Yippee and Dino Series - Part 3

Dino learns about school

Dino was nowhere to be seen. Yippee called out again. But again no sign of Dino.

Yippee got really worried but suddenly he heard a giggle from behind the bushes. He quickly looked there and saw Dino crouching and hiding there. “Oh! you found me, now it is your turn to hide”, said Dino

Yippee could not believe what was happening. Not only did Dino talk but she also loved to play and she actually knew how to play hide and seek! Yippee could not wait to show off his new pet to his friends. Nobody he knew had a pet that could talk and play like this! Of course, Tippee , his school friend, had a Cockatoo bird which talks but then she only repeated words that she heard at home. But Dino talked like other Giants that Yippee knew.

Dino again asked Yippee to hide. But it was not easy for a Giant to hide! Yippee decided to hide inside the house rather than in the garden. He quickly ran into the house and hid behind one of the long door curtains in the sitting area. Yippee said to himself, Dino won’t be able to find me here.

But as soon as he said that  Dino had already found him. Yippee in a surprised voice asked Dino, “How did you find me so quickly”. "Simple", said Dino giggling all the time, “I saw where you were going”

“But that is not fair, you are not supposed to see where I am hiding. What is the fun of playing hide and seek if you see where I am hiding”, said Yippee

Dino, looked a bit hurt, “But that is the way that I played hide and seek with my brothers”, she said.

“Oh! ok. but we play it differently”, said Yippee. “I will teach you. Please don’t worry about that. Ok?”

Dino looked up at Yippee and smiled happily. “You are nice Yippee”, she said

At that very moment, Mamma called out for breakfast, “Come on Yippee and Dino, breakfast is ready for you”

Papa  had put a special chair for Dino. Dino quickly settled in it and started gobbling up the burgers on her plate. “Oh, they are so delicious” , she said.

Illustration by Gauri Ghosal

Yippee could not believe his eyes. That day Dino ate ten burgers! A bit much for a tiny dinosaur like Dino, he thought.

Illustration by Gauri Ghosal

 The two day holiday for Yippee was fast over and on Monday morning he had to leave for school.

 The night before, Yippee tried to explain to Dino that he would have to be out of the house the next day. “We kids have to go to school, you know." said Yippee.

“I will also come with you", said Dino. Yippee started laughing and said,"Pets are not allowed in the school. My teacher won’t allow you in.”

Dino felt very sad. "But what will I do while you are away. Who will I play with? Please don’t go to this place called school which does not allow pets. Lets instead go to a place that allows pets. Ya , lets do that". said Dino, excited that she had figured out a solution.

Yippee tried to explain to Dino, why school was not an optional place. All kids in Giant Land had to go the school.

"But why?", asked Dino.

Yippee thought for a while. He had never really thought about why he had to go the school. One day Mamma and Papa had taken him to the school and then from that day he had been going.

Suddenly, there was a smile on his face. "I know why we go the school. We learn a lot of new and interesting things in school. We make new friends and we also play there".

"Then I should also be allowed to go to the school. I also want to do all those things that you just said", said Dino

"But Dino you can’t ", said Yippee sadly.

That night both Yippee and Dino could not sleep. Yippee had got so attached to Dino in the two days that she had been with him that the idea of leaving her to even go to school made him feel sad.

Dino did not like the idea of this thing called a school which seemed such a fun place but did not allow Dino.

"What am I going to do when Yippee is in school?", Dino wondered