Barbies, Toy Cars, and Jesus by Mary Migley What a lovely night for a ball! Barbie carefully had her long, blonde hair brushed and braided, tied at the end with a sparkling pink ribbon. Her evening gown, the very pretty color of cotton candy, shone in the dim twilight glow. Any moment now, Ken would arrive to whisk her off to the prince's ball for a romantic evening filled with love and candlelight. Ken, the most handsomest guy in the world, was going to arrive in a white stretch limo. Inside the limo was a TV, VCR, Sony Playstation, stereo, and mini fridge. The fridge was stocked with a bottle of the most expensive French wine and a box of chocolates. The entire inside of the limo was covered in red rose petals. As soon as Ken arrives, he will give Barbie a whole rose and place the most passionate kiss on Barbie's pretty pink lips. Barbie couldn't wait! Wait a minute...Oh, no! Her only pair of shoes that haven't been lost yet were nowhere to be seen! "Whatever shall I do?" Barbie began to panic as she looked everywhere for them. Under the couch, between the cushions, around the plotted plant, in the Barbie toybox... "DIR-IRK! DIRK!" Christina cried, clutching the plastic doll in her hand. "Did you take my Barbie shoes?!" Dirk rubbed a finger into his ear. "No, geez! Chrissy, you don't have to scream so loud!" He was rewarded with a high-pitched, "Mom! Dirk stole Barbie's shoes!" "Chris-TINA!" Dirk shouted. "You're such a tattletale!" "Dirk jerk!" "Baby!" "Big-eared, big-nosed, freaky loser!" As his ears burned red, Dirk shot Christina his fiercest glare before jumping to his feet. "Fine! I'm leaving!" He picked up each of his cars one by one, his hand flashing back and forth in jerky movements. Once all his cars were in a balanced pile along his arms, he stomped out of the room. The door to his bedroom swung open and hit the wall with a bang as Dirk stormed through. He dumped his toys onto the blue carpet before dropping himself onto the ground. Biting his lip, he arranged the cars so that they were lined up side by side. "And they're off!" The cars, their engines roaring, zoom away from the starting line, each one racing towards the finish. One car, the white one with the two red stripes down the middle, takes a clear lead right away. Dirk Malone, the driver, displays his amazing skill as he weaves past all the obstacles. The fence is broken through, the rock is driven past, and finally the cow is no match for Dirk's powerful car. Then, out of nowhere, a large Tyrannosaurus Rex appears! He pounds onto the racetrack, letting out an enormous roar that scares the other drivers away. But not Dirk Malone! If anything, Dirk becomes more determined than ever to cross that finish line. He will not let anything, not even a terrifying, man-eating dinosaur, stand in his way. The dinosaur stomps along the track, letting out an earth- shattering roar. His sharp claws dig into the ground as he races towards Dirk's car. Dirk tries to outrace the Tyrannosaurus, but the dinosaur soon catches up. He raises one large foot, threatening to step on and crush the car to smithereens. But Dirk is not to be out-done. He brilliantly comes up with an idea. "You may be a Tyrannosaur, but you're no match for-" "My leg! Dirk, watch it! Your toy just scratched my leg!" "Oops, sorry John," Dirk said, moving his dinosaur around so that its tail was not rubbing against the side of John's calf. "Why does your desk hafta be so close to my bed, anyway?" "It's just as close to my bed, too. There's no other place for it in here," John told him. "I can't wait until you go to college so I get my own room," muttered Dirk. "Aw, can you feel the love in this room?" "You're weird." "You just don't get me." "Whatever," Dirk mumbled, turning back to his cars. He took the white one with the double red stripe into his hand and ran it around in circles, maneuvering it through the toy dinosaur's leg. With his other hand, Dirk spun the dinosaur around until it toppled to its side. "And so the dinosaur is defeated!" "And you're calling me weird?" John smirked. "You just don't get me," Dirk replied with a huff. John shook his head and shifted in his chair so that he was facing the desk again. Resting his face on his palm, he bent over the desk top and tapped a pencil against his keyboard. "I need an idea," he sighed. "Roar!" "A-ha." Jurassic Park 12: God Save Us All Prologue After the dinosaurs had escaped their cages and killed count- less women and (an disproportionate amount of) men for the seven- teenth time, they were finally blasted away until they were no longer among the living. Now, the lush tropical island, the ex-residence of these extinct creatures, housed only vegetation, small animals, and a group of scientists working furiously in a hidden lab towards the next exciting step in genetic science. Their hard labor finally held meaning the moment their benefactor, Mr. Harvey, burst through the door. "Fellas! I just bought the Shroud of Turin!" ~~~ ~~~ "Dr. Frank, Dr. Willis, Father Jerry, and my two grandkids, Alice and Mark, I thank you all for coming on this momentous occasion," Mr. Harvey announced. He gave each of his grandchild a quick kiss on the forehead before standing up proudly. