Chapter VII
The voice of heart
Littlefoot remained lonely. What he felt would have been understatement by saying he was downcast. He felt so empty, as if a piece of himself had been gone apart from him. Littlefoot followed the others with his eyes till they disappeared in the tunnel. "Good luck!" he sighed. "I hope that you won't need it!" He turned round and trotted back to his nest with head bowed. Many thoughts tormented him on his way back. Would Cera really wait close by? He hopped so, because Ducky, Spike and Petrie would bee in danger if they would have to follow Cera through the mysterious beyond. And Cera would be in danger too! This thought disquieted Littlefoot more than he admitted even to himself. And what should he tell the grownups, Cera's, Ducky's and Petrie's parents? They would interrogate him first about the disappearance of their children. Even if they all should return safety nothing would be like it had been before. He had torn the invisibility bond of friendship that had always joined them to each other. There was only one way to repair this bond, and only a small amount of time to do it. But on the other side was his mother. Littlefoot would have forgiven Cera nearly everything, but not that. As he had said to Ducky, Petrie and Spike he was unable to forgive Cera alone. Littlefoot had reached his nest now and forced himself to stop thinking. There would be enough time to be worried tomorrow. He shut his eyes. Next moment he opened his eyes wide. He had felt that something had changed, but he hadn't expected, what he saw now. He was on a giant sandy plane. Small rocks and boulders lay scattered everywhere. The sun burned down very hot and bright from the sky. Littlefoot looked around confused. This plane extended to the horizon in every direction and anyhow it seemed to be known to Littlefoot, but he couldn't remember where he had seen the environment before. He felt very exhausted as if he had run for hours by this heat. The glaring sun blinded him and forced him to narrow his eyes to thin slits. Suddenly he noticed a figure that just disappeared at the horizon. In spite of the long distance and despite the glimmering air near the horizon Littlefoot recognised Cera distinctly. Surprised he opened his eyes wide, but he shut them again immediately, because the glaring light drove the tears in his eyes. When he opened his eyes to slits again some seconds later Cera's figure had disappeared. Instead of her he saw another figure that had nearly reached the horizon. Littlefoot strained his eyes and recognised that it was not only one, but three figures. It was Spike and he carried Ducky and Petrie on his back, so Littlefoot hadn't been able to distinguish their shapes from Spike's first. Littlefoot breathed and by doing this he perceived that his throat was rather dry; he was very thirsty. He shouted: "Petrie, Ducky, Spike wait for me! Where are we here?" Littlefoot waited a few seconds, but the figures didn't stop. He shouted again, but vainly. His voice had become very husky, when he shouted the third time. His voice croaked nearly like Petrie's. He closed his eyes and gasped for breath to shout again. But when he opened his eyes again Spike, Ducky and Petrie had disappeared. Suddenly a shadow lay over Littlefoot and a smooth voice said gently: "It is of no use to call them. They can't hear you, they are to far away." Littlefoot looked up surprised and then he forgot to breathe for some seconds. He knew the voice, but he hadn't heard it for a long time. Last time was when he had discovered the Great Valley. He stared at the longneck that just appeared in front of him disconcertedly. There was no doubt it was his mother. She smiled and bent her head down to him. Littlefoot was still a little numbed, so it was difficult for him to ask: "Mother?" She nodded: "Yes, I am." The numbness vanished from Littlefoot as sudden as it has come. He shouted: "Mother! You are there!" and cut a caper. "You know I'm always there! And the more urgent you need me the more near I am!" Littlefoot stopped gamboling suddenly, bowed his head and mumbled sadly: "This must be a dream! And I will wake up." His mother nodded: "That's true Littlefoot. But not yet. Listen to me first." Littlefoot looked up to her again and she said: "Littlefoot, do you remember what you've experienced with your friends Ducky, Petrie, Spike and...", she paused a moment, "...Cera?" Littlefoot nodded silently. "And remember what I've said you long time ago?" Littlefoot nodded and shook his head a second later. "What do you mean?" "Listen always to your heart! What does it say you momentarily?" Littlefoot closed his eyes and listened, but not with his ears. He couldn't remember when he had heard the voice of his heart so clearly last time. "It says; follow your friends!" Littlefoot said