Winka smiled and shook his hand. “Glad to meet you, Beeper. And I wish I had seen that centipede!
“But how did all of you end up here, sixty-five million years from your own time?”
“We came in the Time-A-Tron,” said Judy. “We’ve got to find Uncle Al in some stupid ice age, and then we can all go back to our own time.”
RRROHHHURROHRR!
“Oh, shut up!” said Judy, peering over the cliff at the Tyrannosaurus below.
Winka pushed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I don’t know if you know this,” said Winka. “But a terrible time is coming soon.”
“Not another one!” said Judy, rolling her eyes. “We could write a big fat book about terrible times. We’ve gotten flushed down a toilet, swallowed by a whale, and trapped at the center of the Earth.”
“This will be a disaster for the whole Earth,” said Winka. “Very soon, an asteroid as big as a city will crash into the place where Mexico will be.”
“That’s nothing,” said Andrew. “We were here when a Mars-sized asteroid crashed into the Earth and made the moon!”
Winka’s eyebrows went up. “And you’re alive to tell about it!” she said. “The asteroid that’s coming won’t rip the Earth apart, but it will make a terrible explosion. It will set huge fires, start mile-high tsunami waves, and send trillions of tons of dust and water into the air.
“The Earth will be covered by a dark cloud of dust for months. Plants will die. The big plant-eaters will die, and the big meat-eaters that eat the big plant-eaters will die.
“When it’s over, animals that weigh more than fifty pounds will be gone.”
“I weigh more than fifty pounds,” said Judy. She looked around at the others. “We all do. We’d better get out of here fast.”
“I’ll go get my notebook,” said Winka. “I’ve been drawing the animals and writing about them.”
Winka turned to a tree behind her and started climbing. High above the ground, between the branches, she had woven a large net from vines.
Suddenly the sky darkened.
Andrew looked up. A huge creature was flying overhead.
meep … “Quetzalcoatlus!” said Thudd, pointing to his face screen.
“Yikes!” said Andrew. “That bird is as big as a plane!”
meep … “Not bird,” said Thudd. “No birds on Earth yet. Flying animal is flying lizard.”
“Quetzalcoatlus!” shouted Beeper. “That’s my most favorite animal ever!”
“It’s the biggest creature ever to fly,” said Winka, climbing down the tree. “It has a nest on the side of the cliff.”
“I gotta see it!” yelled Beeper, taking off after the Quetzalcoatlus. “I gotta take a picture!”
“Beeper!” yelled Winka. “Come back here! We have to leave!”
Andrew and Judy ran through the trees after Beeper. Beyond the tall trees was a field. By the time Andrew and Judy reached the edge of the field, Beeper had disappeared among the tall ferns and bushes.
They watched the Quetzalcoatlus swoop low over the field.
Winka caught up with Andrew and Judy. “I’m worried about Beeper,” she said. “That field is no place to be right now.”
“Why not?” asked Andrew.
“You’ll see,” said Winka. “I’ll lead the way to the Quetzalcoatlus nest. Stay right beside me.”
Winka led them along the edge of the field. The ferns and palm-like plants were so tall that they couldn’t see above them.
Now and then, Andrew saw wide paths through the field. It looked as though they had been flattened by a bulldozer.
“What happened there?” asked Andrew, pointing to the paths.
“Triceratops,” said Winka. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
meep … “Triceratops mean ‘three-horned face,’” said Thudd. “Triceratops got biggest head of any animal on land. One Triceratops weigh as much as three elephants.”
“Weren’t Triceratopses kind of like giant cows?” asked Judy. “All they did was eat plants.”
“That’s true,” said Winka. “They’re usually peaceful plant-eaters. But—”
There was a rustling sound close by, then a stomping sound. The ground shook.
“It’s Triceratops mating season,” said Winka. “Get into the trees. Hurry!”
From the forest, they could see a clearing. Two Triceratopses were charging toward each other.
The huge animals looked like enormous rhinoceroses. But these creatures were as long as classrooms, tall as ceilings, and wide as buses!