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Jesus Christ Park!" There was a moment of stunned silence. "W...What?" Dr. Willis, a young blonde woman, finally spoke up. "Jesus Christ Park? What, is this an overgrown manger scene?" Mr. Harvey chuckled. "Oh, no, no. You'll see. Everything will be explained on the guided tour." He ushered the five guests into a waiting electronic car ("for their protection") which then drove them along a constructed path through a large, shiny white gate. "The pearly gates! Get it?" Mr. Harvey laughed, elbowing Father Jerry in the ribs. The car carried the group farther into the island until they eventually reached a barbed-wire fence. "Look closely," they were advised. The five guests leaned towards the car windows, peering through the fencing. Without warning, Father Jerry jumped in his seat, giving a startled cry. "Jesus Christ!" "That's right!" Mr. Harvey boasted. "My men have successfully cloned the Son of God." "You what?!" exclaimed Dr. Frank. "But that's... that's..." "Absolutely brilliant? Hell, yeah! I'm going to make a boatload of money with this thing!" Mr. Harvey grinned at the shocked faces. "Just picture the advertising. 'You can't get into heaven without visiting Jesus Christ Park!'" Father Jerry joined in the sputtering. "But...But...how... You...but..." "Wait, there's more. Right now, we're working on cloning miniature ones. What household wouldn't want their very own mini Jesus as their family pet?" "My God," Dr. Frank murmured, "you're a genius!" "I'll probably become a saint!" "Grandpa," Alice whined, turning away from the window. "Jesus is just sitting there! Make him do something!" Mr. Harvey patted his granddaughter on her shoulder. "Just wait, honey. You'll see some action as soon as we build the concession stand inside the Jewish temple replica. That'll get him all riled up." Alice giggled as Mr. Harvey ruffled her hair. "Can I feed him, Grandpa?" Mark asked eagerly, his eyes wide. "Sure, son!" Mr. Harvey leaned over to the two scientists. "We're going to let tourists feed Jesus. Five dollars buys them a fish and a loaf of bread. You know, authentic Jesus food." He opened up a cooler and handed his grandson the two items. "Yay, cool!" Marc climbed out of the car, and the others watched as he carefully stuck the food through the wire fence. "Damn, he's sharing! Doesn't he realize that will cost us money?" Mr. Harvey picked up a walkie talkie. "Larry, please shock Jesus Number 29. He's multiplying the bread and loaves like rabbits again." "Dirk, John? Could you come in here?" John looked at his younger brother. "Hey, where has Mom been anyway?" Dirk shrugged. "I'm not sure." "Well, c'mon, let's see what she wants," John sighed, getting up from his chair. Dirk followed him as he made his way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen/dining room where Christina and their mother were sitting. "What's up, Mom?" Their mother waited until her two sons slid themselves into a seat around the dining table. Her hands were clasped in front of her, but they were in constant motion, each hand kneading the other. "Well, I just got back from the doctor..." "The what?" John exclaimed. "Are you sick? What's wrong?" His mother flinched. "I have cancer." The room fell into silence. Dirk opened and closed his mouth several times before he managed to speak. "But...that's bad." "Maggie's cousin died from cancer!" Christina's face crumbled and she crawled into her mother's lap. "I won't die, Christina." John leaned back into his chair, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, man...Oh, man...I can't believe that! Cancer!" Their mother nodded slowly. "Yes. Tomorrow I have to go into the hospital to begin my treatment." "Mommy!" Christina buried her head into her mother's chest. Dirk moved from his chair to wrap his arms around their mother. After a few moments of sitting silently in his chair, John also stood up and adhered himself to the hug. A loud horn blared along with the flashing of red lights. Mr. Harvey grabbed his ears in panic. "Oh, dear Lord! The Jesuses are escaping!" The scientists, priest, and two children looked at each other, unsure about what action to take. They silently and unanimously agreed to watch Mr. Harvey run about. "Larry! We have to bring them down! We can't have any Jesuses scurrying about on the loose! What