For the past several days we’ve been concerned about Fred, our pet miniature dinosaur, since he’s seemed exceptionally quiet. Always a good eater, lately he’s been “off his feed,” even though we’d gathered up some new and tasty leaves for him to sample. Mr. Squee even offered Fred a treat of Catnip for dessert, but he refused. We worried, because Fred was only growing more and more reclusive.

So finally, yesterday morning, we Whimsies gathered together to talk out our concerns and decided to approach poor Fred directly to find out exactly what was going on. Was he not happy here in Whimsieville? We put the question to him, and at first he grew extremely quiet, and then slowly, he began to cry. And if you have never seen a dinosaur cry before, then you don’t know the full meaning of the word SAD.

Oh, poor Fred! What was wrong? Slowly he spilled forth his tale. It seems that even though he LOVES living with us here in Whimsieville, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the food and provisions we’ve made for him, he misses his old dinosaur friends so much. And even moreso, he’s consumed with guilt for leaving them, without so much as a simple “Good bye.”

When he first agreed to come with us to Whimsieville, Fred was intrigued by the idea of a stress-free living environment, with no worries about predators, like dogs and wolves. (Remember, though Fred is a dinosaur, he is a miniature dinosaur, so he is easy prey for carnivores desiring a quick snack; therefore, safety and security are high on his list of priorities.)

When we met Fred, the first time we ventured out of Whimsieville, he was on his own, taking a stroll through a sunny patch of grass, and we had not realized that he was part of a group. It was only several days after making the decision and joining us here in Whimsieville that he began to tell tales of his three dinosaur friends, Wilma, Barney and Betty. We had no idea how close he really was to these friends, or how much it was eating him up inside that he had “abandoned” these friends without so much as a good-bye.

Well! Now that we knew the whole story, we went right to work in setting it all straight. First, we scolded Fred for abandoning his friends, and for not telling us his concerns earlier. He said he didn’t want to burden us with his troubles. We had a long heart-to-heart with our little dinosaur friend and assured him that we are always available to help him in any way we can. He cried some more, most heartily, then asked if we could ever forgive him for being so selfish.

“It’s not for us to forgive you,” we told him. “It’s for your friends to forgive you.”

“But how shall I ever ask their forgiveness?” he wailed. “I should have to leave Whimsieville to find them, and that means I will once again be in danger! Even as Wilma, Barney and Betty are at this very moment! Oooh! I’ve been a very bad dinosaur! I shall never forgive MYSELF in anything happens to them!”

Seeing how distraught he was by all this, we didn’t want to go on scolding him. Instead, we ran to Miss Chrissy and told her the whole story, and our plan, and she agreed there was nothing else to do. Immediately we pulled out our Dinosaur Hunting clothes from the Wardrobe and dressed for another expedition.

Fred himself wanted to come with us, but he had cried himself silly and made himself sick, so we told him it was best for him to stay home and rest up, while we went out to find his friends. Reluctantly, he agreed.

Last time only Tessie and I made the trip outside of Whimsieville, but this time, Trixie decided to accompany us as well. Boldly, Tessie asked if she could wear the Dino Club hat, effectively making her the leader of the group. That was no problem whatsoever! I was so proud of both of them for being willing to do everything they could to make things right for poor Fred!

As it turns out, though, we didn’t have to go very far at all to find Fred’s friends. It took us a little while to reach the borders of Whimsieville, but it was a sunny, pleasant day, and the exercise did us good. At the border, there is a weathered wooded fence with a gate that separates our little world from the World Beyond, and as soon as we opened that gate, we were greeted by three very enthusiastic dinosaurs who immediately barraged us with questions about Fred.

It seems Wilma, Barney and Betty had been missing Fred as much as he misses them. As soon as they realized he had not come home for dinner that first day, they made inquiries and learned that he had last been seen in the company of two Whimsies, heading in the direction of Whimsieville. And so, armed only with this information and a small supply of food, they traveled to our borders, seeking entrance. Because they are miniature dinosaurs, just like Fred, they were not able to open the gate themselves, and had been hanging about many days now, trying to figure out how to get in.

Lucky we got there when we did! The three dinosaurs had brought with them two small trees to sustain them with leaves, but those leaves were almost gone. We immediately fed them some nuts and berries we had brought along as a Friendship Offering, and once their bellies were full, and they’d heard all about Fred’s new accommodations in Whimsieville, they were more than happy to join us on the journey back. We stopped only long enough to take a few silly pictures, then quickly headed home.

Oh, what a joyous reunion among the four friends! There were more dinosaur tears, all around, but this time it was not sad crying, it was most joyous. Wilma, Barney and Betty were so happy to see Fred that they had no trouble forgiving him. They were just glad he was safe! For his part, Fred promised never to be so selfish again.

The rest of the day, Fred played the happy tour guide, proudly showing his friends all around Whimsieville, but eventually they tired and settled themselves down on a shelf near the TV for a good night’s sleep. We will have to be making more permanent arrangements for our small group of small dinosaurs, but that will be another project for another day. For now, it’s just good to have Fred back to his chipper old self again, and even happier than we’ve ever seen him.

Oh, and by the way, now that he’s feeling better, Fred finally decided to take up Mr. Squee on that offer of Catnip…and guess what? Seems miniature dinosaurs are BIG FANS of the stuff! Whooda thunk it? To us Whimsies, the dinosaurs are pets, but to Mr. Squee, they are all now his buddies. Which is a good thing, because Mr. Squee works so hard to protect all of us here in Whimsieville, so he too is well deserving of a little time to hang out with friends.