They had beaks like parrots and short horns behind their beaks. Above their eyes were horns as long as a man’s leg. Bony collars stood up behind their heads.
KRAAAAACK!
Their heads butted hard. The horns above their eyes locked together. Each Triceratops was trying to drag the other one to the ground.
“The males fight and the winners get a mate,” said Winka in a low voice. “After a while, there’ll be eggs that hatch into baby Triceratopses.
“We’d better catch up with Beeper. He’s probably gotten to the Quetzalcoatlus’s nest by now.”
Judy rolled her eyes. “If Bozo-Boy hasn’t gotten himself trampled by a Triceratops,” she said.
They trekked to the edge of a cliff bordered by craggy rocks.
Between the rocks, Andrew spied the soles of a pair of sneakers.
Beeper had hooked his feet between the rocks and was hanging upside down over the cliff!
“Beeper!” yelled Andrew. He dove down and grabbed Beeper’s right ankle.
“Hoo boy!” came Beeper’s voice from below. “Look at that! Four babies in the nest. There’s an egg, too!”
“Beeper,” said Winka sternly. “Those rocks could come loose. We’ll pull you back up.”
She grabbed Beeper’s left foot.
“Just a minute,” he said. “I’m taking a picture. Aw! Look at that one! It’s flapping its wings!”
Scrummmmp
Suddenly the edge of the cliff started to crumble. Beeper was slipping down! His left shoe came off in Winka’s hands, but Andrew still had hold of Beeper’s ankle.
Then Andrew was sliding, too!
“Yowzers!” he cried as he flipped over the cliff.
Still gripping Beeper’s ankle, Andrew swung through the air. He found himself hanging from Beeper’s ankle over the Quetzalcoatlus’s nest!
“My T-shirt got caught on a branch!” yelled Beeper. “Uh-oh! My shirt is ripping. We’re gonna fall!”
“Andrew!” yelled Winka. “Let go of Beeper. If you both crash into the nest, it might break and you could fall a long way. But the nest should be strong enough for just you.”
Andrew took a deep breath and let go.
Gack! cackled the little Quetzalcoatluses as Andrew landed between them. Gack! Gack!
The babies were the size of thin turkeys. Their bodies were covered with soft fuzz and their wings were covered with skin as thin as paper. Their long beaks were open. They looked hungry.
“Good work, Andrew!” said Winka. “Judy is gathering some vines to use as a rope. Beeper’s shirt could rip any second, so we’ll get him first.”
Winka lowered the vines to Beeper. Judy helped to pull him up.
“Now it’s your turn, Andrew,” said Winka.
A shadow came over the nest. The mother Quetzalcoatlus was circling overhead!
“Bit of a problem, Andrew,” said Winka. “The mother is coming to feed the chicks. She could get quite nasty if she thinks we’re bothering her nest. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay there until she’s finished.”
“Um, what am I supposed to do while she’s feeding the babies?” asked Andrew.
“Well,” said Winka. “The only safe thing to do is to act just like a chick. She might toss you out of the nest if she thinks you don’t belong to her.”
The airplane-sized lizard glided close to the nest with her wings spread wide.
Thump!
The nest s
hook as she landed on the edge. A breeze ruffled Andrew’s hair as the Quetzalcoatlus fluttered her enormous wings and folded them next to her body.
Uh-oh, thought Andrew. What’s that brown gunky stuff in her beak?
The chicks crowded around their mother and opened their beaks wider. She crammed some of the lumpy brown gunk into each waiting beak.
Then the Quetzalcoatlus shoved her long beak toward Andrew’s mouth.
“Yerghhh!” groaned Andrew, jerking his head away. “It smells like dead fish!”
meep … “Gotta open mouth,” said Thudd softly. “And gotta not talk. Gotta act like Quetzalcoatlus chick.”
“Do I have to?” whispered Andrew.
“Yoop,” whispered Thudd.
“Um … Gack!” squawked Andrew. “Gack! Gack!”
He flapped his arms, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth.
Something lumpy dropped onto his tongue. It was sandy, salty, and squishy.