if they somehow reach the mainland?" "So what if they did reach the mainland?" Dr. Willis asked. He looked at her with wide eyes. "We'll be ruined! Someone else will steal our idea!" Mr. Harvey continued to scream into the radio. "Use whatever means necessary, Larry. Even if you have to kill them!" "You can't kill Jesus!" Father Jerry cried. "It's been done before, hasn't it?" Mr. Harvey argued back. "Oh, don't look so glum. It's not like he has the universal cure for cancer or anything." "Hey," John asked, his voice gruff. "Where are you going?" Dirk kept his eyes on the shoelace he was tying. "Over to Jason's house." John swiveled 180 degrees in his desk chair to look at his younger brother fully. "Oh, no, you're not. You're staying here." Dirk lifted his head up, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "Yes, I am." "No, you're not." "Yes, I am." "Look, I said you're not going, and you're not going," John replied sternly. "Why not?" Dirk demanded. "You can't control me! Just because Mom's at the hospital..." John jerked his head away, his throat emitting a garbled, choking noise. He turned his back towards Dirk, no longer fighting back. Dirk's eyes followed his brother's suddenly tense arms down to the tightly clenched fists. With a sigh, he kicked off his sneakers and plopped down onto the floor in a sitting position. After looking at the back of John's head for a moment, Dirk reached over and grabbed his cars. The crowd cheers loudly as Dirk Malone races his car through the dangerous, slippery curves and around the littered trash that stands in his way. The road may be treacherous, but that matters little to Dirk. There are things in life more important, more threatening than sharp turns and pieces of trash. Putting his own life at risk, Dirk careens through these dangerous obstacles. His car, and Dirk's will, are pushed to the limit. "I'll get there as soon as possible," he promises out loud, determination in his voice, even though no one is around to hear him. "I won't let you down!" Dirk steers his car carefully but quickly past yet another curve. He could not crash. The cargo in the trunk of his car is too important. Dirk stepped on the pedal, needing his car to speed even faster. He has to get to the hospital as soon as possible; he is carrying the cure for cancer. "I'll go check on Christina," John mumbled lowly, stepping over the white car with the two red stripes. Dirk looked up as he passed and then jumped to his feet. "Hey, I'll go with you." John shrugged, already in the hallway. Christina was running a tiny, plastic brush through her doll's long hair as she sat in the couch, her body sunken into the cushions. As John took a seat beside her, her eyes remained focused on the brush stroking Barbie's hair. "Mommy's coming back, isn't she?" Dirk sat on the floor in front of her, watching her and John. "Of course she is, Chrissy!" he assured her. "She's at the hospital right now just so she can get all better." John nodded. "That's right. She'll be home in a couple of hours, and before you know it, she'll get healthy again in no time." He hesitated for a moment and then placed an arm around his sister. Christina leaned against him, rubbing her hand against her nose. "But what if she doesn't?" Dirk looked at John. John met his gaze for a second before quickly turning away. The three of them remained silent, Dirk and Christina staring at their older brother. Finally, he looked at the two. "Well...even if Mom just gets sicker and sicker, we all have to help and support her - and each other - every step of the way. Okay?" Dirk and Christina nodded silently. The three children were quiet and still. Then John stood up. "Well, I better work on my story," he explained as he began walking towards his bedroom. Dirk gave Christina a smile. "I'll go and bring my cars in here. That way you don't have to play all alone." He jumped to his feet and ran after his brother into their bedroom. Christina smiled a little as she began to braid her Barbie's hair. Barbie twirled around in her evening gown as she waited for her boyfriend to pick her up. Even though she had to go barefoot, she was still extremely excited about going to the prince's ball. She didn't like the problem at home, and so going to the ball was her escape. Ding-dong. Ken was finally here! Barbie skipped to her front door, and as she opened it, Ken rushed in and swept her off her feet, giving her a large, wet kiss on the lips. Their mouths pressed against each other as they expressed their love- Suddenly, Barbie began to cry. She couldn't stop herself. Tears ran down her cheeks and her nose got all runny. "Oh, Ken!" "What's the matter, darling?" Barbie wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, squeezing him tightly. "My Mum might die!"