Chapter 169

Ruby had always been a curious little dumpling.

If someone told her a fact, she believed it with her whole heart.

Which was exactly why Lisa should never have been left alone with a four-year-old and an overactive imagination.

It happened three days before Ruby’s preschool field trip.

Ruby was sitting on the couch, happily coloring a picture of Mochi while Lisa lazily scrolled through her phone.

“Mama,” Ruby asked suddenly. “Dinosaurs are all gone?”

Lisa looked up.

A mischievous grin immediately appeared on her face.

“Who said they’re gone?”

Ruby blinked.

“Huh?”

Lisa lowered her voice dramatically.

“Did you know dinosaurs still exist today?”

Ruby’s eyes became enormous.

“They do?!”

Lisa nodded seriously.

“Yep.”

Ruby gasped.

“Where?!”

Lisa tried not to laugh.

“And guess what…”

“What?!”

“You’ve seen them before.”

Ruby nearly fell off the couch.

“I DID?!”

Lisa nodded.

“Especially when you visit Auntie Jisoo’s house.”

Ruby froze.

“…Auntie Jisoo has dinosaurs?”

Lisa immediately thought of Jisoo’s flock of noisy chickens.

“Yep.”

Ruby’s jaw dropped.

“REAL DINOSAURS?!”

“Technically, birds are descendants of dinosaurs.”

Ruby only heard one thing.

DINOSAURS.

AT AUNTIE JISOO’S HOUSE.

Jennie walked into the living room just in time to hear Ruby scream.

“MOMMY!”

Jennie jumped.

“What happened?!”

Ruby pointed dramatically at Lisa.

“MAMA SAID AUNTIE JISOO IS HIDING DINOSAURS!”

Jennie slowly turned toward her wife.

Lisa was already laughing.

“Oh no.”

“Lisa.”

“Listen-“

“Lisa.”

“They ARE descendants of dinosaurs-“

“YOU TOLD OUR CHILD THERE ARE DINOSAURS AT JISOO’S HOUSE?”

Ruby spent the next three days telling absolutely everyone.

Her teachers.

Her classmates.

The grocery cashier.

A random old lady at the park.

Even Mochi.

“Mochi, Auntie Jisoo has dinosaurs.”

The corgi barked.

“See? Mochi knows too.”

Nobody could stop her.

By the day of the field trip, Ruby had upgraded the story.

The dinosaurs were now gigantic.

They lived in Auntie Jisoo’s backyard.

They ate vegetables.

And maybe children.

She wasn’t entirely sure.

The preschool field trip was supposed to be a simple visit to a countryside farm.

The children were excited.

The teachers were excited.

Everything was perfect.

Until Ruby sat beside her best friend on the bus.

“Did you know dinosaurs still exist?”

Her friend gasped.

“They do?”

Ruby nodded gravely.

“My Mama told me.”

Instant credibility.

Because adults never lied.

Right?

“They live on farms.”

The friend immediately looked nervous.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“What if they’re there?”

Ruby’s face became pale.

“Oh.”

The possibility had never occurred to her.

Ten minutes later, half the bus was discussing dinosaurs.

Twenty minutes later, every child knew.

Thirty minutes later, panic began.

“I DON’T WANNA GET EATEN!”

A little boy started crying.

Another child cried because the first child cried.

A third child cried because everyone else was crying.

One little girl sobbed.

“I WANNA GO HOME TO MY MOMMY!”

Teachers stared in horror.

“What happened?”

Another teacher knelt down.

“Sweetie, why are you crying?”

“DINOSAURS!”

“Dinosaurs?”

“THEY’RE AT THE FARM!”

The teacher blinked.

“What?”

Meanwhile Ruby was sitting in her seat looking increasingly worried.

“Miss Teacher…”

“Yes, Ruby?”

“What if the dinosaurs are hungry today?”

The teacher nearly fainted.

The field trip descended into complete chaos.

Crying.

Sobbing.

Children refusing to leave the bus.

Children demanding dinosaur protection.

One child asked if they could call the police.

Another asked if dinosaurs could climb trees.

A third wanted to know if dinosaurs ate backpacks.

Eventually the school contacted parents.

The field trip was postponed.

The teachers needed time to calm everyone down and figure out where the dinosaur rumor came from.

The investigation took approximately three minutes.

Because every child gave the exact same answer.

“Ruby said so.”

“And who told Ruby?”

“My Mama.”

Later that afternoon, Jennie received a phone call from the preschool.

By the end of the conversation she had buried her face in a pillow.

Lisa walked into the room.

“What happened?”

Jennie slowly looked up.

“The field trip got canceled.”

“Oh no.”

“The babies think dinosaurs are going to eat them.”

Lisa froze.

“…What?”

“The teachers traced it back to Ruby.”

Lisa blinked.

“…Ruby?”

Jennie pointed accusingly.

“And Ruby traced it back to YOU.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Then Ruby walked into the room.

“Mama.”

Lisa gulped.

“Yes?”

“Teacher said dinosaurs won’t eat us.”

“Oh.”

“But she said birds came from dinosaurs.”

Lisa nodded carefully.

“That’s right.”

Ruby crossed her tiny arms.

“So technically you weren’t lying.”

Jennie groaned.

Ruby nodded proudly.

“I’m very smart.”

“You are.”

“But maybe next time don’t tell preschool children about dinosaurs.”

Ruby thought about it.

“Okay.”

Then she paused.

“Mama?”

“Yes?”

“What about dragons?”

Lisa opened her mouth.

Jennie immediately pointed toward the couch.

“Don’t.”

Lisa slowly closed her mouth again.

Ruby looked disappointed.

And somewhere across the city, a group of preschool teachers unknowingly avoided another catastrophe.