Chapter 5: Ping-Pong, Prime Sun Stones and Brotherly fight
The boys found themselves sitting in a small classroom, surrounded by children. Dull gray desks, a few bookshelves and some light shining through the window, the boy's felt like they were in First grade again.
It was quiet awkward for them as the desks for very small, and they had a little bit of trouble fitting in them. Standing at the front of the class teaching, was Marion.
The children were laughing, and a few were making jokes like most little kids did before a class started.
"Quiet please" Marion asked.
The brothers just sat there in silence as the kids quieted down.
"Thank you, now this term, we will be studying saurian, at the end of the term you will sit in examination and write your answers in foot print language," she explained.
"Now who can tell me the first code of Dinotopia?" asked Marion.
A girl between the ages of seven to nine raised her hand and answered "One rain drop raises the sea".
"Very good" said Marion.
Picking up a tablet from her desk, Marion then announced, "I will now read to you all the codes of Dinotopia.
1.One raindrop raises the sea
2.Survival of all or none
3.Weapons are enemies, even to their owners (At this code Jake snorted in amusement)
4. Give more, take less
5. Others first, self last
6. Observe listen and learn
7. Do one thi-
Marion was interrupted when she noticed Karl looking down. In fact, he wasn't even paying attention.
When she looked closer, she saw that Karl was drawing something on his desks.
A large stegosaurs on top of another stegosaurs. They looked like they were mating.
"Karl" Marion said sternly.
Karl glanced up from his working in embarrassment.
"That is unnecessary destruction of public property………and that is not how stegosaurs reproduce," Marion said annoyed yet amused at the same time.
The kids laughed silently amongst each other while Karl gave his half brothers weak smiles, while Jake and David just glared at him in annoyance.
8. Sing every day
9. Exercise imagination
10. Eat to live, don't live to eat
Done reading the codes, Marion glanced up from the tablet, another question rising.
"Now who knows where we would find all the codes of Dinotopia written on" she asked.
Almost all the kids in the classroom raised there hands, a few of them shouting slightly "Me Me, pick me". Karl refused to put his hand up, while David and Jake raised their hands.
Marion smiled slightly at the boy's enthusiasm to learn as she pointed at David.
"In Fountain Square" David answered cheerfully.
"Very good David" smiled Marion.
Karl then gave his brother a weird look as David quickly got defensive saying "What, I read it in Zippeau's city guide".
Karl just shook his head in aggravation that his brothers were enjoying school.
"And a very special significant too all Dinotopians" Marion said as she then put the tablet back down.
Deciding to leave the classroom, Marion led the class, and the brothers to Fountain Square where she believed teaching them would be easier. Climbing the steps to the huge slab of stone that contains the written codes of Dinotopia, she turned to the class.
"Ancient legends tell how it was brought up from the world beneath, ten's of thousands of years ago" Marion announced.
"What's the world beneath" asked Jake?
"It's a mythical place where Dinosaurs were said to find sanctuary at the dormant of time," explained Marion.
One of the kids, a boy between 6 and 8 then pointed at the slab and said, "Rule four give more take less".
"Very good" Marion smiled at the boy.
Marion the pointed to the foot print language at the bottom of the slab. "You can see down at the very bottom here, that the eleventh code is missing," she explained.
"All that can be made out our the first three letters, f-I-n" she continued.
"Nobody knows what the eleventh code is, anyone here want to guess what the eleventh code might be" asked Marion.
"Find a way out of here" Karl joked silently to Jake and Karl.
"Shh" shushed David and Jake, annoyed at the joke.
"Did you say something Karl?" asked Marion who had missed the exchange between the siblings.
"Yeah, I have to go to the bathroom, do I need a pass" Karl asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"No, but tonight's homework will be on the codes" Marion said.
Karl then gave Marion a shocked look.
"Homework" he asked in disbelief. Deciding he'd had enough of this he turned to leave before muttering, "forget it".
Marion watched in silence as Karl dismissed himself from the class, while Jake and David were muttering on Karl for being a quitter.
Karl found himself back in the library sitting at one of the desks quietly.
(Why do they like this place, I mean don't they care about the fact we will never see our home again) Karl thought bitterly.
