Dome-Headed Siblings-A Dinosaur Train Fanfic
Spikey was standing on the platform at Stygimoloch Valley Station with his mother, his hand held in hers. The young dino was looking eagerly at the track and in the direction the train would be coming from.
"You excited about today, Spikey?" His mother asked him warmly and sweetly.
"You bet, Mom." Spikey replied to his mother with a smile and a nod. He was indeed excited about today, because he would be spending it with two other dinosaurs he really liked, both of them dome-headed.
He was surprised to see them on the Dinosaur Train today. At first he thought it couldn't be them, lots of creatures look alike. However, the second that one of them spoke and the other replied, he knew it had to be them. He got out of his seat and walked right over to the dining table a few tables away. He stopped right in front of their table and spoke up.
"Hi, Patrick. Hi, Pamela."
Patrick and Pamela Pachycephalosaurus looked up from their plate of greens and down at the young stygimoloch. They both greeted him with smiles of their own. "Hey Spikey, good to see ya again." Patrick said in his usual friendly manner. "How's our fellow dome-head?" Pamela asked sweetly.
"Oh great, I'm riding the train home with my mom. We just got back from visiting the Pteranodon family. They're doing great in case you were wondering." Spikey replied.
"I was wondering and I'm glad to hear that our other Dome Ball fans are doing fine." Patrick leaned back in his seat.
Spikey and most of the Pteranodon kids (Buddy, Tiny, and Shiny) were having a play date aboard the Dinosaur Train the same day they meet Patrick and Pamela for the first time. They were a brother and sister athlete team who loved playing a sport called Dome Ball, a game where players use their dome heads to hit a gourd back and forth over a net. The siblings were playing in the championships, and had invited Spikey and his friends to the game with them as their fans.
And what an exciting game it was. Patrick and Pamela played against another Pachycephalosaurus team named Pete and Patty. Both teams were playing so good and giving it their all. Eventually both teams were tied at ten points each and it looked like it was all over for Patrick and Pamela. But they were able to hit the gourd back to their opponent team's side and win the game. Spikey remembered that day as one of the best days of his life.
"So now what are you guys doing?" Spikey asked. He hadn't seen or heard from Patrick and Pamela since their championship game.
"Fine, sis and I are relaxing from our long Dome Ball playing season. We've been touring places, seeing some amazing sights, and of course making a little time for our fans." Patrick leaned towards Spikey and winked. "Like we are now."
Spikey giggled. "Do you guys still play Dome Ball?"
"Of course we still do! Pamela and I love it; we've been playing it ever since we were kids."
"Wow, you guys have playing it that long?" A look of amazement was on Spikey's face while Pamela nodded.
"Yup, it's become a huge part of our lives."
Then another voice spoke up. "Spikey? Spikey dear, what are you doing there?" Spikey's mom came over to the three of them. "Son, you shouldn't wander off like that."
"I'm sorry Mom; I was just talking to my friends Patrick and Pamela Pachycephalosaurus."
Mrs. Stygimoloch saw the two pachycephalosaurus' and smiled. "Oh, yes. Spikey's told me all about you two. How nice it was of you to have given him the game gourd."
"I still have it." Spikey said happily as he gripped the edge of the table with both hands. "I keep it by the nest so I'll look at it and remember the day I first met you guys, and the game I saw you two play in."
"You had a lot of fun that day, didn't you, Spikey?" Patrick asked.
"Uh-huh." The little stygimoloch nodded.
"Bet you'd like to have another day like that, wouldn't you? A day hanging out with us?"
"Gee, that would be great."
Patrick looked at Pamela and then at Mrs. Stygimoloch and they all smiled, apparently having the same idea. They huddled together and began speaking softly. Spikey was only able to get little snippets of what they were saying.
"…I think it would be great, you know, if it's okay with you…" Patrick said.
"Oh, of course…he'd love it..." Mrs. Stygimoloch said.
"And we'd have him back by dinner…" Pamela said.
More whispering and then the grown-up dinos looked at Spikey. Patrick cleared his throat and spoke up. "Hey Spikey, how'd you like to spend a whole day with Pamela and me at Pachycephalosaurus Plateau?"
Spikey's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah, Pamela and I'll come pick you up on the Dinosaur Train and we'll have breakfast together on our way to Pachycephalosaurus Plateau."
