Thatcher, Apple, and the Dino Adventure

Thatcher knelt in his backyard, digging near his favorite tree. His spiky brown hair stuck up as he leaned closer to a shiny, egg-shaped stone buried in the dirt. “Apple, look!” he called to his best friend, a little red monkey swinging from the tree. Apple chattered excitedly and dropped down to Thatcher’s shoulder. The stone shimmered in the sunlight. “What do you think it is?” Thatcher asked. Apple tilted his head and poked it with a curious finger. Suddenly—ZAP! The stone glowed brightly, and in a flash, Thatcher and Apple weren’t in the backyard anymore. They stood in a wide, green jungle. Enormous trees towered over them, and in the distance, something roared. “Apple... are we with dinosaurs?” Thatcher whispered, his eyes wide. Nearby, they heard a soft whimper. They peeked behind a bush and found a baby Triceratops, its big eyes wet with tears. “What’s wrong, little guy?” Thatcher asked gently. The baby sniffled and pointed to its head. It was missing its golden horn! A sparkling trail of golden dust led into the jungle.

“Don’t worry,” Thatcher said, pulling on his favorite blue dino shirt. “We’ll help you find it!” Apple nodded, though he looked a little unsure. The golden trail led them to a bubbling swamp. “How do we cross?” Thatcher wondered. Apple spotted some stepping stones and handed Thatcher a long stick. “Great idea!” Thatcher said. They used the stick to test each stone before hopping across safely. On the other side, a clumsy pterosaur swooped down, holding the golden horn in its claws. “Hey, that’s not yours!” Thatcher called. But the pterosaur wasn’t mean—it just wanted to play. Apple offered the pterosaur a banana, and it happily dropped the horn. Thatcher and Apple returned the horn to the baby Triceratops. Suddenly, the shiny stone glowed again, and with a WHOOSH, they were back in Thatcher’s backyard. “We did it, Apple!” Thatcher cheered. Apple clapped and did a little dance. The shiny stone stopped glowing, but Thatcher smiled. “Helping others is the best adventure of all.”