slowly. His mother bowed her head even lower down to him and asked encouraging: "And why don't you do it?" Littlefoot was confused. He started to object: "But... but Cera has..." His mother interrupted him with an earnest nodding. "I know what Cera has done. That wasn't very nice from her, but she repented it, since she had done it. She feels even worse than you." Littlefoot was surprised for a short moment. Apparently his mother could see what other dinosaurs felt. "I've forgiven Cera since, and you should forgive her too now." Littlefoot nodded and he felt as if a hundredweight burden had been taken from his shoulders. The mainly reason for him not to forgive Cera was gone. His mother had forgiven her. "Please be cautious when you follow your friends. It will be dangerous", his mother said and her voice sounded worried now. "I will!" Littlefoot said calmly. His mother smiled again when she said very softly: "And now it is time to go. You must hurry up! You must wake up!" Suddenly Littlefoot felt very sad again. "I don't want to wake up! I want to stay with you!" "Not yet. The time has not come yet." Littlefoot perceived that the landscape began to blur and his mother seemed to disintegrate too. "Please don't go away! Please don't let me alone!" Littlefoot pleaded. "You won't be alone!" said his mother and bowed her head lower to touch him. "I will always be in your heart." In the last moment before her head could touch Littlefoot's she disappeared finally. "I will always be in your heart!" His mother's words resounded in Littlefoot's memory. He kept his eyes closed, and he closed them more fiercely, but vainly. He saw nothing but blackness. After all he had to accept that his mother wouldn't come back. He opened his eyes and saw that he lay in his nest and nothing had changed. He was confused and asked himself: "It has really been nothing but a dream?" Everything had seemed so real. He answered his question himself by shacking his head. This hadn't been only a dream. His mother had spoken with him! Littlefoot looked up. Above the mountains in the east a thin red streak on the sky announced the speedy daybreak. Littlefoot had to hurry up, because the first grownups would awake soon. He stood up silently and sneaked away. He hesitated for a moment when he past his sleeping grandparents. "I will be back soon!" he promised whispering. And then he ran as fast as possible to the tunnel.
The voice of heart
Littlefoot remained lonely. What he felt would have been understatement by saying he was downcast. He felt so empty, as if a piece of himself had been gone apart from him. Littlefoot followed the others with his eyes till they disappeared in the tunnel. "Good luck!" he sighed. "I hope that you won't need it!" He turned round and trotted back to his nest with head bowed. Many thoughts tormented him on his way back. Would Cera really wait close by? He hopped so, because Ducky, Spike and Petrie would bee in danger if they would have to follow Cera through the mysterious beyond. And Cera would be in danger too! This thought disquieted Littlefoot more than he admitted even to himself. And what should he tell the grownups, Cera's, Ducky's and Petrie's parents? They would interrogate him first about the disappearance of their children. Even if they all should return safety nothing would be like it had been before. He had torn the invisibility bond of friendship that had always joined them to each other. There was only one way to repair this bond, and only a small amount of time to do it. But on the other side was his mother. Littlefoot would have forgiven Cera nearly everything, but not that. As he had said to Ducky, Petrie and Spike he was unable to forgive Cera alone. Littlefoot had reached his nest now and forced himself to stop thinking. There would be enough time to be worried tomorrow. He shut his eyes. Next moment he opened his eyes wide. He had felt that something had changed, but he hadn't expected, what he saw now. He was on a giant sandy plane. Small rocks and boulders lay scattered everywhere. The sun burned down very hot and bright from the sky. Littlefoot looked around confused. This plane extended to the horizon in every direction and anyhow it seemed to be known to Littlefoot, but he couldn't remember where he had seen the environment before. He felt very exhausted as if he had run for hours by this heat. The glaring sun blinded him and forced him to narrow his eyes to thin slits. Suddenly he noticed a figure that just disappeared at the horizon. In spite of the long distance and despite the glimmering air near the horizon Littlefoot recognised Cera distinctly. Surprised he opened his eyes wide, but he shut them again immediately, because the glaring light drove the tears in his eyes. When he opened his eyes to slits again some seconds later