"There, Patrick and I will show you around and you'll see the places we went to as kids…"
"And if there's time we'll play some games, maybe even a game of Dome Ball? What do you say?" Patrick asked.
The whole day with Patrick and Pamela, exploring Pachycephalosaurus Plateau, and playing Dome Ball. How could Spikey refuse such an offer? "Sure, I'd love to."
"Great, your mom's on board and once it's okay with your dad, we'll work out a day we can come and pick you up."
When they arrived at Stigymoloch Valley, Spikey's father was informed of the proposal. He happily agreed that Patrick and his sister would take Spikey for the day and look after him until they had to take him home. The plans were made and the date was set. Spikey couldn't wait.
So there Spikey and his mother were, waiting on the station platform for the train to arrive and for Spikey's day with the Pachycephalosaurus siblings to begin. The little guy was practically dancing out of excitement.
"You're really looking forward to this." His mother observed and Spikey nodded. "You like Patrick and Pamela a lot, don't you?" Again Spikey nodded. "I think they're both great, they're both dome-heads just like me." He resumed looking down the track, waiting for the sound of the whistle he was hoping to hear, the sight of the train he was hoping to see. Time seemed to be moving very slowly at the moment. And then…
The whistle sounded and seconds later the Dinosaur Train came into view. Spikey hadn't been happier to see it in all his life. The train came down the track and stopped in front of the station before one of the passenger car doors opened. Then out stepped Patrick and Pamela, smiling the second they saw Spikey and vice versa.
"Hello Spikey, you ready for an incredibly fun and adventurous day?" Patrick asked.
"You bet I am!" Spikey said.
Pamela looked at Mrs. Stygimoloch. "We'll have Spikey back here at the station by dinner, where you'll be to pick him up."
"Absolutely." Mrs. Stygimoloch bent down to look Spikey in the eyes. "Okay Spikey dear, have a great time with Patrick and Pamela. Be nice to them and do what they say."
"I will Mom, I promise and it won't be a hard one to keep."
"I know, dear." Mrs. Stygimoloch smiled warmly before she kissed the top of Spikey's domed head. "Good-bye, Spikey. See you later."
"Bye, Mom. See you later." Both mother and son hugged and Spikey went over to Patrick and Pamela. All three of them walked into the train, closed the door, and sat down in a seat together. Patrick sat by the window while Pamela sat beside the aisle. Spikey was sitting in the middle. All three of them looked out the window and waved at Mrs. Stygimoloch, who waved back. The whistle blew and the train started to move away.
"Bye Spikey!"
"Bye, Mom!"
"Bye!" Patrick and Pamela both said in unison.
The train quickly left and the station was gone from view in a matter of seconds.
Spikey and the pachycephalosaurus siblings were now sitting in the dining car having breakfast. Plates of green leaves, leafwiches, and leaf cakes littered the table while the three of them ate. Halfway through the meal, Spikey looked up. "So what are we going to do when we get to Pachycephalosaurus Plateau?"
"Well, sis and I have discussed it and we decided to show you around Pachycephalosaurus Plateau, including the places Pamela and I went to as kids."
"So you guys live there?" Spikey asked, wanting to know for sure.
"Yup. We were both hatched and raised in Pachycephalosaurus Plateau, my older brother Patrick and me."
"We're so excited to show you some of our favorite places to play from when we were kids." Patrick said before eating a tasty leaf and swallowing it. "You're gonna love em, I just know it."
They finished eating and watched the world go by as the train zoomed past trees, rocks, and other creatures. The train went through one of the time tunnels before the voice of the conductor could be heard calling out, "Pachycephalosaurus Plateau Station, next stop Pachycephalosaurus Plateau Station folks!"
"That's us." Patrick said. They could feel the train beginning to slow down and saw it stop right in front of the station. Spikey and his dome-headed companions got out of the booth and walked out of the train.
"Have fun on your day together." Mr. Conductor said.
"Thanks, we will." Patrick said while Spikey and Pamela nodded. They stepped off the train, waved to the conductor, and heard the train leaving the station as they walked off down a dirt path with trees on both sides. Eventually they were walking near a nest set under a tree. "You see that nest, Spikey, That's our parent's nest. That's where Pam and I lived while we were growing up."
"Where are your parents, can we meet them?" Spikey asked.
"Sorry Spikey, they're away on a trip and won't be back for a while. Maybe we'll see them next time we're here." Patrick answered. They continued walking down the path.
