Copyright 1998 -- Robert Baer Jr. D J Entry - The Party W A R N I N G - - -- - - D I S C L A I M E R The story you are about to read is PURE FICTION, it REALLY DIDN'T HAPPAN only in my mind. It is for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY and NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN TOO SERIOUSLY --- it represents a struggle of the mind The Dinosaur Chronicles PROLOGUE Floating around like a giant weather balloon in cyperspace is a dinosaur, but not just any dinosaur, a Computer Dinosaur! One who thinks sound cards are "greeting cards" that play music. How does a ten-ton pre-historic relic survive in this world, well............. Entry # 426 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was late in the day and I was just walking back to my cave after a long afternoon of working in the garden. I noticed that it was pitch black in the old cave, strange since the sun was still up! As I entered my cave, I could hear slight murmurings like whispers all around. Then, all of a sudden, all the indoor lights came on and a whole crowd of people now visible yelled "SURPRISE!" "Gee Whiz!" I shouted in excitement,"what's all this about, y'all?" "It's Dinosaur Day!" shouted Xeren Zzoom,"and you're the guest of honor, big guy!" "WOW!" I screamed,"this is SO cool, thanks, y'all!" I looked slowly around my living room, and nearly all my friends were there! The Computer Counsellor was in the kitchen serving up cracker snacks and pizza. Xeren Zzoom and the Computer Gila Monster were standing by the TV set, talking about new methods of capturing ants. Prairie Mason, his wife and "kids" were all there, but Anita, Allen, Alexander and Alice were all in my den, playing my old time Atari video games. Sheriff Wyatt Burp was talking to Judge Blache Vito, who I was very surprised to see at my party. The Judge looked at me and said,"you're not much in the courtroom, you overgrown lizard, but your friends do know how to throw a nice party!" Ben Maddog was also present, as were the Computer Renegade and Wanna Talk, who sat together on the couch, Wanna did all the talking while the Renegade looked uncomfortable and nervous. Oh well, even Lady Smithers was there, she was constantly staring at me and muttering to herself,"I can't believe it's a real dinosaur." Her grandkids Betty and Joey were also in my den playing with the Mason "childen." There were many other people there, a few I didn't recognize, but I was so glad to see them all! Later in the evening, the Counsellor and Prairie Rose brought out a huge cake covered with lit candles! "It's not my birthday," I said politely, but on the huge white layer cake was written in blue icing: HAPPY DINO DAY . "The cake wasn't long enough to write dinosaur on it!" Xeren explained. Everyone had a great time, and the evening just flew by! It was late and most of my guests were leaving. Xeren, the Counsellor, Wanna and the Renegade all stayed to help me clean up afterwords. The Renegade's dog Otto "zapped" most of the out-of-town guests home. As we all were cleaning up the living room, the doorbell rang. I still can't understand why my doorbell rings when I have no front door, but anyway I went to the front entrance to see who it was. Standing there in suits and ties (I almost didn't recognize them) were my two trash men, Earl and Burl Jenkins! "Are we too late for the party?" Earl asked. "We even brought you something, something very important!" Burl exclaimed. "I'm sorry, guys, but the party's over already," I said sadly. "Oh well, that's alright," Earl said,"but we still want to give this back to you!" "Yeah, I bet you thought you lost this!" Burl interrupted,"but we found it in your trash last month, and knew by it's age it must be valuable to you!" "What is it?" I asked in expectation. The Counsellor and the Renegade walked up beside me to see what was going on. "Here you are, dinosaur!" Earl said as he handed me a dusty old book. "I'll bet your sure surprised to see this again, aren't you?" Burl asked. I looked at the cover, it was my book of alchemy that I had thrown away! I froze, staring at the book and remembering the dream I had that made me get rid of it in the first place! "He's speechless!" Earl said with joy. "No words are necessary, big guy!" Burl said happily," I can see the joy written all over your face. Hey, we gotta go, folks, Happy Dinosaur Day, C.D.!" As Earl and Burl walked away, I was still frozen, holding the book in one foot, and feeling very very sad. I suddenly dropped the book on the floor and said,"please excuse me, y'all!" as I ran into my bedroom and shut the door. Minutes later there was a knock on my door, "may I come in?" asked the Counsellor. "OK," I said sadly, "door's unlocked." I was laying on my huge bed, trying hard not to cry but not succeeding. "Dinosaur, I think I know why this book has caused you to become miserable," the Counsellor said as she gently laid the book on the foot of my bed. "You don't understand, Counsellor," I said confidently,"that is my book and...." "Big guy I know all about your dream." "But how could you possibly know about that?" "Last week when I was visiting you, I peeked at your journal." "Counsellor, how could you?" "I'm sorry, Dinosaur, but I had to know how you were coping with your divorce. You haven't spoken to me about it in a long time, and I had to find out if you were alright." "Gee Whiz, so you know......." "Yes, C.D., I know about your dream about using this book to become human, and how in your dream, you almost killed yourself and the Renegade and how, when you 'woke up' you threw this book in the trash! Seeing this book again brought all those memories back, didn't it?" I slowly shook my head 'yes.' "Well, you're not considering trying to mix that potion again, are you?" "No, Counsellor, I know I could never become human. I'd just settle for being normal, though." "Normal, big guy? What do you mean 'normal?'" "My life's so different now, it's been almost a year since she flew off with Mr Majestic and I still feel lonely once in a while. I have my friends, and I love them all, but sometimes I miss the companionship my mate used to give me. Being with friends isn't quite the same as being with the one person you share your life with. I feel so different from everybody else, like I'm missing something that everyone else has. I should be used to having the whole cave to myself, and being able to come and go as I please without answering to anyone, but once in a while, I wonder if my life will ever be normal again." "Dinosaur, there's no such thing as a normal life. Each one of us has our own lives, trials and tribulations. Even happily married families have problems. No one has a "perfect life" my jurassic friend. All of us, even me, have to cope with different situations every day. It's all a part of living! Don't fear it, enjoy the challenge!" "Well, what if I can never find another mate? What if I have to spend the rest of my life alone? What if I can't....." "Stop that, C.D.! You WILL find happiness again, stop doubting yourself! You're a nice guy with a lot to offer, don't give up on yourself so easily! No one knows what the future holds, so don't worry about that. Stop dwelling on what you've lost, enjoy the things that you have 'found!" "Like all my new friends! You're right, Counsellor! I've never met you or the others if I was still with my ex. I'd never realized what I could do on my own without her leaving me! WOW, you're absolutely right, ma'am!" "Yes, big guy! Now always keep that in mind, don't forget, your life HAS changed, for the better! Now, let's go back out there and help the others clean up your cave." "Ok, thank you Counsellor! You always have the right thing to say!" So the Counsellor and I opened the door, and to our complete surprise, the living room was already tidy! I went to the kitchen and it was clean, too! Xeren emerged from the hallway and said,"Well, that's about does it!" "How did y'all get this place so clean so quickly?" I asked. "Well," Xeren explained,"the Renegade used his "black box" to make all the trash 'disappear' and Wanna was very quick when it came to the dishes and silverware. Her and the Renegade are taking a walk together outside, I think those two have a 'thing' for each other." "I wonder if he's ready for this now," I said," He's been divorced almost as long as I have." "Maybe you'll find someone someday, my friend," Xeren said confidently. "Well, maybe....." I said in wonder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Entry