THE TALKING
TYRANNOSAURUS!
BEHIND THE HIGH SCHOOL, JULY 4,
AT NOON. ONE-DOLLAR DONATION
PER CUSTOMER REQUESTED!
“You three will get in free, of course,” Jud said, looking over Ruth Rose’s shoulder.
“Cool!” Josh said.
“Who should we give them to?” Dink asked.
“Anyone and everyone,” Scoop said. “Stores, friends, anyone who likes dinosaurs.”
Ruth Rose divided the stack of flyers into three smaller piles. They each took a pile.
“Will you guys watch Pal?” Josh asked.
“No problem,” Scoop said.
The kids headed toward Main Street with their flyers.
An hour later, the kids were back. “The whole
town
is coming to see Tyrone tomorrow!” Dink said.
“Excellent! So what do you think of him now?” Jud asked, pointing to Tyrone.
Tyrone stood balanced on his thick rear legs and tail. His body and tail stretched out longer than a school bus, and he was nearly as tall as Dink’s house. His back feet were as long as Pal, who was sniffing a giant plastic toenail.
“It’s … it’s …” Dink couldn’t find the right words.
Jud and Dean laughed.
“Tyrone isn’t full-sized,” Dean said. “An adult T. rex would be even bigger. Come on, I’ll show you what’s inside this guy’s belly.”
He unclipped his keys and inserted one of them into a little hole in Tyrone’s side. When Dean turned the key, a small metal ring popped out. Dean pulled on the ring and a door swung open on hinges.
“Awesome!” Josh said. “It was totally hidden!”
Dean picked up a rubber wedge from inside and used it to hold the door open. Then he reached through the doorway and pulled down a set of folded, hinged steps. “Have a look,” he said.
The kids kneeled on the stairs and peered inside the dinosaur’s belly. Aluminum bars supported the walls. A row of hooks held tools and coils of rope and wire. There were no windows, and it was hot inside.
The floor was partly covered by a piece of carpet. A laptop computer sat on a small table in the middle of the carpet. A bunch of gray computer cables snaked across the floor. A few of the cables climbed up the dinosaur’s chest and disappeared inside its neck and head.
“The computer does everything,”Dean said. “I can move Tyrone’s tail, mouth, and front feet just by clicking the mouse.”
He squeezed by the kids and stepped inside Tyrone’s belly. “I’ve put a loudspeaker up in Tyrone’s head,” Dean explained. He showed them a small microphone. “I speak into this, and it sounds like the voice is coming from Tyrone’s mouth.”
“Can you make him talk
now?”
Josh asked.
“That’ll have to wait till tomorrow,” Dean said. “We’ve been on the road since about five this morning, and I’m
Dean climbed up onto the truck bed. “Let’s put this guy back together, Jud,” he said.
“How do you put him together?” Dink asked.
“Easy, like building a model with an Erector set,” Dean said. He pointed to a box of large nuts, bolts, and cables on the truck bed.
“What’s Tyrone made of?” Ruth Rose asked. “Is he heavy?”
“Not really,” Jud said. He took the Tyrannosaurus’s tail from Dean and laid it gently on the ground.
“Tyrone’s mostly fiberglass and rubber. His bones are aluminum. The teeth, toenails, and eyes are plastic.”
The kids gently touched one of the six-inch-long teeth. “It looks so real!” Josh said.
“Careful, some of those edges are sharp,” Dean said. He grinned and wiggled a finger that was wrapped in a green Band-Aid.
They all looked over when Scoop’s red car zoomed up. Scoop parked thecar and climbed out with a stack of papers in his hand.
“How’d you kids like to help out?” he asked. “Can you take these flyers around town?”
Scoop handed the flyers to Ruth Rose. She looked at the top one. Beneath a picture of a Tyrannosaurus were the words:
COME MEET TYRONE THE TALKING
TYRANNOSAURUS!
BEHIND THE HIGH SCHOOL, JULY 4,
AT NOON. ONE-DOLLAR DONATION
PER CUSTOMER REQUESTED!
“You three will get in free, of course,” Jud said, looking over Ruth Rose’s shoulder.
“Cool!” Josh said.
“Who should we give them to?” Dink asked.
“Anyone and everyone,” Scoop said. “Stores, friends, anyone who likes dinosaurs.”
Ruth Rose divided the stack of flyers into three smaller piles. They each took a pile.
“Will you guys watch Pal?” Josh asked.
“No problem,” Scoop said.
The kids headed toward Main Street with their flyers.
An hour later, the kids were back. “The whole
town
is coming to see Tyrone tomorrow!” Dink said.
“Excellent! So what do you think of him now?” Jud asked, pointing to Tyrone.
Tyrone stood balanced on his thick rear legs and tail. His body and tail stretched out longer than a school bus, and he was nearly as tall as Dink’s house. His back feet were as long as Pal, who was sniffing a giant plastic toenail.
“It’s … it’s …” Dink couldn’t find the right words.
Jud and Dean laughed.
“Tyrone isn’t full-sized,” Dean said. “An adult T. rex would be even bigger. Come on, I’ll show you what’s inside this guy’s belly.”
He unclipped his keys and inserted one of them into a little hole in Tyrone’s side. When Dean turned the key, a small metal ring popped out. Dean pulled on the ring and a door swung open on hinges.
“Awesome!” Josh said. “It was totally hidden!”
Dean picked up a rubber wedge from inside and used it to hold the door open. Then he reached through the doorway and pulled down a set of folded, hinged steps. “Have a look,” he said.
The kids kneeled on the stairs and peered inside the dinosaur’s belly. Aluminum bars supported the walls. A row of hooks held tools and coils of rope and wire. There were no windows, and it was hot inside.
The floor was partly covered by a piece of carpet. A laptop computer sat on a small table in the middle of the carpet. A bunch of gray computer cables snaked across the floor. A few of the cables climbed up the dinosaur’s chest and disappeared inside its neck and head.
“The computer does everything,”Dean said. “I can move Tyrone’s tail, mouth, and front feet just by clicking the mouse.”
He squeezed by the kids and stepped inside Tyrone’s belly. “I’ve put a loudspeaker up in Tyrone’s head,” Dean explained. He showed them a small microphone. “I speak into this, and it sounds like the voice is coming from Tyrone’s mouth.”
“Can you make him talk
now?”
Josh asked.
“That’ll have to wait till tomorrow,” Dean said. “We’ve been on the road since about five this morning, and I’m
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