"So do you and Pamela have any older or younger siblings?" Spikey asked. Patrick looked down at him and shook his head. "Nope, Pam and I are the only kids our parents have ever had."
"It wasn't so bad; I liked having Patrick as an older brother. He always looked out for me and loved me." She said smiling lovingly at her brother.
"Of course I did, I was happy to fulfill my brotherly duties." He said looking lovingly back at Pamela.
"Wow that sounds great." Spikey said.
"Say Spikey, do you have any siblings?" Patrick asked.
"Yeah, two little brothers and a little sister. They're really cute, but you can't play Dome Ball or much of anything with them, except peek-a-boo, which is a great way to play with babies." But then Spikey stopped and stood in place. Patrick and Pamela stopped too and came back to him.
"What's wrong, Spikey?" Patrick asked.
Spikey sighed sadly. "As great as it is to be the older sibling, I wished that I had a few older siblings myself. Ones who would've loved me and sometimes played with me." He sighed sadly again.
Patrick looked from Spikey to Pamela and her from Spikey to Patrick. They both felt a little bad for their young stygimoloch friend. Then Patrick seemed to have an idea. He whispered into his sister's ear with his hand shielding his mouth from Spikey's view. Pamela's eyes widened and she smiled at Patrick. "That's a wonderful idea."
Patrick looked at Spikey." "Say Spikey, what if I said that I knew two creatures who would absolutely love to be your older siblings?"
"Really? That would be great!" Spikey put his hand on the side of his head and scratched in thought. "But who?"
Patrick and Pamela smiled before they turned in opposite directions, held their arms out at their sides in a show-like pose and both said loudly. "Why us, of course!"
"Really? You guys want to be my older siblings?"
"Of course, I've always been Pam's big brother and have had some experience doing it. I could be someone else's big brother too."
"And I have always wanted a younger brother or sister." Said Pamela.
"Guys…I…thank you!" Spikey said smiling a big smile.
"Come here, Spikey. Let's make it official." Spikey came over and saw Patrick and Pamela hold up their right hands. He did the same and Patrick spoke up. "I, Patrick Pachycephalosaurus, swear to be Spikey's older brother and to uphold my responsibilities as one to the best of my abilities. I will be nice to him, look out for him, play with him, and love him."
Then it was Pamela's turn to speak. "I, Pamela Pachycephalosaurus, swear to be Spikey's older sister and, like my brother Patrick, to uphold my responsibilities as one also to the best of my abilities. I too will be nice to him, look out for him, play with him, and love him."
"Spikey, now's it's your turn." Patrick said. Spikey nodded, cleared his throat, and spoke up. "I, Spikey Stygimoloch, swear to be the younger brother of Patrick and Pamela Pachycephalosaurus and to uphold the responsibilities of one to the best of my abilities. I will be nice to them, listen to them and their advices of wisdom, play with them when they want to play with me, and to love them back when they love me." Spikey said with happiness and pride in his voice.
"Let's butt dome-heads to make it official." Patrick said. Patrick and Pamela bent down forward and butted their dome heads gently against Spikey's while Spikey butted his domed-head against theirs at the same time. They all backed away and Spikey had his hands on top of his head, feeling a little dizzy from the dome-butting, but he recovered quickly.
"It's official Spikey, we are all dome-headed siblings!" Patrick cried out.
"Hooray!" Spikey cried. He ran over to his new "siblings" and hugged them. They chuckled before hugging Spikey back.
"Come on, Spikey. We have a whole day of fun ahead of us. Let's go greet it!" Patrick said. And off they went.
All three of them walked into a big clearing where in the back of it stood a rocky cliff that rose up twenty feet. Attached to the cliff was a wooden slide held up by supporting poles underneath it. "Pamela and I loved coming here when we were kids, we would always take turns sliding down this slide really fast. You're gonna love it, Spikey. It's super fun."
They all walked up the cliff and stood in front of the beginning of the slide. Patrick looked down at Spikey. "Say Spikey, how about I slide down with you? I can hold you while we're sliding down, how's that sound?"
"Sure, let's try it." Spikey walked onto the slide and stopped near the edge. Patrick sat down and picked up Spikey. His arms were held around the little stygimoloch while his feet were pressed against the sides of the slide.
