Free Dinosaur Hideout by Judith Silverthorne Page A

it, but the rules are the rules.”
    Mom paced behind Dad. “How can they be so inhuman?” she asked in a trembling voice.
    “Guess we shouldn’t have overextended ourselves buying that new tractor back when you were working full-time, before Cheryl.
    “Oh, Ed. I can’t believe we have to do anything before Christmas.” Mom stopped, pulled down the bunched sleeves of her sweater, and crossed her arms over her chest.
    “Well, it’s either put the place up for sale now. Or lose it next year and end up with nothing,” Dad’s troubled voice echoed across the room.
    Daniel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Sell it? He jumped to his feet and pounded down the stairs.
    “We can’t leave this place! We’ve always lived here,” he argued desperately, clinging to the door frame. “Besides, you’re always saying how important it is to stick at something no matter how tough the going gets.”
    Daniel’s quick entry had startled his mother. “Oh, Daniel. We thought you were asleep. But now that you’re up, you might as well hear. We were going to tell you tomorrow anyway.”
    He shuffled into the room and sat on the edge of a cushioned chair.
    Dad cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Son, there just doesn’t seem to be any other way. We just don’t own enough land to make the farm viable now that we’ve had two dry years in a row. There’s no pasture for the cattle, and the bank won’t give us any more time, or money for leasing land. We have nothing as collateral, nor any realistic way of making an income.”
    “What about selling the new tractor?”
    “We don’t own it to begin with, so that wouldn’t help. Besides, our old one won’t run anymore and we need something to use.”
    Dad stood up and pushed his chair back before continuing. “They said agreeing to the drilling lease wouldn’t help much. We’d be better off bartering for extra pasture land or selling entirely.” He began to pace the room as Mom had. “I’m sorry Danny. I know how you feel. But we may have no choice. Try to understand.”
    He came to a stop a few feet away from Daniel. He continued speaking as though mesmerized, all the while running his hands through his hair. “Even if we did have enough land, the crops have been so poor lately that we still might not be able to make a go of it. There just hasn’t been enough rain for the last few years. As it is, we haven’t even paid the taxes. And it goes without saying that if we lose the land, we can’t keep the cattle or horses. We’d have nowhere to pasture them and nowhere to grow feed.”
    “What about Mom’s nursing job? Doesn’t that help?” Daniel asked. He could feel his body tingling as his heart thumped erratically.
    “It keeps food on the table, but it’s only part-time now and not enough.” Then Dad added quietly, “The next payment is due at the end of next month. It’ll wipe out just about everything we’ve saved. I’ll see about finding a job off the farm, but we may well have to move.”
    Daniel stood there in disbelief, clenching his fists at his sides. His shoulders felt stiff and heavy, and his eyes stung as he looked from Dad to Mom.
    “Move where?” he demanded. His stomach tightened and rolled in protest. “Not Swift Current or Moose Jaw!”
    “We might have to go as far as Medicine Hat or Regina. Wherever we can make a living. It’ll be a change, but we’ll all get used to it.” The worry lines deepened in Dad’s face.
    Daniel felt twinges of concern for Dad, but he couldn’t help himself. “We can’t go,” he insisted. “Our family’s been here for years. It’s all I know.” His voice shook. “What will happen to Dactyl and Gypsy? And Pepper, we’ve had him for years! And what about my friends? I’ll never see them again.”
    “I know it’s a shock right now, Danny boy, but if we have to leave, we’ll find a good home for Gypsy and Pepper. Maybe you can keep Dactyl. And you’ll certainly be able to visit your friends.