Dinosaur's Packed Lunch (4 page)

“A monster! A monster! Run, Dinah, there's a monster in my bedroom,” Dad yelled.

“Hey, Dad. It's me, Dinah. I'm the monster,” said Dinah. “Well, I think I've turned into a dinosaur, actually. It feels a bit scary. Give me a cuddle, Dad.”

It was a bit scary for Dad, too. But he could see the huge dinosaur in his bedroom was wearing Dinah's nightie and talking with Dinah's voice.

It was his daughter Dinah all right. So he gave her a cuddle as best he could.

Then Dinah gave Dad a cuddle, which was much easier. It was fun being able to pick Dad up with her new arms. She'd have to remember to cut her claws though.

Her new skin didn't need a wash but her arms ached when she cleaned all her new teeth with Dad's big clothes-brush.

Dinah was terribly greedy at breakfast. She ate a whole loaf of bread in one gollop and finished a jar of jam with one lick.

“Well, I'm a growing girl,” said Dinah, giggling.

“I don't know how I'm going to afford to feed you now. Money doesn't grow on trees,” said Dad.

Luckily, Dinah liked eating trees. Well, the leaves and the smaller snappier branches. And privet hedges taste delicious if you're a dinosaur.

Everyone got their hedges trimmed and their trees pruned for nothing.

Chapter Four

Dad took Dinah to the doctor's.

“Can you cure my Dinah?” asked Dad.

“I think you'd better take her to a vet,” said the doctor.

Dinah did a bit of doctoring herself.

She cured a baby's hiccups and made an old lady's bad leg better.

Dad took Dinah to the vet's.

“Well, she's certainly got a healthy appetite,” said the vet. “I don't think there's anything wrong with her.”

“In that case you'd better go to school,” said Dad.

“Boring,” said Dinah.

But maybe school might be more fun today.

She certainly caused a bit of fuss when she went in through the school gates.

Dad had to have a few words with Miss Smith.

Miss Smith wasn't at all sure she could cope with this new Dinah.

“It's OK, Miss Smith. I'll be ever so good,” said Dinah.

Dinah did try to be good. She didn't talk in the (now very crowded) class, but when she started to get bored she gave her new long tail a little flick . . . which caused a bit of bother . . . and at playtime she fought the boys . . . and splashed the girls BUT . . . she somehow didn't get into trouble.