"Sixty-forty!" Ben shouted. "Look, friend, this is not a good way to start a business relationship!"

Mr. Tinker looked at him coolly. "Ben, you just finished calling me a moron. You slugged a defenseless animal with a stick, you insulted my wife, and you pointed a weapon at my son. Can you give me one good reason why I would want to be in a business relationship with you?"

With perfect timing, Rufus made a hacking sound that sounded almost like a laugh-and the surrounding kids picked up on it and had a good laugh of their own.

Ben Fairfield was not laughing. Spewing a string of unrepeatables, he flung the dart gun to the ground and spun away from the others.

"Ben, really," said Mrs. Tinker. "There are kids here."

Mr. Eckhart stepped over to Martin. "So what do you think, Martin? Yucatn?"

Martin felt everybody's eyes on him, and it made him a little nervous. This was a decision he'd been desperately hoping he could make, but now that he was being asked to actually make it, he was feeling a heavy weight of responsibility.

"You asked me to find a good place for him," Mr. Eckhart went on. "I'd say this is pretty good."

"Will he be happy there?"

"Can't say for sure, but-"

"A lot happier than he'd be around here," Dr. Mahler interjected, while running her hand lightly over Rufus's upper back.

"Especially when December rolls around," Mr. Eckhart added with a smile.

Suddenly, Rufus gave a testy snort and snapped at Dr. Mahler-who jumped away in a flash. "Hoh! Okay, moving on..."

The kids hopped back too, and the policemen reached for their guns.

"No, it's okay!" Martin shouted. "He's okay! He's just a little crowded." He petted Rufus gently on the curve of his lower back. "We're okay," he said quietly. "Right, boy? Everything's good."

Rufus calmed down immediately. But Martin couldn't escape the thought that his big friend, this closest pal he'd ever had, was no longer the playful little lizard he had kept hidden in the barn.

He exchanged a rueful look with Audrey. He knew she was thinking the same thing he was.

She turned to Mr. Eckhart. "Can we visit him?"

Dr. Mahler and Mr. Eckhart both looked to Dr. Eliot, and he gave a grandfatherly grin. "I don't see why not."

Martin looked at Rufus, who lowered his head to sniff at a patch of dandelions.

"So?" said Mr. Eckhart. "What's the verdict?"

Martin felt like there was one more thing he had to do before saying anything else. "Just a sec." He leaned over, gently put his hand on Rufus's neck, and whispered something in his reptilian ear cavity. Rufus stood still, as though he was actually listening-although it might have just been a busy anthill down there that was holding his attention. Then, all of a sudden, his head jerked up and he lurched forward with a loud explosion of air shooting from his nostrils-a jumbo Jura.s.sic sneeze that made everybody jump.

"He says yes," Martin said, and everyone laughed. Mr. Eckhart reached out his hand, and as Martin shook it, he felt that giant weight of responsibility being lifted away, and he broke into his first real smile in what seemed like days.

Now a wave of curious energy swept through the crowd of kids. They pressed in around Martin and Audrey and started peppering them with questions. "Where did you guys get him?" "Where did you keep him?" "What does he eat?" "Can I touch him?" Martin and Audrey did their best to answer, but the questions came so fast that they couldn't keep up. For now, though, Martin was perfectly content just to bask in the sunlight of his new and strange role of star of the seventh grade.

Ben Fairfield was still steaming. "Last chance, Gordon. You can honor our deal or be a big loser for the rest of your life. Which is it gonna be?"

Mr. Tinker looked unruffled. "Guess it's gonna be loser."

"You got it, pal. You are fired!"

"Thank you, Ben," said Martin's dad. "Saves me having to tell you to take a long hike off a short pier." Mrs. Tinker faked a cough to cover up a snicker.

"Yeah, that's real funny. Hey, I've got a good one: that's not the end of this. Come on," Ben said to Jasper and Ollie as he marched away. When he noticed they weren't following him, he turned and gave them a look that could torch an iceberg. That got them going, and they followed him across the field and out the gate.

Martin saw his dad hold up Ben's check, scrutinizing it with a look of nagging doubt, and maybe even some regret. "Hey, we'll be okay," Mrs. Tinker rea.s.sured him. "It'll work out." She leaned her forehead on his shoulder and reached her arms around him, squeezing hard.