"You ready, Spikey?" Spikey nodded and Patrick cried out. "And away we go!" his feet releasing his hold of the slide, Patrick and Spikey slid down it super-fast, crying out in joy and excitement. By the time they reached the bottom, they were laughing. "Hey boys, come on up. I wanna have a turn with Spikey down the slide!" Pamela called out.
"Okay, sis!" Patrick called back. He and Spikey walked back up the cliff to where Pamela stood waiting for them. Then she and Spikey slid down the slide and also cried out in joy as they sped towards the bottom. When Spikey went with Patrick again, Patrick held him while lying down on his back before they went down. Spikey slid down the slide the same way with Pamela before he went down with Patrick again, who let Spikey sit atop his back. He too did the same thing with Pamela when it was their turn for the third time together. After riding with them several more times, Spikey asked if he could go down alone.
"Okay little bro, Pam and I will down at the bottom waiting for you."
"Just to make sure you'll be safe." Pamela said.
"Thanks guys." Spikey said, who was happy to hear that they were looking out for him. He waited until Patrick and Pamela were at the bottom of the slide before he slid down. He quickly approached the end of the slide and got off. "That was fun." His friends agreed.
"Alright gang, we should get moving. There's still a lot of fun to have before the day is done." Patrick said.
"What should we do next?" Spikey asked.
Patrick thought and then he snapped his fingers. "I've got it, follow me! There's something I want to show you, Spikey!" He led Pamela and Spikey down a path until they came to a dead looking tree with a knot hole. Patrick reached in his hand and pulled out a small sack. He opened it up and showed the contents of the bag to his fellow dome-heads.
"They're marbles!" Spikey exclaimed.
"Indeed they are, Spikey. They were given to me by a close friend back when I was kid, Pendleton Pachycephalosaurus. We loved playing marbles together, shooting them against each other and knocking them out of a circle we made in the dirt, it was fun." Then Patrick looked a little sad. "Then one day, Pendleton and his family moved away, so we weren't able to play together anymore. I haven't seen him since."
Pamela looked a bit sad too and nodded. She remembered when Pendleton and his family moved away too. They had been really good neighbors before they left.
Spikey felt bad for Patrick and came over to place his hand on the pachycephalosaur's. "I'm so sorry, Patrick."
Patrick looked down at his "little brother" and smiled. "That's okay. Sometimes friends move away, but that's why I still hold on to these marbles, to remember him and all the fun we used to have playing together."
"Would it be alright if we played with those marbles? I've never played with them before." Spikey asked.
"Sure, that's why I wanted to show them to you, Spikey. I'll even teach you how to play." Patrick said. And so he did teach Spikey. They played together for a bit while Pamela watched. Spikey flicked his marble and it knocked another one out of the dirt circle they made. "Good aim, Spikey." Patrick complimented.
"Thanks. Say Pamela, would you like to play with me and Patrick?"
"Yeah, sis. Come join in on the fun."
Pamela smiled and then she got down on her knees and played with them until they decided to move on to another activity.
"How about we move on to Dome Tag?" Pamela suggested.
"Oh, Dome Tag." Patrick's eyes lit up as if Pamela had suggested they'd play Dome Ball. "That'd be fun; we haven't played that in a while."
"What's Dome Tag?" Spikey asked.
"You ever played tag, Spikey?" Patrick asked. Spikey nodded. "Well Dome Tag is like that, except instead of touching the other players with your hands, you have to lightly butt their sides with your dome-head like this." Patrick bent down and used his domed-head to lightly tag Spikey's side. "Get it?"
Spikey nodded again. "Yup, I sure do."
"Well good, BECAUSE YOU'RE IT!" Patrick playfully laughed while he ran away from Spikey and Pamela did the same.
"HEY! No fair, I wasn't ready!" Spikey cried out smiling.
"Doesn't matter, you're it!" Patrick said as he was running around the clearing. "If you don't wanna be it, you better tag Pamela or me! And remember, no using your hands, only your dome!"
Spikey laughed. "Oh, I am so going to get you!" He ran after Patrick and chased him around the clearing. Just when it seemed like he was going to tag him, Patrick managed to put out a burst of speed and got away from Spikey with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Nice try, Spikey! But when I want to, I can be very fast on my feet!" Even though he was keeping away from Spikey, Patrick was glad to see that the little stygimoloch simply refused to give up. Spikey continued to chase Patrick around the clearing while Pamela was ignored, though she kept running. She thought it was possible that Spikey would change tactics and start chasing her instead of her brother. However, Spikey still kept chasing after Patrick until he was gaining even more on the older pachycephalosaur. Seeing his chance and smiling brightly, Spikey lowered his head and butted his dome-head against Patrick's side. "Tag, you're it Patrick!" The stygimoloch cried triumphantly.