Andrew opened his eyes. The mother Quetzalcoatlus was using her beak to pick through the fuzz on her body.
meep … “Scales of reptiles turn into fur for Quetzalcoatlus and feathers for birds,” said Thudd. “Feather is just different kind of scale.”
Andrew spat the squishy stuff out of his mouth. A baby Quetzalcoatlus dove to eat it up.
The mother Quetzalcoatlus spread her wings, leaned forward, and launched herself into the air.
“Holy moly!” yelled Andrew. “Get me out of here!”
“You did a great job, Andrew!” said Winka, lowering the vines down to the nest. “Wrap this around your waist and we’ll bring you up.”
Andrew twisted the vines around his middle and hung on with both hands as Winka, Judy, and Beeper pulled.
“Thanks!” he said as he tugged himself over the edge.
“Well,” sighed Winka. “We’d better get back to the Time-A-Tron before one of you gets yourself adopted—or eaten—by some giant reptile.”
Just then, the big purple button in the middle of Thudd’s chest popped open. A beam of purple light zoomed out. But Uncle Al wasn’t at the end of it.
“Oh no!” said Judy. “It’s Doctor Kron-Tox again!”
tick … tock … tick … tock …
“Hello, Dubbles,
And Winka, too.
You can’t see me,
But I see you.
Do you know
The Earth’s in trouble?
And so are you,
My little Dubbles!
The rock that ends
The dinos’ day
Is coming now,
It’s on its way.
How sad you’re stuck
In such a fix.
You’re at the end
Of all your tricks.
But please don’t fret,
My little pups.
I’ll soon be there
To scoop you up!
HA HA HA HA HA!”
tick … tock … tick … tock …
Winka scanned the sky. “I don’t see anything yet,” she said. “But Doctor Kron-Tox has telescopes. We’d better get going. Where’s the Time-A-Tron?”
“It’s beyond a big pond of quicksand,” said Judy. “Next to a Tyrannosaurus nest.”
“Ah!” said Winka. “I know the place, and I know a shortcut. Let’s go.”
Winka led them downhill to a place where the cliff wasn’t far from the valley below. Winka used the vine rope to lower them down, then she climbed down herself.
“There’s something we have to do before we go back,” said Andrew.
“We must leave as soon as possible,” said Winka. “We’re far from where the asteroid will crash, but the explosion will start huge forest fires even here. Tsunami waves could flood this place.”
Andrew nodded. “I know,” he said, “but an owl escaped from the Time-A-Tron when we landed. We’re not supposed to leave anything here.”
Beeper pulled the DNA Detector out of his pocket.
Winka cocked her head. “Professor Dubble and I invented the DNA Detector together,” she said. “It’s quite handy.”
Andrew punched in “northern pygmy owl” and pressed the Find It button.
ping … ping … ping …
“3,000 Feet” blinked the display.
They trudged through the ferns and bushes. They crossed over Tyrannosaurus tracks.
“2,000 Feet” blinked the display.
The landscape started to look familiar.
“1,000 Feet” blinked the display.
“I see one of the Time-A-Tron’s fins!” said Winka. She was tall enough to see above the ferns.
“The DNA Detector says the owl is only three hundred feet away!” said Andrew.
They ran to the Time-A-Tron. It was still leaning against the Tyrannosaurus nest.
“Look!” said Judy, pointing to an egg that hadn’t yet hatched. On top of the egg was the owl! Its eyes were closed.
“It’s trying to hatch a Tyrannosaurus!” said Beeper.
“It’s asleep,” said Winka.
Winka untied the scarf that held back her braids. She tiptoed behind the nest, stretched the scarf above the owl, and pulled it down fast.
Hoooo hoooo hoooo
“Sorry to wake you,” said Winka. She wrapped the owl up in her scarf and held it firmly. Then she covered the Tyrannosaurus egg with moss and leaves to protect it.
bong … The door of the Time-A-Tron opened.
They all piled into the bottom compartment.
bong … The door closed.
Winka placed the owl on top of the tachyon fuel tank and opened the scarf.
bong … “Children!” said the Time-A-Tron. “You are safe, and you’ve brought Professor Wilde! And, Professor Wilde, you’ve captured the owl! You are all heroes!”
