This Land Where the Dinosaurs Are

by Timemidae

When Wash dies, he travels to a strange place. Written in the style of the late Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are

In memory of Hoban Washburne and Maurice Sendak.
I don't own anything.

The night (it was always night in space) Serenity flew to Miranda and fought battles of one kind

and another

Serenity flew like a wild thing

and Wash said "I am a leaf on the wind- watch how I soar"

but then he died and didn't say anything.

That night on the bridge a forest grew

and grew—

and grew until the ship was filled with ferns and ginkgos and palms and the walls became the world around, blown with a soft Jurassic breeze

And there was a private spaceship just for Wash

and he sailed off through sun and moon

and in and out of stars

and almost over a light year

to This Land where the dinosaurs are.

And when he came to This Land where the dinosaurs are

the T-rex roared its terrible roar and the allosaurus gnashed its terrible teeth

And they rolled their reptilian eyes and the raptors showed their terrible claws

till Wash said "qing zuo"

and tamed them with a sweet and funny joke

delivered in perfect near deadpan without cracking once

and they were tickled and called him the greatest dinosaur of all

and made him king of all dinosaurs.

"And now," cried Wash, "let's play"

"Hao le" Wash said and watched the dinosaurs go off to bed

their scales more real than plastic. And Wash the king of all the dinosaurs was lonely and wanted to be where Zoë loved him best of all.

Then from far away across the 'Verse,

he missed his autumn flower

so he gave up being king of where the dinosaurs are.

The dinosaurs cried "Oh please don't go—we'll eat you up—we love you so!" Even the herbivores joined in.

but Wash stepped back into his private spaceship and waved goodbye

and flew back over a light year

and in and out of stars

and through a solar system

into his seat at the helm of Serenity

where a harpoon through the chest was waiting for him

and he was still dead.

I'm sorry if that was a downer. Writing it made me feel better after watching Serenity. I originally intended this to fix what had happened, but then it seemed to fit better like this.

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