Patrick stopped and turned around to face Spikey. "Not for long, little man!" Patrick began chasing after Spikey and the two of them laughed. Patrick was gaining on Spikey and lowered his dome-head to tag Spikey, but Spikey managed to maneuver away from him and Patrick ended up tagging his sister instead. "Oops, sorry Pamela. Looks like you're it!" Patrick cried running away.
Pamela watched them running around and smiled determinedly. "Oh you're in trouble now, boys!" She ran after them and the laugher of all three of them echoed through the air. The game lasted nearly an hour before Patrick said that it was time for a time out. "Let's go get a drink from that stream." He said, pointing to the stream nearby. So all three of them went over, got down on their knees, and cupped their hands together to bring the water to their lips. It was cool and refreshing, not to mention delicious.
Pamela finished drinking and looked at Spikey. "This is a great place to play, isn't it Spikey?" Spikey nodded and gulped down his water. "You know, Patrick found this place back when we were kids. He played here by himself for a little while before he told me about it."
"Yeah, I had decided that while it was a great place to play alone when I wanted to, I thought that it'd be even better if you and I played here together. We had so much fun here." Patrick said smiling lovingly at his sister and her smiling lovingly back. Spikey smiled lovingly at them too. "Everybody refreshed?" Patrick asked and everyone nodded. "Good, let's move on!"
So Spikey walked between Patrick and Pamela while they showed more of Pachycephalosaurus Plateau to him. There were interesting trees, rock formations, and small restaurant areas. And the pachycephalosaurus siblings even showed him more personal places they had spent their lives at like the playgrounds and sports fields. Spikey felt so grateful that Patrick and Pamela were sharing parts of their past and lives with him. He felt as if he were being including in those wonderful memories just by hearing about them and envisioning them in his head.
It was noon by the time they had seen most of the sights that Pachycephalosaurus Plateau had to offer when Patrick suggested that they break for lunch. He walked over to behind a rock and brought out a picnic basket filled with leafwiches, leaf loafs, gourds filled with water, and for dessert leaf pies. They all then sat down to eat. "Pamela and I made all this to eat with you, how does it taste Spikey?" Patrick asked as Spikey took a bite out of his leafwich. "It tastes great, thanks Patrick and Pamela!"
"You're very welcome, Spikey." The dome-headed siblings said in unison. All three of them noticed that and laughed before they resumed eating. Everything was great and by the end of the meal all three pachycephalosaurs were feeling very full, and tired. Patrick looked over at a big tree with lots of shade and suggested that they'd take a nap under it. Pamela and Spikey agreed and all three of them walked over to the tree and sat down in the shade of it. Spikey sat and rested his back against the tree with his "siblings." Patrick was on his right and Pamela was on his left. Both of them were resting their backs and heads against the tree. "Alright gang, let's get some shuteye and we'll play some more later, okay?" Pamela and Spikey nodded. All three of them closed their eyes and it wasn't long before they fell asleep.
All was calm and quiet around the three pachycephalosaurs. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of birds chirping and the wind blowing through the air and against the leaves of trees. The three of them slept on, having wonderful and happy dreams. Nearly two hours had passed before Spikey was the first to wake up and open his eyes. He saw that Patrick and Pamela were still asleep. He placed his hands on Patrick's sides and shook him a little. "Hey Patrick, it's time to wake up. Nap time's over."
Patrick snorted as he started waking up. "Gah, what?" He said before slowly opening his eyes and rubbing the sleep out of them. Spikey lightly shook Pamela's side and she woke up the same as her brother. Fully awake, Patrick looked and smiled at his siblings. "Hey gang, everyone have a nice nap?"
"Yup, sure did Patrick." Pamela replied.
"Me too." Spikey nodded.
