by Eric Braun
“Don’t!” you say. “They might be toxic.” You scan the trees and find a few green balls. “Here, break these open.”
You and Harriet collect more green balls and break them open against a big rock. Soon you are eating a nice meal of nuts. Next, you follow the sloping forest downhill until you find a stream.
You both take long drinks. The water tastes delicious and fresh.
You freeze when you hear a deafening shriek. Mammals, lizards, snakes, and other creatures are running away from the water back into the forest. Birds rise out of the trees and flee into the sky. What are they afraid of?
When you look up from the water, you get your answer. A dinosaur stands on two giant legs on the other side of the stream, maybe 100 feet away. It towers 20 feet high and has a tall, spiny sail along its back. Its head is longer than your whole body. And when it opens its massive jaws, you see plenty of spiky teeth.
Harriet gasps. “Spinosaurus,” she whispers.
“Oh no!” you say. “Those are meat eaters.”
“And we are meat,” she replies.
You’re terrified! So you do what a terrified person would do. You run. As soon as you start running, the Spinosaurus gives chase. It splashes across the stream. It crashes up the bank on your side. It huffs and barks.
You run faster than you ever thought you could. Harriet is right next to you. But it is no use. You feel the beast’s hot breath on your back. You know that your time in the Cretaceous Period has come to an end.
THE END
To follow another path in the Cretaceous Period, press here.
To learn more about the Cretaceous Period, press here.
“I think we’re safer in here,” you say. “A few bug bites won’t kill us, right?”
“I don’t know about that,” Harriet says.
She follows you into the jungle anyway. It is an amazing world. A thick tree canopy blots out the sky. Vines, leafy plants, snakes, and little mammals are everywhere. But the bugs are really bad.
“Let’s find a stream or river,” Harriet says. “If we can find some mud, we can rub it on our skin to keep the bugs off.”
You search for over an hour, eventually finding a stream. You each coat your bodies with mud. You even manage to laugh at how silly you look. But it seems to be a little too late. The bug bites you already have are very itchy. You scratch at them with growing intensity.
Soon you are bleeding, and the bites are swelling. You begin to feel very thirsty. But drinking water barely helps.
“Either our scratches are infected, or those bugs were poisonous,” Harriet says.
“This is really bad,” you agree.
Harriet is the first to throw up. You join her shortly. Blood is streaming out of your bug bites, your stomach is twisting, and you feel very hot. You have a fever. You shut your eyes. You thought dinosaurs were your biggest threat here, but it turns out insects will be the death of you.
THE END
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“I’ll take my chances with predators,” Harriet says. “These bugs are going to eat us alive!”
“Okay, okay,” you reply.
The two of you scramble out of the jungle and onto the open land. You walk through sauropod footprints bigger than sidewalk squares. You still get a few bug bites, but way fewer than before. As the sun sets behind the mountains, a beautiful orange and pink light settles over the plains.
You follow a stream until you reach a bay. Farther out, a giant sea opens up.
“I think we can spend the night here. It seems safe. Look—there’s a little cave where we can stay dry and hidden.”
“I think I’d feel better if we made some kind of weapon to protect ourselves first,” Harriet says.
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To make a weapon first, press here.
You’re not sure you could start a fire, so you start tearing apart the strange primitive mammals. But once you bite into the meat, your stomach turns.
“I don’t think I can do it,” you say, holding the meat away from your face.
“Me neither,” Harriet says. “What if there’s some kind of prehistoric disease in the meat?”
You toss the meat into the bushes. The bushes rustle in reaction. Something is moving in there.
“Uh, Harriet?” you say.
“I see it,” she answers.
You freeze and wait. A dinosaur about the size of a large dog steps out of the bushes on its hind legs. It has a short, beaked snout and strong upper legs with fingerlike claws.
The animal hisses, and you jump back. You recognize it as a Hypsilophodon.
“Don’t worry,” you whisper. “It’s a plant eater.”
“I’m not feeling very comforted by that for some reason,” she responds.
The creature looks behind you. You hear a low, raspy growl and turn around. In a nearby clearing stands another two-legged dinosaur, only this one is much bigger. It has a big, gaping jaw and sharp teeth. A tall sail of spines sticks up on its back.
“I know this one,” Harriet says. “It was the answer to the second question on the test. It’s an Acrocanthosaurus.”
“Plant eater?” you ask hopefully.
“Nope.”
The Hypsilophodon is off and running. It looks like a kangaroo bounding along, and it’s really fast. You can hear the Acrocanthosaurus breathing hard as it advances. It reaches the edge of the clearing and rams into a tree with its shoulder. The tree creaks and gives way. If it can get through the trees, it will get to you.
You and Harriet run. You hear the big tree crash. Then another tree crashes. The giant footsteps of the meat-eating monster get closer and closer. Harriet screams as it scoops her up. You know you’re next. Your time in the Cretaceous Period has come to an end.
