⟩ 8

                                    

                                          
Baby Dinosaurs ⤵


''Ah, Miss. Stone! You made it!'' 
I happened to be here on time, after a lot of groaning and beating myself on the cold hardened flooring of my bungalow bedroom. The mattress had been squeaking all night long, proving to echo around in my ears till morning. The springs screamed at me for putting on such a weight against the bed, giving them a harder time at their only job. 
If only I could give them a piece of my mind. Tell them to shut up and deal with it, because they've gotta deal with my not-so-skinny figure against the mattress above them. Cow thighs and all. 
It only seemed to get worse after that. I slipped while on the way to the kitchen, busting my head against the floor, the counter and the handle of the fridge. Not specifically in that order. My head still hurt because I was in such a rush, and didn't bother to scrounge around for anything medicated before leaving. 
I had no vehicle — which was long overdue —, so I had to walk my way over to Main Street, where Masrani stood with his arms held out to embrace me into his small circle of positiveness. Wherever he went, he spewed the oddest things, shared the weirdest ideas. It's hard to believe he owns a dinosaur park when he seems like the very guy to let them loose. 
Despite how I felt, I gave a tight smile. ''Indeed I did, Mr. Masrani.'' 
''Simon, please.''
''Only of you'll stop calling me by my surname, sir.''
Masrani grinned, moving forward to pat my shoulder. His hold was unnervingly loose. His movements quicker than usual. He seemed to be hopping from place to place, skipping around instead of walking. I wondered what got him in such an upbeat mood this morning. Had the tooth fairy came to visit him? Surely he's lost all his baby teeth. 
Before I could ask, he bounced about again. The hem of his periwinkle blazer lifted above his hip before falling again in rhythm with his hops and skips. If he was dressed accordingly, he could make a good Easter Bunny. 
''Today—'' Masrani continued. ''—is a good day.'' He almost sung the words, like princesses usually so during Disney movies. A whole ten minutes for a song about something as simple as dishes, or cleaning supplies. Maybe even one about how a boat sails along an ocean. 
Claire, whom I hadn't acknowledged was here till now, cleared her throat. Her manicured fingers forming a loose fist to which she brought up to her mouth, against her lips. Brushing them just barely with her pale, flawless skin. Masrani quit bouncing around for a second, side-eyeing the red-headed girl dressed in the formal blouse. 
She still held her clipboard, raised it to read a few words off of whatever important documents occupied the space. ''Sir, we should get going. You've got a meeting soon with—'' 
''Claire, Claire.'' Masrani tutted, momentarily stopping the girl. ''I've told you many times, I'm perfectly capable of keeping time. Thank you.'' It sounded sarcastic, the 'thank you', because it was. 
She dropped her clipboard against her front again before following her boss up the stairs to the Innovation Center. I followed behind the two, still oblivious to why I was called here. It was 11:37 and I had yet to have lunch. Without lunch, I'd be crankier then I already was. 
Per usual, the place was packed with kids and adults alike. The kids interacted more than the adults, sitting around and digging carefully at the Dinosaur Dig Site. A few kids tried matching DNA, while others watched a short film over the history of Dinosaurs, or patiently waited for the holograms to change.