All three of them stood up and stretched. "Alright, who wants to play some hide-and-seek?" The two other "siblings" raised their hands and said yes before Patrick said that he would be seeking them. He turned around to face the tree, leaned against it on his arms, and covered his eyes while he counted to ten. Patrick found Pamela behind a big rock after a couple minutes of searching and she started looking around too, trying to help her brother find Spikey. She spotted his dome-head sticking out of a bush and lightly elbowed her brother. They both made ssshing gestures before silently creeping over and standing on both sides of the bush. Patrick lifted up his hand and counted down from three to one using his fingers. Then the two of them plunged their hands in and held Spikey up out of the bush.
"You found me!" Spikey giggled. They both set him down and the little stygimoloch spoke up. "That was fun, but is there anything else we could do?"
"Hmm." Patrick said while he thought. He looked up at the sun's position in the sky and then snapped his fingers. "We do have one more thing to do with Spikey before the day is over, remember." Patrick said winking at his sister.
She nodded and looked at Spikey. "Oh yeah, it's time. You're gonna love what we have planned for you, Spikey."
"What is it?" Spikey asked. His "older siblings" just smiled and said nothing as they each took ahold of Spikey's hands and lead him off.
They walked down a dirt path away from the spot where they ate and napped. Time passed and as they neared their destination, Spikey's eyes widened when he saw the Dome Ball field. He looked up at Patrick's smiling face. "That's right Spikey, we're gonna play some Dome Ball!"
"Hooray!" Spikey cried. They made it onto the field and let go of Spikey. He took a good look around. He hadn't been here since he last saw Patrick and Pamela play. Patrick went over to a wooden shed nearby where the gourds and nets used for the game were stored. He opened the door and pulled out a gourd before shutting the door and walking back over to his "siblings."
Spikey spoke up. "Wait; there are only three of us. How are we going to play the game with an uneven number of players?"
"Don't worry Spikey, Pamela and I have it covered. We've arranged for someone to play with us."
"Really, who?" Spikey asked.
"Hey Patrick! Hey Pamela!" A voice called out.
Patrick turned and saw Pete Pachycephalosaurus coming over to them. "Right on time, Pete! Good to see ya!"
"Likewise." The two males greeted each other by shaking hands and fist bumping. Spikey looked confused. "Wait, he played against you guys with his teammate Patty. Why are you guys acting so friendly towards each other?"
"Yeah, Pete and Patty sometimes play Dome Ball against Pamela and I, but outside of the game we're really good friends. We have been since childhood."
"Oh hey, you're Spikey. Patrick and Pamela have told me a lot about you, nice to meet you." Pete said extending his hand.
Since Patrick and Pamela were friends with Pete, Spikey decided that he would be friends with Pete too. "Nice to meet you as well." Spikey said shaking Pete's hand while smiling at him.
Patrick took out a whistle he was borrowing from the troodon who refereed the Dome Ball games and blew it. "Alright guys, here's how we're going to do this. Spikey and Pete, you're going to take turns on each team. Spikey will play on my team and Pete will play on Pamela's team. Then Spikey will play on Pamela's team while Pete plays on mine. We'll play a series of short games where the first one to score three points wins. Then after each game, both of you will switch to the opposite team. You'll keep doing this until we're done playing. And don't worry Spikey; we'll all go easy with you. How's that sound?"
"Sounds good to me." Spikey said.
"Alright, everyone come in." Patrick said holding out his hand. Everyone else placed their hands on top of his. "GO TEAMS!" They broke off into teams and started playing. Spikey played beside Patrick while Pete played beside Pamela. Each team smacked the gourd back and forth between each other, and on each team the players passed it to their teammates all while using their domes. True to their words, Patrick, Pamela, and Pete played in a way that was fair to Spikey, since he wasn't as old as them and not a professional athlete like them. Patrick hit the gourd towards the ground on the other side, but Pete hit it back towards Patrick's side.
"I got it! I got it!" Spikey ran towards the falling gourd and hit it back over the net. It sailed up into the air. Pete and Pamela both rushed forward to hit it back over the net, but the gourd landed onto the ground before they could do anything. Patrick turned toward Spikey and grinned. "Great shot, Spikey. You've got some serious talent for this game."
Spikey felt his face go red and he smiled at Patrick. "Gee, thanks Patrick." Together, Spikey and Patrick won against Pamela and Pete. Then Spikey and Pete swapped sides. On their ways to the opposite sides, Pete held his open palm down for Spikey. "Nice work, Spikey. Give me some." Spikey smiled and he low-fived Pete before standing beside Pamela.
