Original Fiction
This is an original story I wrote for bexlet and meeshy when they requested a bedtime story about dinosaurs ice skating.
Word count: 756
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Once upon a time a very long time ago, there was a stegosaurus named Billy. Billy wasn’t the biggest or strongest stegosaurus and he didn’t have many friends, but he was happy. Billy loved to go exploring; he lived on a wide plain, but near the edges of the plain were lots of exciting types of land to explore. He thought the forest might be his favourite, but it was hard to choose because he loved the river and the mountains too. The forest was best for hiding though; being small made it easier to hide in the bushes and squeeze between the densely packed trees to find secret treasures like the juiciest berries and plants.
Billy started to notice that the plains were getting colder day by day. He didn’t like it because it meant the berries didn’t ripen so quickly and he had to move around more to stay warm. It seemed like there were fewer dinosaurs around too; he thought they must have moved on to somewhere warmer but he liked the plains and didn’t want to leave.
One day Billy woke up to find a coating of frost on the ground. While exploring a little more carefully than usual he discovered to his shock that the river was hard. Billy might not have been big, but he was brave. After pushing a large boulder onto the river to test it he stepped onto the solid surface… and immediately slipped and lay sprawling on his belly. The river was solid in a different way to the plains. After a few attempts, Billy made it back onto his feet. He had never been so grateful for having four feet - he never would have balanced on two. Billy took a few cautious steps and then started to relax… it wasn’t so hard to walk on the river once he got used to it. He soon learnt that if he pushed forward a little he would slide - and sliding was fun! Hitting a rock stuck on the surface was a lot less fun, but Billy picked himself up and carried on… because he was sliding so fast he was further from home than he had ever explored before but he was having too much fun trying new tricks to stop and explore on the banks of the river. He wasn’t very graceful but Billy found he could use his tail to help move left and right and to stop.
That night Billy sheltered in some big shrubs by the river bank so that he wouldn’t get lost and lose the river. The next day he was back on the slippery surface with a big smile on his face. Soon he noticed little faces appearing in the bushes lining the river bank. Some of the smaller, younger dinosaurs were watching Billy with curiosity, obviously wanting to try the sliding for themselves. One by one they crept out further and Billy encouraged them to join him. The two-leggers found it quite difficult much to the delight of the usually slower and clumsier four-leggers; for once they had the advantage. Billy had never had so many friends and he loved being the centre of attention. Whereas the newcomers were just finding their feet and learning to slide, Billy was starting to try spins and turns. When he stumbled over his tail and fell, instead of laughing at him, his new friends helped him up and laughed with him.
The bigger dinosaurs seemed to be concerned about the cold and their numbers kept getting lower, but the younger dinosaurs joined Billy travelling along the river. Billy was happier than he had ever been and he no longer bothered about the cold because he was always moving. When they had been sliding down the river for many weeks they realised the river was getting wetter and they could see the water. It felt warmer too, and everything was greener. Billy realised they could no longer slide on the river. He was disappointed, but he soon cheered up when he realised he and his new friends had a whole new land to explore full of new noises and different plants. He also discovered that if they travelled a little way along the river it become solid again and they could slide. Billy loved his new home - it was like the best parts of his old home combined with exciting new adventures. Above all he had lots of friends to share his adventures with. Billy was the happiest little dinosaur who ever lived.