A voice interrupted Karl's thoughts.
"Karl, shouldn't you be in school" asked a confused Zippeau.
Karl shook his head. "Nah, I quit," he mumbled.
"Oh dear, perhaps, there something else you'd like to do" Zippeau said as he knew it wasn't his place to tell Karl if he should go to school or not.
"Nothing" Karl said.
Zippeau shook his head in disbelief before saying "C'mon, there must be something you'd like to do".
Karl thought this over for a moment, what did he like to do that was fun.
Glancing over at some small green pads that resembled bats that you used in ping-pong, Karl snatched one.
"Careful with those, that's public property" Zippeau warned.
Karl then glanced at the scroll on the table and smirked inwardly.
Five minutes later, Karl was un-rolling a scroll and attached one end of the scroll to the table and was quickly attaching the other end. Zippeau, coming back from the bathroom, noticed this as well as a few passing patrons.
"That's not how we read scrolls" Zippeau informed Karl.
"No Zippeau, it's a game," Karl said as he finished attaching the other end of the scroll.
"A game, oh, can I play," asked Zippeau?
"Sure" Karl said as he clasped his hand together.
"Okay, were ready" he said as he removed a small plastic white ball from his green vest.
"Now what do I do" asked Zippeau asked as Karl went to one end of the table.
"Your at that end" Karl pointed.
"Right" said Zippeau has he walked to his end of the table.
"Now grip a bat," said Karl as he picked up his bat.
"Grip a bat," repeated Zippeau.
"Hold it like this" Karl said as he showed him grasping the bat firmly.
"Uh, like this," asked Zippeau as he tried mimicking Karl.
"That's it" Karl said.
After explaining the rules of the game to Zippeau Karl then said "Okay, your clear about what happens when I hit the ball over the net" he asked.
"I hit it back," responded Zippeau.
"You've got no questions about the rules," asked Karl.
"Nope" Zippeau said, as he was eager to start the game that Karl had called ping-pong.
"Okay" Karl said as he tensed up abit before lightly taping the plastic ball with his bat.
The ball bounced over the net, and Zippeau grunted as he attempted to hit it, missing the ball entirely.
"One nothing" Karl said grinning as Zippeau tossed him the ball.
"Yes, yes" Zippeau said as he tensed up for another serve.
Karl then tapped the ball again, and again Zippeau grunted as he managed to tap the ball as he swung again.
"Oh dear" he mumbled.
Karl laughed softly at Zippeau's attempt to get used to the game immediately.
"Two nothing, try again Zippeau" Karl said as Zippeau tossed him the ball again.
Karl tapped the ball once more, this time Zippeau hit it back, all though not over the net. Sighing in defeat that he'd never get it, Zippeau mumbled to himself as Karl retrieved the ball.
"Don't worry Zippeau, you'll get there" Karl said now smiling. He had to admit, it had been awhile since he had played, last time was against his half brothers, but apparently like before, he was still the undefeated champion of ping-pong.
The class had been dismissed a while ago, and David, Jake and Marion were now taking a short walk around the city.
"I'm upset that Karl left my class, did I do something wrong" asked a depressed Marion.
"No, No it's not your fault, Karl quits just about everything" David said honestly.
"Yeah, like the time when he signed up for that homework club back in high school, remember David," asked Jake.
"Yeah it was during our junior year, Karl had been struggling in math and joined homework club to get his grade up" David said remembering the memory.
'That's right, but he quit right after he flunked one test" Jake said smirking.
"Or the time he quit the wrestling team cause of all the people gunning for him" David said.
"Yeah exactly, or when he tried joining Art club, only to quit after one project," Jake said continuing the list of things that Karl tried out for and quitted.
"It sounds like he doesn't know what he wants," Marion said.
"He doesn't" David said.
"Sometimes we think we know but…sometimes were not so sure," Jake added.
David paused before looking at Marion and saying "You seem to know what your doing" he said.
"My mother's a matriarch, it's my destiny" Marion said smiling.
"Is that what you want" Jake asked curiously.
Marion laughed abit before saying "How could you want anything other then your destiny".
The boys chuckled as Marion said, "You both do ask the strangest things".
"Well suppose you don't know your destiny" David asked seriously.