Sheriff Grimes and his officers just stood there, looking like they weren't quite sure what they were supposed to do at this point. They kept an eye on Rufus, but he didn't seem like that much of a danger now.

To Martin, it seemed like Rufus was actually enjoying all the attention-which was exactly how he was feeling himself. Though he knew he would soon have to say good-bye to his prehistoric friend, for now he was perfectly happy to answer questions and show off his unusual pet to his cla.s.smates and the professors. (And yes-now a lopsided grin had even found its way onto Donald's unruly face.) Over at the field entrance, the police officer allowed a small swarm of news reporters with their camera crews through the gate, and they rushed on the scene and started chattering away-though keeping a safe distance from Rufus. Then a man's voice rose up above the general din.

"Audrey!"

J.B. and Jade Blanchard pushed past the reporters and ran toward the kids and Rufus.

"Daddy!" Audrey shouted, running straight into a giant bear hug with her dad and sister-who couldn't seem to decide whether to be more thrilled to find that Audrey was okay, or more astonished to see Rufus and his posse of young admirers.

Martin smiled wistfully at the sight of the Blanchards huddled together. Then he looked again at his parents, standing hand in hand while calmly watching the strange scene taking place around the tall T. rex, just a few short strides in front of them. He locked gazes with his dad, who threw him a crooked little smile and a wink.

If you didn't know the Tinkers, you might not think much about that wink. But it was something Martin hadn't seen from his dad in a long, long time, and he didn't have to catch a football to earn it.

EPILOGUE.

ONE WEEK LATER.

The sun beat down like a giant flamethrower, and the air was thick with humidity. That was nothing unusual in this part of the world, but it sure felt alien to Martin as he strode slowly across the gra.s.sy clearing. Rufus lumbered along next to him, and Audrey kept pace on the other side. When the three of them got to the edge of the clearing, they stopped, looking into the dense, forbidding thicket of trees just a few steps ahead.

A lot of questions suddenly popped into Martin's head, but when he turned around to ask, he saw that the people who might answer were not right behind him, as he had thought, but were standing in a group on the other side of the clearing. Mr. and Mrs. Tinker, J.B. and Jade Blanchard, Mr. Eckhart, Dr. Mahler, and a few other professors and scientists were waiting patiently. When Jade raised her phone and started snapping photos, Martin knew this was meant as a moment for himself and Audrey, and no one else.

He looked over at Audrey with an uncertain expression, and she looked back with a strained grin, though her eyes looked sadder than he had ever seen them. It made him aware of the lump in his own throat, and he tried hard to swallow it.

He looked up at Rufus. "Don't worry, boy," he said, barely above a whisper. "We won't forget you."

Rufus seemed a bit disoriented. Who could blame him? He'd been shipped in a special cage on a special plane, then hauled in a special truck on a b.u.mpy dirt road...and now here he was, in a strange new place. This plainly was not Menominee Springs. Yet there was something about the forest in front of him that seemed to intrigue him.

Martin and Audrey both came at him at once, one on each side, awkwardly delivering heartfelt hugs to his hug-resistant frame.

"This is your home now," said Martin. "It's time for you to go. Go on."

Rufus's dark eyes scanned the wall of trees, as though trying to decide what to make of it. He twitched and snorted, then looked down at Martin and Audrey.

"Go, Rufus!" Audrey said.

Rufus took one more look at the jungle, then threw his head back and let out a mighty ROAR that echoed through the trees. Bobbing his head once, he took a slow step forward, then another, and then another.

"Bye, Rufus!" Audrey called. "Be good!"

"G'bye, boy!" Martin shouted. "We'll come visit, we promise!"

The closer Rufus got to the forest, the heavier Martin's heart became. He couldn't help thinking of Orville the hamster, and now that same feeling of stinging loss was. .h.i.tting him again. But it wasn't exactly the same, because he knew Rufus was still there, and he was probably going to do just fine. It was the end of the best time of Martin's life...but maybe the beginning of something even better.

Everybody watched as Rufus reached the edge of the forest and took a careful step into the brush. A few jungle birds were sounding the alarm, but all the humans stayed perfectly still and quiet. Martin glanced back at his parents, and he could tell from their faces that even they were feeling a little sad.

Rufus pushed his way slowly in among the trees, moving forward step by hesitant step, and soon all anybody could see in the foliage was a single patch of grayish-brown skin on his back. Audrey couldn't hold back a fluttery sniff, and Martin tried another swallow against that stubborn lump.

