“A whole weekend,” cried out Din Din in alarm. “You all are leaving for an entire weekend!”

“Yes, dear,” replied his mother calmly. “Grandfather has been having a lot of trouble walking and Dr. Trish has suggested that the hot waters of the springs in the southern plains might help his joints.”

“So you, Father, Grandfather as well as Grandmamma are all going away?” questioned Derek.

“Yes, we think Din Din is old enough and sensible enough to handle the three of you,” replied Mr. D.

The entire family was seated at the breakfast table on Friday morning, but Din Din seemed to have lost his appetite upon hearing these words.

“We will leave this evening,” revealed Mrs. Dee. “I have cooked for the weekend so everything should be fine.” Din Din could tell that she was worried but was trying her best not to reveal her anxiety.

“Stay in the house for these two days; you can play in the front garden or the backyard,” instructed their father.

“But Ma, I have a plan to meet Dazel and Delma every evening. And what about visiting my garden? You know I spend every Saturday tending my garden,” objected Din Din.

“You can take your brothers with you wherever you go,” suggested Mr. D.

“Oh great,” complained Din Din sarcastically. His mother shot him a warning look. He sighed. He knew this must be important because his parents would never leave all of them alone. He had heard his grandfather moaning in pain at night due to the pain in his limbs. Even his grandmother had begun to show signs of discomfort. That evening as his parents and grandparents bid them goodbye, Din Din felt his heart sink.

“Come on, Din Din! It’ll be fun!” said Derek grinning, “The four of us…all on our own.”

“Yeah! I guess! Now let’s go to bed, Derek, Dave and Don,” Din Din replied sourly.

“I want my milk,” whined Dave. “Mom always gives me milk to put me to sleep. Please, make sure it’s warmed properly.”

“Tuck me in, Din Din,” whimpered Don. “I’m going to stay up late tonight,” announced Derek gleefully.

“Oh great!” Din Din said shaking his head. “What a start!”

Din Din tossed and turned that night as he worried about the safety of his home. “I usually sleep so soundly. Tonight, I’m fretting about thieves or jackals getting into the house.”

He woke up in the middle of the night to check up on his brothers.

“Don, are you crying?” Din Din asked as he heard his younger brother sniffing in bed. “I…I miss mom,” Don whispered. “She puts me back to sleep whenever I wake up in the middle of the night.”

Din Din felt flustered. “I’ll sing you a lullaby,” he said, awkwardly seating himself on the edge of Don’s bunk. Once Don was snoring soundly, Din Din finally went back to bed.

“Get up, Din Din,” Dave’s voice jolted him out of sleep. “I want breakfast!” Din Din heaved himself out of bed and helped his younger brothers bathe.

“I want oats,” said Derek.

“Hey, you’re old enough to fix yourself breakfast,” snapped Din Din.

“I’ll have mom’s berry jam,” said Dave.

“I just want milk,” said Don.

When breakfast was finally over, Din Din was exhausted as he washed up the vessels. “Okay, guys. We will be heading out to my garden in a while.”

The four dinosaurs trekked out towards Din Din’s garden. “Stay on the path,” instructed Din Din tensely when Dave and Don insisted on playing hide and seek on the way.

“Come on. Help me water the plants, Derek,” said Din Din as he handed Derek a watering can. “I’ll help with the weeding out,” said Dave.

“It’s too hot,” complained Don.

After a gruelling afternoon in the garden, the three younger brothers were exhausted. “Let’s have a lunch of these fruits I packed,” said Din Din as he and his assistant Kit put baskets of mangoes and oranges on the green turf.

“Oh boy!” remarked Dave, “Fruit’s never tasted so good.” “Ow,” cried out Don, “I think a bee bit me.”

“Oh no!” yelped Din Din as he saw Don’s paw swell up.

“Let’s apply aloe vera,” said Kit as the cat scampered off to break a thick leaf of the plant. Deftly, she broke off half the leaf and squeezed it until a gel oozed out onto Don’s green paw.

“Let it be for a while,” advised Din Din. “The itching will subside and so will the swelling. Quick thinking, Kit!” he said patting the cat affectionately.

“I’m tired,” whined Dave. “I want to go home.”

“But we have to go to the lakeside to meet Dazel and Delma,” objected Din Din. “I always go directly after I’ve worked in my garden.”

“Well, I’m tired and I’d much rather go home,” Dave said stubbornly. Din Din sighed. “Okay then. I’ll just run up to the lake and let Delma know I’m not coming this evening. You three wait here. Kit, don’t let them leave.” The cat nodded solemnly.

Din Din set off towards the lakeside muttering to himself in discontent. “My whole weekend’s been spoilt,” he vented to Delma when he reached the lake.

“It’s okay, Din Din,” the dolphin consoled. “It’s just one more day. Your parents will be back tomorrow. And remember, your mom and dad do all this every single day.”

Din Din looked startled. “Yeah, I never looked at it that way,” he said finally. “Well, I’m off. I wonder what havoc my three brothers have wrecked in the garden while I’ve been away.”

When Din Din returned to the garden there was no sign of his brothers or Kit.

“Derek, Dave, Don!” he hollered. But there was no answer. His heart began to race. “Oh dear. I’ve lost them! I’ve lost my brothers. I promised Ma I’d look after them,” he wheezed as he ran around the garden looking for them.

“Maybe the jackals took them,” he imagined. He hot-footed back to his home, panting on the way, hoping his brothers would be home. But the cave was eerily silent.

Din Din’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ve lost my brothers,” he sobbed. “I should never have left them alone in the garden! What will I tell my mom?”

This content is an advertisement by K&N’s and is not associated with or necessarily reflective of the views of Dawn.com or its editorial staff.