Dinosaur Breakout

by Judith Silverthorne

  “This crocodile is a much more rare find than Scotty,” he noted. “We call him ‘Big Bert’ and he dates from ninety-two million years ago. By the way, a later relative of this fellow, like the thirty-five to fifty foot, or ten to fifteen metre, Deinosuchus, could bring an unsuspecting

  T. rex to its knees. Their behaviour hasn’t changed much over the ages. They still lie in wait like logs in the water, although these days the biggest ones are only about twenty feet or six metres long.”

  As Daniel studied the skeleton, Wes called Tim over to his table to show him something unusual in the plant fossils he worked on. Daniel stood mesmerized in the middle of the lab, thinking again about his wild adventure back in time. He could place all of these creatures in their natural habitat and he felt an awkward moment of terror, as if he was trapped in both times at once. He shook himself as Pederson moved over to join him.

  “Well, Daniel, my boy. Seen enough for today?”

  “Yes, this is awesome.” He studied the drawing of the T. rex. “You know they’ve got this a little wrong, though. The Tyrannosaurus rexes have a slightly thinner body right here than that,” he commented without thinking. “And their colour is different too.”

  Daniel stopped when he realized Pederson was giving him a peculiar look. He gulped inwardly and clammed up.

  “Why would you say that?” the old man asked curiously.

  “Uh...” Daniel’s thoughts crashed together. Should he tell Pederson about his adventure? No, that would be introducing too much skepticism about his reliability as an impartial scientist. He wanted people to treat him seriously, not think he was a kid making up stories.

  Just then Tim returned and Daniel blurted out, “Do you think it would ever be possible to go back in time to see what the Cretaceous world was all about?”

  “I suppose anything’s possible, Daniel, but figuring out how to do it and then proving it would be the challenge,” he answered seriously. “Although you might find it a little outdated, you might want to read a book by George Gaylord Simpson, called the Dechronization of Sam Magruder. It’s a story written by an eminent scientist before his death in 1984. He exerted a major influence on bringing paleontology into the modern theory of evolution. In the story, he goes back into prehistoric time.”

  Pederson nodded his head. “I’ve read it. I have a copy of it that you can borrow, Daniel.”

  “Thanks,” Daniel said, avoiding Pederson’s inquiring gaze. Then he abruptly changed the subject again and addressed Tim. “How well do you think T. rexes could see?”

  “The latest theory is that they had stereoscopic vision. This means they could see things in full 3d.”

  Daniel gulped and stared, deep in thought.

  Tim took his reaction to be one of misunderstanding, and explained, “That means they could see three dimensionally, and quite well.”

  “Interesting,” Pederson said. “Quite the opposite of what Magruder thought in the book you mentioned. That fellow thought,” he explained to Daniel, “that their eyesight was poor and that all you had to do was jump off to the side of their field of vision. Sort of like you blended into the background or you could be almost underfoot, but they couldn’t spot you.”

  Sure wish that was so, Daniel said to himself. He was sure it was pure luck that kept the T. rex he’d encountered from seeing him.

  “What about their sense of smell?” he asked, curious now.

  “Hard to say,” said Tim, “but I suspect they had a heightened awareness. Some scientists liked to think they ate strictly carrion – already dead animals. That’s because of their top-heavy weight and tiny forearms, which some think made it impossible for them to pursue or capture live prey,” Tim explained. “Others argue that they used their massive tails for balance during the chase, and their awesome jaws to subdue supper.”

  After seeing the T. rex hunting the Edmontosaurus, Daniel knew the one set of scientists were dead wrong. He’d seen it move at tremendous speed for its weight, destroying everything in its path. Daniel brought his attention back to Tim’s account.

  “I’m sure they wouldn’t walk away from a free meal, but I’m sure they also hunted for their own feasts and weren’t just scavengers. I suspect that they could detect all sorts of animals – reptiles, mammals, rodents, etc. – with their good sense of smell.

  “You mean, maybe they could even smell humans?” Daniel asked apprehensively.

  “You bet!” Pederson said with another quizzical look at Daniel.

  “Humans are mammals, right? So indeed they could. You’d make a nice mouthful,” Tim joked. “One snap and you’d be gone! They had very strong jaws.”

  Daniel felt himself go rigid with remembered fear.

  Tim seemed to notice, because he added, “I’m sure they were more interested in the larger herbivores, though.”

  “Like an Edmontosaurus!” Daniel thought again of the T. rex’s terrorizing kill. How fortunate he was to be alive!

  “Exactly,” Pederson and Tim said simultaneously.

  “They were complete bullies. They picked on everything and they had the size and meanness to do it!” Pederson said, lifting his eyebrows. “Sounds like some people we know!”

  Daniel gave Pederson a tight smile, remembering the Nelwins’ behaviour.

  “It’s amazing how humans can reflect animal behaviour,” Tim said, raising his eyebrows in an understanding way.

  “Well, Daniel, my boy, time we were off,” suggested Pederson. “I’m sure Mr. Tokaryk has more important things to do than chat with us all day.”

  “No problem,” Tim said sincerely, “I always enjoy an enquiring young mind.”

  Just then Daniel’s stomach rumbled. “Guess I am hungry,” he admitted with a grin.

