Dingeltrot Character Bios

Dingeltrot is 12 years old and 14 inches tall, the tallest Person in his colony.   He has two older brothers:  Arlton and Ripshaw.   Dingeltrot’s mother died while giving birth to him.  You were too big of a baby, his father once said, and her heart failed under the stress.  Dingeltrot grew from being a big baby into a big kid.  In his colony, that makes him a freak and a weirdo.  Of the 484 People who live in the Barn, only three treat Dingeltrot kindly: his grandmother—Gram Arkenlilly, his oldest brother—Arlton, and Elswick—the oldest Person in the Barn.  Often not welcome to join the other kids, Dingeltrot spends most of his time alone, searching for discarded items in the woods and using them to build inventions.  His grandmother taught him to sew—and he uses that skill, too.   But Dingeltrot’s inventiveness just creates a bigger gap between him and the other kids.   Dingeltrot also likes to read books written by Behemoths (big people).  Though the People live in strict secrecy from the Behemoths, Dingeltrot is most curious about his larger cousins.

Malady is 12 years old and 10 inches tall.  She is, arguably, the prettiest girl in the Barn.  She has sat behind Dingeltrot every year in school and she teases him mercilessly.  She is snobby and cruel and only lets a select few be her friend.  She gets up at 5:30 every morning to fuss with her make-up and hair.   And all that attention to her appearance has won her the attention of Ripshaw, Dingeltrot’s nasty brother.  Malady hates nearly everyone and everything, and she’s not afraid to let People know it.

Ripshaw is Dingeltrot’s middle brother.  He has never been kind to Dingeltrot, even on Dingeltrot’s birthday, especially on Dingeltrot’s birthday.  After all, Ripshaw had a mother before Dingeltrot was born.  Ripshaw likes three things:  Malady, his slingshot and the People (as opposed to Behemoths.)  Ripshaw hates Behemoths— they’re cruel animals who have never been kind to the small.  They pollute the earth and water.  They’re taking up all the land, leaving few places for the People to hide.    Ripshaw says the People are way better than Behemoths.  The People need less food and water to survive—they’ve survived droughts and famines for thousands of years.  They have fewer cells to become diseased—they’ve survived pandemics of the plague and flu.  And they’ve survived wars because their smallness makes allows them to be master hiders.  Ripshaw believes one thing above all else:  The better are smaller.  The smaller are better.

Thenton is Dingeltrot’s father.  He is only 10 inches tall—very short for an adult, and thus highly respected.  Thenton is head of the council, the elected leader of the People of the Barn.  He is a stickler for rules and makes sure the People of the Barn live in accordance with the international laws of the People and the local laws created over hundreds of years living in the Barn.  His greatest difficulty is commanding the People’s attention—he often stands atop a milk crate and shouts.  He has a black moustache, and combs his moustache hairs frequently.

Gram Arkenlilly is Dingeltrot’s grandmother—his mother’s mother.  She loves Dingeltrot unconditionally and has taught him how to sew.  She often tells Dingeltrot that he might be taller than the other kids, but he has the best ideas.  She encourages his inventiveness.  She encourages him to think his way—not like everyone else.  And, on occasion, she encourages Dingeltrot to be the opposite of his father, to break the rules, to do what is right for himself and all People.   Gram Arkenlilly is also a Barn leader, a member of the council with her son in-law, Thenton. 

Elswick is 136 years old and the oldest Person living in the Barn.  He is also a barn leader, the third member of the council.  Elswick has seen much change in his long life, and thinks that the People are running out of places to hide.  One day soon, they’ll have to consider reuniting with their bigger cousins, the Behemoths.  Elswick is often shunned for this attitude—the others wave him off as a crazy old man.  But Elswick is wise, the holder of many secrets, and for reasons Dingeltrot doesn’t yet understand, Elswick treats Dingeltrot with extraordinary kindness.

Arlton is Dingeltrot’s oldest brother.  He is 18, and in love with a girl named Penny.  They want to get married, but for reasons unknown to them, the council will not allow it.  Though Arlton is saddened and frustrated by this, he has never taken it out on Dingeltrot, to whom Arlton shows great compassion.

Alice and Teddy Lindstrom are the Behemoths (big People) who own the farm on which the Barn exists.  A select number of Behemoths know of the People’s existence, only the most trustworthy and kind.    People have lived on the Lindstrom’s farm since Teddy’s great-grandfather first homesteaded it in the 1800’s.  Though many Behemoths have wanted to buy Teddy and Alice’s farm, the Lindstroms have refused to sell.  Their farm is now surrounded by houses, stores, schools, parks and a golf course.  The Lindstroms farm onions and tomatoes, huge ones, as big as basketballs, and sell their produce to the Special Gold Salsa Company. Their farming secret:  In appreciation for letting them live in the Barn, the People work in secret tunnels under the fields, irrigating and fertilizing the crops at their roots.  Alice and Teddy will do almost anything to ensure that the People of the Barn have a home for generations to come.

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