Bedtime Stories from Other Planets For Children: The Trochodon

[teaches respect for animals and others, facing your fears]

Bedtime stories for children-The trochodon. Copyright 18 Feb 2018 by Michael Vincent Schwing

On a little out of the way planet, whose name is not even known (though known to off-worlders as Solymi after the people living on it) live the Solymi (pronounced So LEE mee). While many peoples on different planets make use of pets, generally avioids, mammaloids, and reptiloids like snakes, lizards, and turtles, the Solymi have an unusual pet: a large reptile-mammaloid called a trochodon (pronounced TROKE-oh-donn).
While considered a reptiloid, it has short fuzzy hair and bears live young. It is the size of a terrier dog but has been known to grow as large as a German shepherd dog. There are stories of even larger ones, but the proof has not been brought to the attention of the Governing Council, headed at this time by Council President Leenard Hission (the Solymi themselves are part reptiloid!). How did a part-reptile animal whose fuzzy thin coat of hair can be red, black, brown, or golden and which can be taught to talk like a parrot become the primary pet of the Solymi who themselves are reptiloids instead of one of the small mammaloids like cavies or rabbits that also occur on this planet. A summary of the native story follows.

Over a hundred years ago, no one is sure because the Solymi have only recently introduced a world-wide calendar, language dialect, and government, a teen-age boy ventured into the Tan Sho Mountains, to which for a very long time it has been forbidden by the God Drako to go into. Some believe heaven is located in the Tan Sho Mountains and that the God Drako only allows certain people to go there to live, dead or alive. Others believe those mountains are filled with Solymi-eating demons as no one has been known to return from the mountains, and most Solymi would not wish to anger the God Drako.

The teenager, Jakto (pronounced Jock-toe), decided to go exploring along the Tan Sho Mountain’s bottom edge.
Jakto saw a movement in the rocks and grass but the maker was not as large as he and was therefore unlikely to be Solymi. He climbed up the side of the hill at the foot of Mount Tan Ka. He tried to follow the movement of the creature, but the creature was faster than expected, having the home court advantage. Jakto was so intent on seeing the maker of this movement that he paid no attention to the darkening sky of night arrival, of the dropping temperature of the dark side of the planet, of the length of the time since he left home for the day, of how Mother would be worried, and how Father would punish him for breaking curfew. Only the Mountain and the creature on it grasped his attention.

It became too dark to search for the creature and getting cold. Jakto now realized the night was here, the temperature going down, and how far away home seemed. It had taken him three hours to walk here and climb the hill bordering Tan Ka Mountain.
Surely family would look for him but he did not tell them he was going in the direction of the mountain. Fortunately he found some edible plants to curb his hunger. Then the most scary thought: What if the creature found the Solymi tasty? He could be eaten and no one would ever know. Jakto began to cry.

He was not lost, but he was not where he should be. Was the God Drako punishing him for disobeying his parents? Would he ever see them again? He would gladly accept the spanking and corner-time after if he knew he would be safe at home.

His crying attracted the attention of a creature. Of several creatures. They came up and nuzzled him, purring and squeaking, as if he were one of their own. They cuddled around him and kept him warm till morning, when all but two ran off and hid. Jakto reached up and rubbed the head and below the snout of one of the creatures. It seemed to like it. He rubbed and patted both creatures. They purred and squeaked in return and made no attempt to bite, attack, or run away. The God Drako had not punished Jakto. He had blessed Jakto with surviving the night in the shadow of the mountain.

Jakto made the three hour trip home, happy to still be alive, fretful for how his parents would punish him. The creatures followed. Jakto arrived home safe, to his hut in the village Kor Shan, by the river Nek Tan, 150 miles from the capital of the Solymi, Solymi Shan Tan. His family and parents were so happy to see him that they forgot their desire to punish him. The God Drako had blessed him further in this. The people who had never seen the creature before, wondered what they were and why they followed Jakto to the village, leaving their mountain home. Jakto told the people how the creatures had kept him warm and cared for him during the night by the mountain. The people called them trochodons. It so happened that the two were a male and female mated pair of trochodons and in a couple years there were enough trochodons for everyone in the village Kor Shan to have one, if they wanted. There were so many born (average 5 to 8 per litter, start mating at one year old) that they took some to the capital city Solymi Shan Tan. There they became quite popular. They were treated as watchdogs, gifts from the God Drako to his people the Solymi.

The Solymi blessed the trochodons with a home, food, and love and attention. And the trochodons returned the love and affection. And out of gratitude for the God Drako watching over him and protecting him, keeping him alive that night by the mountain Tan Ka, and blessing him in so many ways, Jakto became the High Priest of the God Drako when he became of age and the ancestor of a hereditary line of High Priests of the God Drako, who had given some of his pets in the Tan Sho Mountains to be pets for the Solymi.