The second game began. During the course of if, the gourd sailed over the net and landed beyond the limits of the court. "I'll get it!" Spikey said. He ran through some bushes and gasped on the other side of them. There was a young cirostonotes chuckling to himself as he held the game gourd in his hands. His skin was the color blue and he looked to be a few years older than Spikey. The stygimoloch gulped and came over to the cirostonotes. "Excuse me? I'm sorry, but my friends and I are using that game gourd. Could you please give it back?"
The young cirostonotes put his hand on his chin and appeared to be in thought. "Hmmm, no! I like this gourd, so I think I'm going to keep it!"
"But it's ours!" Spikey protested.
"It's mine, now beat it before you'll be in serious trouble!" The young cirostonotes threatened while holding his clenched fist up at Spikey. The stygimoloch stood frozen in place, not sure what he was going to do. Then he heard someone cough.
"Ahem!" Spikey and the young cirostonotes looked up to see Patrick Pachycephalosaurus standing on the other side of the bushes, his hands closed and the backs of them against his hips. He had a frowning expression on his face and his sister Pamela was standing beside him with the same expression. Patrick spoke to the young cirostonotes. "Excuse me friend, but is there something wrong here? Can I help you?"
All the intimidation and toughness leaked out of the young cirostonotes like helium leaking out of a balloon, and all that remained on his face was fear, fear at the young adult pachycephalosaurus who seemed to be towering over him. "I…I…I…"
"Was just about to hand that gourd back over to our little brother, is that right?" Patrick said, finishing the young cirostonotes' sentence. He spoke calmly, but the look on his face was enough to make the young cirostonotes' knees shake. "Y-Y-Your little brother?"
"Yes, would you mind giving him back the gourd?" Pamela said.
"O-Oh, s-sure. Here you go, k-kid." The young cirostonotes slowly handed the gourd over to Spikey, who took it. Then he looked up at Patrick and Pamela again, his knees still shaking. "Now how about you just get going?" Pamela said gesturing for him to leave. The young cirostonotes nodded. He took a few steps back while being unable to take his eyes away from the pachycephalosaurus', but then he was able to turn and run away as fast as he could. After he was out of sight, Spikey looked up at Patrick gratefully. "Thanks."
"You're very welcome, Spikey. Now let's get back to our game." Patrick was smiling now and so was Pamela. Spikey smiled too and all three of them returned to the court. Everyone resumed playing Dome Ball and as the afternoon wore on, they lost track of many games were won and lost. But they didn't care. They were all having so much fun, and to them, that was all that mattered. Spikey loved taking turns playing with Patrick and Pamela. And he felt that the more he played with them, the better he was becoming at Dome Ball. He was hitting the gourd back over the net and scoring more and more. He thought that if he kept this up for weeks with Patrick and Pamela, he'd be as good as them.
The next game had begun and Spikey was on Patrick's team. Patrick hit the gourd and Pamela hit back. It was going to land on Patrick and Spikey's side, but not if Spikey had anything to say about it! He ran forward, hitting the gourd up into the air. Pamela and Pete braced themselves and…
CHOOOOOO!
It was the sound of the Dinosaur Train whistle. Everyone looked in the direction the whistle sound came from and the gourd fell to the ground. "That's the Dinosaur Train. I'm sorry Spikey, but it's time to stop playing and head back to the station. We have to catch the train if you're going to make it back home in time for dinner." Patrick said.
"Oh, already? But we were having so much fun." Spikey looked sadly down at the ground. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Patrick and Pamela standing before him. "I know, Spikey. But we can always play again another day. Would you like that?" Patrick asked.
Spikey nodded. He was smiling a little bit now.
Then Patrick's face lit up. "Hey, I just thought of something!" He whispered into his sister's ear with his hand covering his mouth and Pamela smiled. "That sounds great!"
"What does?" Spikey asked.
Patrick and Pamela looked down at him. "Spikey, when you're older, how would you like to play professional Dome Ball on the same team as me and Pamela?"
Spikey's eyes were wide as dinner plates and the grin on his face was even wider. "Really?"
"Of course, you've shown yourself to be a really good Dome Ball player. Pamela and I would be thrilled to have you on our team. In fact, there are professional Dome Ball games where each team plays against each other while having different species and/or three or more players. So what do you say?"
"What do I say? I'd love to! Thanks so much!" Spikey ran forward and hugged the two pachycephalosaurus'. "Awww…" They both said and hugged the little stygimoloch back.