Cera's figure had disappeared. Instead of her he saw another figure that had nearly reached the horizon. Littlefoot strained his eyes and recognised that it was not only one, but three figures. It was Spike and he carried Ducky and Petrie on his back, so Littlefoot hadn't been able to distinguish their shapes from Spike's first. Littlefoot breathed and by doing this he perceived that his throat was rather dry; he was very thirsty. He shouted: "Petrie, Ducky, Spike wait for me! Where are we here?" Littlefoot waited a few seconds, but the figures didn't stop. He shouted again, but vainly. His voice had become very husky, when he shouted the third time. His voice croaked nearly like Petrie's. He closed his eyes and gasped for breath to shout again. But when he opened his eyes again Spike, Ducky and Petrie had disappeared. Suddenly a shadow lay over Littlefoot and a smooth voice said gently: "It is of no use to call them. They can't hear you, they are to far away." Littlefoot looked up surprised and then he forgot to breathe for some seconds. He knew the voice, but he hadn't heard it for a long time. Last time was when he had discovered the Great Valley. He stared at the longneck that just appeared in front of him disconcertedly. There was no doubt it was his mother. She smiled and bent her head down to him. Littlefoot was still a little numbed, so it was difficult for him to ask: "Mother?" She nodded: "Yes, I am." The numbness vanished from Littlefoot as sudden as it has come. He shouted: "Mother! You are there!" and cut a caper. "You know I'm always there! And the more urgent you need me the more near I am!" Littlefoot stopped gamboling suddenly, bowed his head and mumbled sadly: "This must be a dream! And I will wake up." His mother nodded: "That's true Littlefoot. But not yet. Listen to me first." Littlefoot looked up to her again and she said: "Littlefoot, do you remember what you've experienced with your friends Ducky, Petrie, Spike and...", she paused a moment, "...Cera?" Littlefoot nodded silently. "And remember what I've said you long time ago?" Littlefoot nodded and shook his head a second later. "What do you mean?" "Listen always to your heart! What does it say you momentarily?" Littlefoot closed his eyes and listened, but not with his ears. He couldn't remember when he had heard the voice of his heart so clearly last time. "It says; follow your friends!" Littlefoot said slowly. His mother bowed her head even lower down to him and asked encouraging: "And why don't you do it?" Littlefoot was confused. He started to object: "But... but Cera has..." His mother interrupted him with an earnest nodding. "I know what Cera has done. That wasn't very nice from her, but she repented it, since she had done it. She feels even worse than you." Littlefoot was surprised for a short moment. Apparently his mother could see what other dinosaurs felt. "I've forgiven Cera since, and you should forgive her too now." Littlefoot nodded and he felt as if a hundredweight burden had been taken from his shoulders. The mainly reason for him not to forgive Cera was gone. His mother had forgiven her. "Please be cautious when you follow your friends. It will be dangerous", his mother said and her voice sounded worried now. "I will!" Littlefoot said calmly. His mother smiled again when she said very softly: "And now it is time to go. You must hurry up! You must wake up!" Suddenly Littlefoot felt very sad again. "I don't want to wake up! I want to stay with you!" "Not yet. The time has not come yet." Littlefoot perceived that the landscape began to blur and his mother seemed to disintegrate too. "Please don't go away! Please don't let me alone!" Littlefoot pleaded. "You won't be alone!" said his mother and bowed her head lower to touch him. "I will always be in your heart." In the last moment before her head could touch Littlefoot's she disappeared finally. "I will always be in your heart!" His mother's words resounded in Littlefoot's memory. He kept his eyes closed, and he closed them more fiercely, but vainly. He saw nothing but blackness. After all he had to accept that his mother wouldn't come back. He opened his eyes and saw that he lay in his nest and nothing had changed. He was confused and asked himself: "It has really been nothing but a dream?" Everything had seemed so real. He answered his question himself by shacking his head. This hadn't been only a dream. His mother had spoken with him! Littlefoot looked up. Above the mountains in the east a thin red streak on the sky announced the speedy daybreak. Littlefoot had to hurry up, because the first grownups would awake soon. He stood up silently and sneaked away. He hesitated for a moment when he past his sleeping grandparents. "I will be back soon!" he promised whispering. And then he ran as fast as possible to the tunnel.