THE END
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“I’m not eating this thing raw,” you say. “Let’s see if we can make a fire.”
You gather some dried leaves and bark and pile it up. You rub two sticks together for a long time. Your hands get tired, and you let Harriet take a turn. The sticks get warm. But that’s the best you can do. The wood is too damp to catch fire. You don’t eat the creature.
After a little searching, you find a nest of dinosaur eggs. You’re not crazy about the idea of eating raw eggs, but it’s not as disgusting as eating raw meat. You take an egg and crack it into your mouth. It is slimy and cool, but somehow you manage to get it down. You feel some strength seeping back into your body.
Over several days, you keep an eye on the nesting area. A community of Hypsilophodons come and go, checking their eggs.
The animals are the size of large dogs. Each one has a thick, long tail and a stout, beaked head. You know from science class that they’re plant eaters.
You and Harriet start gathering wood and laying it in the sun to dry. After many attempts rubbing the dry sticks together, you finally get a few sparks. You manage to build a fire and keep it going all the time. It helps keep the bugs away.
Harriet makes a sling from vines and a stick, which she uses to fire rocks. With that, she hunts the multituberculate. You use sharp sticks and rocks to skin them and cook them over the fire.
When you gather water at the stream, you see flamingo-like pterosaurs. They are Pterodaustros, and they are peaceful and beautiful. They use long, scooped beaks to strain tiny shrimp in the shallows.
Fish are coming to eat the swarms of tiny shrimp. That gives you an idea. You sharpen a spear so that you can fish.
Weeks pass, then months. You have created a tasty tea from roots and leaves you gather
near your tree shelter. You eat fish, small mammals, nuts, and berries. You know the hunting patterns of the meat-eating dinosaurs, so you can easily avoid them. You tell each other stories about life back home, and sometimes you even crack jokes. It turns out you are good at living in the Early Cretaceous Period. Even though you miss home, you kind of like it here.
THE END
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“I want to get out of the open as quick as possible,” you say. “It’s almost dark, and we’re sitting ducks.”
The two of you climb down the rocks and into the entryway of the small cave. You are surprised by how easy it is to fall asleep in spite of the crazy situation. You must really be tired. Early in the morning you hear some yipping animals up above.
“Don’t move,” Harriet whispers.
Whatever is up there, it’s better if they don’t know you’re here. After a while, the yipping fades away. You climb out of the cave and back up the bank.
Far across the beach near the jungle you see a pack of Deinonychuses galloping across the land. These birdlike dinosaurs are your favorite.
The Deinonychuses are about 10 feet long. Their bodies and long tails are covered in feathers. Though you can’t see it from here, you know that each one has deadly claws on its feet. They are beautiful creatures, but they are meat eaters. They are vicious and scary.
“I’m glad they didn’t find us,” Harriet says.
You look back toward the cave, where a thick mist has formed over the water. It looks familiar.
“Hey, remember Ms. Turrey’s terrarium?”
Harriet looks too. “It looks just like that scene. No Triceratops, though.”
That’s when you remember the toy Triceratops in your hoodie pocket. You pull it out. You and Harriet climb back down the bank and into the mist. As you do, the mist begins to swirl around you.
You get dizzy and fall down, but you don’t fall into water. Instead, you’re lying on the hard floor of Ms. Turrey’s classroom.
“Whoa, are you two okay?” someone says. It’s your friend Luis.
“We’re fine,” you say, though you’re not totally sure that’s true. You certainly feel weird.
“You better get back in your seat,” Luis says. “I hear Ms. Turrey coming back.”
“Yes,” you say as your eyes connect with Harriet’s. “I guess we should finish that test.”
THE END
To follow another path in the Cretaceous Period, press here.
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You agree that it’s better to have something to defend yourselves. Who knows what kind of creatures are out here. You’re looking for a branch to use as a club or a long stick you can sharpen into a spear. As you search, you lose sight of Harriet.
You find a stick that can be sharpened into a short spear and head back toward the cave. As you draw near, you hear the sound of animals galloping. Near the cave, dozens of Deinonychuses are running across the beach. You know about these dinosaurs. They’re 10 feet long and fast. They have teeth like steak knives and strong arms and legs. And they have a long, deadly claw on each foot. Covered in feathers, they look like giant birds—if birds could tear you to shreds.
“Help!” Harriet screams.
She is running toward you, and the Deinonychuses are following. You turn to run, but it’s too late. First they catch Harriet. Then they catch you. You flail your stick at them, but it’s no use.
THE END
To follow another path in the Cretaceous Period, press here.
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CHAPTER 3
ALL THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS
You look around to find that you’re in a field of flowering bushes, trees, and vines. The area is full of dazzling colors. The sun beats down on you, and immediately you begin to sweat.