The scaly patch faded and shrank as the big creature ambled farther into the hazy greenery.

Then the patch disappeared, but Martin could still make out the very tip of Rufus's tail, flicking lightly against a wide, drooping leaf.

And then, in an instant...he was gone.

The two of them stood there staring into the forest, trying to compose themselves before heading back to join the others. They both took a deep breath and, at exactly the same time, exhaled with a quiet, rueful sigh.

"Holy mama...," she said.

"Ai-yai-yai...," he said.

They looked at each other and laughed a little, which helped break the sadness of the moment. Then, as they looked back at the forest one more time, Martin felt a strange sensation in the palm of his left hand, something warm and soft and almost jarringly unfamiliar. It took him a couple of seconds to realize it was Audrey's hand, grasping his.

It was nothing at all like a spear or a football or a bug net. It felt nice.

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT DINOSAURS.

1. An adult T. REX was more than 40 feet long, weighed 7 tons, had 6-inch-long teeth, and could swallow 500 pounds of meat in one bite. No other dinosaurs ever made fun of T. rex.

2. Though STEGOSAURUS was as big as an elephant, its brain was the size of a k.u.mquat. It also wandered around eating plants all day. So what did it need a brain for, really?

3. ORNITHOMIMUS could run over 40 miles per hour. In a footrace with Usain Bolt, it would eat his lunch. Then it would eat him.

4. Of the more than 900 species of dinosaurs that have been discovered, over 100 were found in Great Britain. Scientists have determined that these dinosaurs enjoyed tea and crumpets and walked on the left side of the migration path.

5. The largest known winged dinosaur, QUETZALCOATLUS, had a wingspan of up to 40 feet-as big as an airplane. There is no evidence, however, that they had retracting wheels or overhead storage bins.

6. Based on brain size relative to body size, TROODONS are considered to have been the smartest dinosaurs. They almost always won on Paleo Jeopardy.

7. The biggest dinosaur discovered so far is DREADNOUGHTUS-an 85-foot-long plant eater that weighed as much as 77 tons. Even T. rex probably didn't bother trying to chow down on that one-it would be like a human trying to take a bite out of a 900-pound cheeseburger with a gigantic swinging tail.

8. The smallest known dinosaur, ANCHIORNIS, was about the size of a robin and was covered with feathers. In fact, a lot of dinosaurs had feathers. But they never figured out how to make a duster or a pillow.

9. Some dinosaurs had big hollow crests on their skulls, which may have helped them trumpet loudly to attract a mate. Some of their favorite songs to sing were "I'm Just a Big Lonely Lizard," "Look So Fine, My Six-Ton Valentine," and "Let's Get Together Before We All Go Extinct."

10. Contrary to common belief (and the previous sentence), dinosaurs did not really go extinct 65 million years ago; they evolved into birds and still live with us today. So, yes: hummingbirds, penguins, ostriches, turkeys, your pet parakeet, Big Bird, the Aflac duck-dinos all. Consider THAT the next time you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner....

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

No doubt there are writers who can take a rough pebble, retreat into a dim cubby, exclude the rest of humanity from their process, and emerge some weeks or months later with a perfectly polished pearl. I'm not one of them.

Robert Newcombe, your contributions in turning an idle thought into a real thing on paper were invaluable. My unending thanks.

To the early road-testers of the first tentative fragments-Dan and Harrison Hirsch, Emily and Dominic Fulk, Marcia Midkiff, Steve Sprung-I am grateful. Here's the rest of it for you.

Dave LeLacheur and the whole LeLacheur clan (Sam and Gwen, you're still the first!), your feedback and moral support have been golden. Many, many thanks.

To the "Greenline" critique group-Jennifer Mann, Leslie Caulfield, Shari Becker-my grat.i.tude.

Mich.e.l.le Poploff, editor extraordinaire: a giant THANK YOU for adopting this bad boy and expertly guiding it to the finish line. You'll be my hero for the duration.

And Krista Vitola, your insights and positive energy have been a perfect finishing touch, and I appreciate it.

It's been a grand journey. I'm glad you were all a part of it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

DAVID FULK is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and director, and novelist. One of six children, he grew up near Chicago and has lived in Missouri, Louisiana, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Belgium, India, and (yes) Wisconsin. He currently lives near Boston with his pet T. rex, Rosie.

end.