They broke away and Patrick looked at Pete. "Thanks for coming over to play Pete, really appreciate it."
"No problem. It was great playing with you guys. Good-bye, especially to you Spikey. Nice meeting you."
"Same here, good-bye." Spikey said and both pachycephalosaurus siblings said their good-byes too before taking Spikey's hands and walking with him back to the train station. There they caught the train that would eventually be heading back to Stygimoloch Valley Station.
Spikey sat in a seat in the passenger car beside Patrick and Pamela. They talked while the train was getting closer and closer to Spikey's home. He could feel it, so he made the most of his time left with the pachycephalosaurus' by talking with them.
"Maybe we could play Dome Ball in Pachycephalosaurus Plateau again real soon? Oh wait, how about you guys come visit me and my family at our nest sometime? We could play Dome Ball there as well as other games, and I could show you around Stygimoloch Valley?"
Patrick chuckled and Pamela did the same. "Sounds good, Spikey. Maybe we can arrange it with your folks."
Mr. Conductor passed them by, calling out. "Next stop, Stygimoloch Valley Station! Stygimoloch Valley Station in another part of the Cretaceous time period!"
"That's our stop, gang." Patrick said. All three of them could see that the train was slowing down as it stopped in Stygimoloch Valley. They all stood up and got off the train. There waiting for Spikey on the station platform was his mother. "Hi, Mom!" Spikey ran over to hug his mother and she giggled before returning the gesture.
"So sweetie, did you have a nice time with Patrick and Pamela?"
"You bet I did Mom, I had a great time! And guess what? Patrick and Pamela are now my older brother and sister! We're dome-headed siblings!"
Patrick and Pamela chuckled before they explained how they spiritually became Spikey's older siblings and Spikey told his mother all the other things he did with them. "And they're going to let me play on the same professional team as them when I get older. Isn't that awesome?"
Mrs. Stygimoloch giggled. "That certainly is. I'm glad to hear what you've done and that you had a great time today. Also, I don't mind having two more 'children' as long as Spikey is happy to be with them."
Everybody laughed and Mrs. Stygimoloch smiled at the pachycephalosaurus siblings. "Thank you, Patrick and Pamela. Thank you so much for taking Spikey to spend the day with you. He really appreciates it."
"No problem, we had a blast hanging out with Spikey." Patrick said looking affectionately at Spikey in an older sibling way. Pamela nodded and looked at Spikey in the same way.
"Mom, would it be alright if Patrick and Pamela came to visit us? We could show them around the nest and play games like Dome Ball?"
"Why that sounds wonderful, how does a week from today sound to you two?"
"Sounds good to us!" Both pachycephalosaurs said in unison.
"And then the week after that, I could go back to Pachycephalosaurus Plateau with you guys and play more Dome Ball?"
Everyone nodded at Spikey and said that it could be arranged. Spikey smiled, especially at Patrick and Pamela. He ran over to them and hugged them. "I love you."
The two pachycephalosaurus' smiled as they hugged him back. "We love you too." Patrick said. "Til the end of time, little bro." Pamela said with a wink. Patrick and Pamela boarded the train and closed the door after them before sitting down in the passenger car. The whistle blew and the train slowly started to move.
"Bye, Patrick! Bye, Pamela!" Spikey waved.
"Bye, Spikey!" Both Patrick and Pamela waved back. And with that, the train left the station and sped off into the distance. Mrs. Stygimoloch took Spikey's hand and led him towards home.
"I can't wait to tell Dad about the day I've had."
"And I'm sure he'll love to hear it, Spikey. When we get back, you'll have about half an hour to play before dinner is ready. Maybe you could play peek-a-boo with your little brothers and sister? I'm sure that they would love playing that with you?"
But Spikey was no longer listening to his mother. As they walked towards home, Spikey was imagining himself as an adult stygimoloch, playing Dome Ball with Patrick and Pamela. Playing and winning against the best teams. Receiving the championship trophy and being cheered on by the crowd. Spikey smiled, he couldn't wait.
THE END
This story took me like a year to write. I came up with the idea for it in late 2016 or early 2017. My interest in writing it came and went a lot, but in the end I'm glad that I was finally able to finish it. If you like the DT episode Dome-Headed Dinosaur, then I hope you like this story too. Enjoy your day!
~DinosaurTrainFan