You become aware of an intense buzzing. It’s not just your head aching. There are millions of enormous bees, mosquitoes, and other flying, buzzing bugs you’ve never seen before. The insects dip and land on bright, beautiful flowers. Then they rise again and dip back, over and over. Some of them are as large as hummingbirds. The air is cloudy with them.
Lying next to you are two friends from class, Harriet and Luis. There is no sign of Ms. Turrey, no sign of the terrarium from her room, and no sign of any of your other classmates. You realize Luis and Harriet must have grabbed onto you at the moment you went back in time. That’s why they got pulled back with you. In the distance, a couple of looming volcanoes pipe out puffs of smoke. And across the field is a huge, duck-billed dinosaur munching happily on some plants. It has a colorful crest on top of its head.
“Whoa! What happened?” Luis says. “I hope this is part of the test!”
“Uh, I don’t think it is, Luis,” Harriet says. She’s holding your science book open in her hands and comparing what she reads to what she sees all around. “I think we’ve landed in the Late Cretaceous Period.”
“Amazing,” you say.
You’re still holding the toy Triceratops from Ms. Turrey’s terrarium in your hand. You shove it into the pocket of your hoodie just as it starts to rain. It’s just a sprinkle at first, but dark clouds hint at a bigger storm coming soon.
“It’s sunny up on that mountain,” Harriet says. “Maybe we can get up there where it’s dry.”
“The jungle is closer,” Luis says, “and the canopy of trees will keep us dry. Kind of.”
“Jungles have lots of snakes and other creatures,” Harriet says.
One thing is for sure. If you wait much longer, you’re going to be totally soaked.
To make a run for the mountain, press here.
To head for the jungle, press here.
The mountain might be far away, but the jungle sounds creepy. You start running up the incline, hoping to get out of the rain. It’s not long before you stop in your tracks. That’s because the duck-billed dinosaur has stopped eating and lifted its head. It stands perfectly still and looks toward the mountain.
“It’s some kind of Lambeosaur,” Luis says. “It’s super cool, but we need to keep moving.”
“Hold on,” you say. That Lambeosaur is still frozen. Something is wrong. “Why isn’t it moving? What does it sense?”
“You guys,” Harriet says. “My book is getting wet. We might need this.”
Suddenly, the Lambeosaur lets out a loud honking sound, like a deep siren. It is warning its herd that a threat is coming.
When it begins running down the mountain, dozens of other Lambeosaurs come out of the surrounding hills and trees. They all run downhill.
“I think something’s up there,” you say.
To follow the Lambeosaurs, press here.
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By the time you reach the trees, you’re already quite wet. But under the canopy, the rain doesn’t reach you. You sit down against a tree trunk and ask Harriet if there’s anything in the science book that can explain what happened to you.
“No,” Harriet says, “there is definitely nothing in here about time travel.”
Near your head, a flowery branch begins to twitch. You look closer. Hanging upside down beneath the leaves, a colony of flies wriggle. Each one is at least an inch long. They seem to be looking at you. You look closer. They have big, sharp jaws. Large, upside-down flying creatures with sharp teeth? Sounds a little too much like vampires to you.
“Let’s get away from these things,” you say.
“Those are crane flies,” Harriet says.
“I don’t care what they are,” you say. “Let’s go.”
The three of you start walking away, but some of the flies follow you. You wave your han
ds at them and start to run. Eventually you stop in a clearing to catch your breath.
That’s when something grabs onto your foot. It’s a massive snake.
To try to pull away, press here.
To look for a weapon, press here.
A predator is coming! Your instincts tell you to run with the Lambeosaurs. Maybe you can hide among them. Odds are whatever is coming will pick one of them instead of you.
You run after the big, duck-billed dinosaurs. They are all shrieking and honking now. Combined with their earth-shaking steps, the sound is terrifying. And those big dinosaurs are fast! You can’t keep up. The plants are high, slowing you down. Soon you, Harriet, and Luis fall behind. The Lambeosaurs thunder ahead, and you are getting tired.
Breathing hard, you slow down and look over your shoulder. You shudder to see a Tyrannosaurus rex storming toward you. It’s catching up very quickly, and now Luis has fallen down.
Suddenly the sky ignites! A bolt of lightning strikes the field. There’s an ear-shattering crack of thunder just a half second after. The flowers smolder, then go up in flames. Even in the rain, a fire begins to rage.
To keep running, press here.
To go back for Luis, press here.
“If something is chasing those Lambeosaurs, I don’t want to be around when it catches them,” Harriet says.
You agree. Let the Lambeosaurs be dinner, not you! They’ll all be extinct soon anyway.
You run up the mountain. The flowers are mashed down in a line, making a faint path through the field, and you follow it. You realize—too late—that there can be only one reason for a path. Something walks that way a lot. You are still thinking about this when Luis grabs onto your shoulder.