Their Secret is Safe

“What, um, what happened to all the… the dinosaurs?” Zach’s voice quavered.

Miss Pemblebrook smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Zachary. They all died a long, long time ago. Nobody’s very sure why, but there aren’t any around anymore. Some scientists even think that dinosaurs evolved into birds! Imagine that! Birds aren’t scary, are they?”

The class laughed. Zach’s face remained solemn, but to Miss Pemblebrook’s relief, he stopped trembling.

After school, Zach walked home and went upstairs. He knelt down beside his bed. “It’s okay,” he whispered to the hunched and crowded reptiles. “They’re all still buying that silly bird story.”