“We have to leave right away,” said Andrew, scrambling up to the top compartment.
“There’s another stupid asteroid coming,” said Judy, following Andrew.
“It’s gonna wipe out the dinosaurs,” said Beeper quietly. He kicked a pile of tachyon tubes.
“And Doctor Kron-Tox is on his way,” said Winka. “Come on, Beeper. We’ve got work to do.”
meep … “Look!” said Thudd, pointing to a bright dot moving slowly across the sky. The dot grew larger and larger, like a balloon filling with air.
“That’s it,” said Winka. “We don’t have long.”
meep … “Asteroid travel one hundred twenty-five miles every second!” said Thudd.
bong …
Behind Andrew and Judy’s seat, another chair was rising from the floor.
bong … “For you, Professor Wilde,” said the Time-A-Tron.
They all buckled themselves quickly into their seats.
BAROOOOOOOOOOM!
The Earth shook and rose like a giant wave on the ocean.
meep … “Asteroid crash make giant earthquake!” said Thudd.
The sky exploded into rivers of blinding yellow-white fire.
“I can’t see the control panel!” yelled Judy. “I can’t find the Fast-Forward button.”
“Look for the button with your fingers, Judy,” said Winka.
bong … “But whatever you do,” said the Time-A-Tron, “do NOT press the Fast-Back button! We do not have a drop of fuel to waste traveling to the past!”
“I think I’ve got the right button,” said Judy, pounding it.
Flack! Flack! Flack!
HNNNNN … HNNNNN … HNNNNN …
Only one of the Fast-Fins began spinning. The Time-A-Tron was lying on its side and the other Fast-Fin was stuck in the dirt.
WOOHOOOOOO!
The one moving Fast-Fin sent balls of green fire swirling around the Time-A-Tron.
65 MILLION YEARS AGO blinked the display on the control panel. But the numbers weren’t changing.
Uh-oh, thought Andrew. I sure hope we don’t end up as Dubble fossils!
TO BE CONTINUED IN ANDREW, JUDY, AND THUDD’S NEXT EXCITING ADVENTURE:
In stores October 2005
Thudd wanted to tell you more about the Earth as it was 65 million years ago, but he was too busy keeping his friends from being eaten by Tyrannosauruses and Quetzalcoatluses. Here’s what he wanted to say:
Brains come in different shapes and sizes. We can tell a lot about an animal by examining its brain.
For example, smell is very important to dogs, and the parts of a dog’s brain that receive smell messages—the olfactory lobes— are very large. Four times as large as the olfactory lobes of humans! From this, we can tell that dogs depend much more on their sense of smell than humans do.
The skulls of Tyrannosauruses show us that they, too, had big olfactory lobes. They must have been great sniffers!
We’re not absolutely sure what Tyrannosauruses used their great noses for. Some people believe they were hunters. Others believe they were scavengers, that they sniffed out— and ate—dead animals. Maybe they did both!
Not long ago, a three-year-old boy named David Shiffler found a “pebble” while on a camping trip with his parents. He insisted it was a dinosaur egg.
His parents didn’t believe a three-year-old could know anything about dinosaur eggs, but they did take the little stone to a paleontologist, someone who studies fossils.
It turned out that the pebble was—yes!— a dinosaur egg. It was also the oldest meat-eating dinosaur egg ever found!
Who knows what you could find someday?
In the name “Bambiraptor,” the “bambi” part comes from the Italian word bambino, which means “baby.” This name was given to the Bambiraptor dinosaur because it was so small—only three feet long and one foot tall. At first, scientists thought it was a baby and not a full-grown dinosaur!
The first Bambiraptor fossil was found by a fourteen-year-old boy named Wes Linster.
Quicksand is just regular sand mixed with lots of water that comes up from underneath it.
No one knows for sure what sounds dinosaurs made. But by studying the shapes of their heads and throats and comparing them to living animals, scientists can make guesses about what dinosaurs may have sounded like.
With the Dinosaurs Page 3