"It knows you, you find each other" Marion said truthfully.
Jake stared at Marion in confusion on what she meant by that.
"Marion if I" started David.
"Would you both like too see the prime sunstone" Marion interrupted excitedly.
"What, uh…err sure yeah, I'd love to let's go" David said trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Let's go" Marion laughed as she grabbed David's hand and pulled him from his spot.
"Great" mumbled David as he blushed slightly.
Jake followed, grinning at his brother's predicament.
Meanwhile back at the library, Zippeau was now getting used to the game of ping-pong as he was hitting the ball back over the net.
A few patrons had stopped reading to watch the game between Karl and Zippeau as they lightly tapped the ball towards one another.
"Here you go" Zippeau said as he tapped the ball back to Karl.
"Very good" Karl complimented.
The game was going well until Karl decided to get rough. When Zippeau tapped the ball back over the net, Karl smashed hit at into it, hitting the Zippeau's side of the table and ending the game.
The people gasped at Karl's skill and a few laughed in amusement as Karl settled the ball back down.
"That's it" asked Zippeau.
"That's it," laughed Karl.
"How many points did I score"?
"None, twenty-one zero I win" Karl laughed as he casually threw his bat into the air before catching it.
"Well I don't understand, usually I have excellent hand eye coordination," Zippeau said defending himself.
"Well there you go" Karl chuckled as he placed his bat back on to the table.
"When can we play again, I'm sure I'll be able to beat you at this" Zippeau said as he went to pick up the ball. By this point the people watching the game were leaving.
"I can honestly say that humans will always be dinosaurs at ping-pong," laughed Karl.
"Let's play again," asked Zippeau.
(I just owned him and he wants to go again) "I creamed you," said Karl.
'Well I don't mind, this is fun, I haven't had so much fun in a long time" Zippeau insisted as he tossed the ball back to Karl.
Karl had to agree with Zippeau. For him it had been a long time since he had some fun. "You know what Zippeau, me neither" Karl agreed.
"Think fast" he said playful as he tapped the ball back to Zippeau.
Zippeau hit it back. This continued up to when it came back to Karl who again got rough and spiked the ball again over the net.
"Oh yeah got ya" Karl laughed as Zippeau went to retrieve the ball.
"We'll have to race, we've only got ten minutes" Marion informed the boys.
Jogging towards the huge tower, the boys gawked in shock at how tall it was.
"How many steps to the top" asked Jake aloud?
"There's three hundred and sixty one, c'mon you guys I'll race you" Marion laughed as she started up the spiral staircase.
Jake then got a competitive look in his eyes as he smirked "Oh your gonna regret that challenge".
David determined not to let his younger sibling beat him started up after him.
Panting as they raced up the steps, David called out "Slow down, I'm dying here".
"Don't be silly this is nothing," Marion laughed.
"Maybe for you" David mumbled.
"And you have unfair advantage Jake" David said.
"What, that I was the star track team player back home and you were" grinned Jake.
David chose not to respond to this statement.
Finally at the top of the small tower, all that was up there was a single sunstone on a pillar, with several windows surrounding them.
"Are you alright?" asked a concerned Marion as David came up last.
"Yeah, just my asthma kicking in" David remarked sarcastically.
"You don't suppose they sell inhalers in Waterfall City do you," asked David.
Marion gave David a confused look while Jake mumbled "Overdramatic as always David".
Noticing the window opened to a balcony, Jake, David and Marion stepped out and awed at the sight before them.
It was a beautiful sunset from the highest point in the city, setting into the distance. The sky had changed to an orangeish red.
"It's fantastic," said David.
"Not fantastic, awesome truly awesome" Jake laughed.
"You don't have cities like this where you come from," asked Marion.
"No" David said simply. Nothing back home could compare to this.
The four then leaned over the balcony to look below. Seeing the streets far below them, David breathed slightly faster as it he stopped looking down.
"I think were a lot farther up then I thought," he said nervously.
Marion smiled warmly before turning to the single sunstone.
"This is what powers the whole of Dinotopia, It's the most powerful sunstone ever found, it's almost flawless," she explained.
Moments later, a single man came up from the stairs and started opening all the windows.
"What's he doing?" asked David.
"Every evening the prime sunstone regenerates all the other sunstones across Dinotopia" Marion said.
Beckoning the boys to follow her, she then said "C'mon, it's almost time we can watch it from here".
Sitting on the edge of the staircase, the boys watched in awe as the sunstone started to glow even brighter by the second.
"So where do sunstones come from" asked David who was raising a hand to get the glare from the sunstone out of his eyes.
"All we know is that there very old, legends say they were mined in the world beneath at the beginning of time" said Marion as she watched the glow.
"Wait they were around before people came into existents asked an amazed Jake
"That's right, they've been found all over dinotopia for many years" Marion explained.
They all watched the sunstone shiny brighter in silence as it regenerated the sunstones across Dinotopia.
It was now nighttime, and Karl was walking back to Zippeau's home from the library.
Crossing the bridge, a man stopped and greeted Karl.
"Breath deep" the man said.
Karl just stared at the man for a moment before continuing to walk home.
The man shrugged this off before continuing on his way.
Zippeau was reading comfortably in his home, while humming to classic music.
When suddenly, a bump caught his attention.
"Hmm" he hummed.
Inside the guest room, David was reading one of his homework books while Karl was sitting on his bed, casually throwing the ball at the wall and back towards him.
Where's Jake" asked Karl. "He finished studying hours ago, he's out walking around the city.
"What're you reading" Karl asked bored out of his mind.
"One of our course books…why" David asked.
"Well what's it called" Karl asked ignoring David's question.
Sighing, David closed his book before reading the title aloud "THE CARE AND TEACHING OF HUNMANS".
Karl snorted in disgust. "And you don't find that sick" he asked.
"No, it's a very interesting book" David said truthfully.
Karl stopped throwing his ball before turning to David. "Another week and I'm leaving," he said.
David gave him a sarcastic smile before saying "Yeah, and what's the plan".
"I don't need a plan to know I have to get outta here, you've got a week to decide to come with me or not" Karl said firmly.
"Yeah and what about Jake" David asked.
"He's to young to make that kinda decision, even if he want's to stay here, I'm taking him with me, even if I have to drag him out of here" said a determined Karl.
Hoping off the bed, Karl then said, "I mean what are we doing here".
"Well Karl, I'm trying to study for graduation," David said casually before flipping threw another page.
"Graduation, what are about graduation, we don't belong here, were not Dinotopians, your getting brainwashed, can't you see that" said a frustrated Karl.
"Look, I don't have time to argue with you alright" David said annoyed that Karl was interrupting his study time.
Now Karl was getting his face as he then almost shouted "Are you insane, there's a dinosaur sitting in the next room".
David closed his book before saying "Yes, exactly Karl this is the chance of a lifetime, we our the first in our generation to see anything like this" David said trying to reason with Karl.
This proved hopeless as Karl letted out a sarcastic laugh while saying cruelly "There screwing with your head David and you just don't get it do ya".
David stood up, fed up with Karl's negative attitude and shouted "Why are you so negative about everything, you know this always happens to you, your stuck and for the first time in your life no ones gonna bail you out".
David then gave Karl a serious look before saying softly "Why don't you stop being so selfish, and at least get to know this place, before you condemn it".
Almost as if he didn't say a word, Karl tapped David chest. "I'm going and you and Jake are coming with me".
Walking away David mumbled "Look Karl, not that you bothered to asked, but I kinda like it here".
Giving his half brother a disgusted look he grumbled, "I can't believe I'm stuck here with you".
David then hit a low blow when he said, "Well it wasn't me who was flying the plane.
To say that statement pissed Karl off would be an understatement.
Karl whirled around and tossed his ball aside. Shoving David into his chair he grabbed him his shirt collar.
"DO YOU BLAME ME FOR WHAT HAPPENED, DO YA HUH," he demanded furiously.
"LET GO OF ME, LET GO OF ME" demanded David.
Karl complied by releasing his shirt and pointed a threatening finger at him.
"You ever say that again, I'll kill you David, I swear I will," he threatened.
Giving him one final shove, Karl whirled around and left, slamming the door shut, leaving David to wallow in his anger.
Zippeau, overhearing the slam mumbled to himself "Mammals".