  “We’ll head to town then.” Pederson turned to Tim. “Thanks so much for your assistance.” He shook his hand. “Seems like museums are a little more approachable than in my early days.”

  “I’d like to think they’re a little more open-minded,” replied Tim. “Give me a call any time.”

  With a quick nod, Tim returned to his work table covered with bird fossils and a stack of phone messages. Daniel and Pederson made their way out through the labyrinth of fossils and counters.

  “Wow, that was awesome,” he repeated again as soon as they were out of the building.

  “Sure was!” Pederson agreed as they walked to the parking lot under the beating rays of the hot sun.

  “So what did they say about the business idea?” Daniel asked, striding to keep up to Pederson and scanning the scrubby hillsides. He was always on the lookout for interesting markings or protrusions.

  Pederson said, “They gave me some great information and they’re willing to link us to their operation and on their Web site.”

  “Great!”

  “We still have a pile of work to do and quite a few hurdles to go through before we’re ready for that stage,” Pederson said, climbing into the truck and turning the ignition.

  Daniel jumped into the truck and slammed the door.

  “I’m sure we can do it!” he said, waiting for Pederson to explain the steps.

  “How about if I go over it all with you and your parents when we get back? Right now, I’m parched and a might peckish too.” Pederson reversed out of the parking lot.

  Daniel hid his disappointment. Instead, he focused on all he’d seen and heard that day. The more information he took in, the more questions seemed to pop up.

  At least now he knew for sure the T. rex could have sussed him out through sight and smell and made dinner out of him in one snap of his immense mouth. If it hadn’t already been preoccupied with preying on the Edmon-tosaurus, there was no telling what might have happened. But from what Daniel had learned, there wasn’t any way to tell if that T. rex was actually Scotty.

  As they drove along, he had a feeling that Pederson was suspicious about his holding back something. Should he tell him? He sure wanted to talk it over with someone. But what if Pederson lau
ghed? Or worse, what if he thought Daniel was just a dumb kid and decided that he didn’t want to have him around anymore?

  “All right, young man, what’s up?” asked Pederson in his gruff, no-nonsense way.

  Instantly, Daniel felt his whole body tense with dread.

  “What do you mean?” he asked as innocently as he could. His voice came out barely above a whisper.

  “There’s something you know that you’re not telling.” Pederson pulled into a parking spot on the main street, down a few yards from Jack’s Café. Pederson turned to him. “What was that all about when you mentioned the shape of the body and the colour of the T. rex?”

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Daniel stalled for time. His palms were sweaty and he quickly wiped them on the legs of his jeans.

  Pederson turned and glared at him.

  “Out with it, lad!”

  Chapter Six

  Daniel stammered, “I-I-I’m not sure if I should say anything.”

  “Why ever not?” Pederson asked, turning off the engine.

  “Well, it’s a little unbelievable, even to me!” Daniel tapped his feet nervously, and stared straight ahead.

  “Daniel!” Pederson was obviously exasperated.

  “Fine!” He plunged into his story, staring out the windshield. “What if I told you I actually went back into prehistoric time?”

  Silence.

  “That I actually experienced what it was like?”

  More silence. Daniel peeked at Pederson out of the corner of his eyes. Pederson stroked his beard, and seemed lost in thought.

  “It happened when the Nelwins knocked me to the ground and I hit my head.”

  Pederson grunted. His fingers stopped moving.

  Daniel faced him. “Well, say something,” he said.

  RAP! RAP! An elderly woman with a wizened face stepped up to Pederson’s side of the truck and rapped again on his door with her metal cane.

  “Ole Pederson! I don’t believe it’s you, in the flesh!”

  “Why, Mildred Roost!” Pederson stared at the tall woman in surprise.

  She had an Australian outback hat squashed onto her long, grey, braided hair. A faded plaid cotton shirt topped a pair of baggy sweatpants, both of which hung loosely over her rather plump body. She grinned at him, asking, “What brings you to these parts?”

  “I could ask you the same.”

  “I’m here with the University of Alberta Paleontology Department. We hope to work on a joint project with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum,” she divulged.

  “I am in a way too,” Pederson answered. The rsm had assisted with the retrieval and now the preparation of the Edmontosaurus.

  “Geez, that’s right, Ole. How could I forget? You found that hadrosaur with the nest and eggs. It was around here somewhere, wasn’t it!” She peered at Daniel. “Who’s that, a grandson?” she asked. “No, sorry, I re-member now. You and your wife never had children. Who is he, then?” she demanded, not stopping to let either of them answer the questions.

  Pederson raised his eyebrows in slight annoyance and then he introduced Daniel. “He’s my young protegé and esteemed colleague. Daniel Bringham, meet Dr. Mildred Roost.”

  Daniel nodded in acknowledgement, and puffed his chest up with pride. Pederson considered him a colleague!

  “How do you do, ma’am,” Daniel said sincerely.

  “A boy with manners! I like you already, young man!” She tapped her cane on the door again. “Well, get on out of there, you two. Let’s go have some lunch. It’s on me.”

  She stomped over to the sidewalk, using her cane to propel herself along. Daniel and Pederson looked at each other and got out of the truck.

  “We’ll eat there,” she said, pointing to Jack’s Café. “Best food in town. Their garlic toast is a secret recipe. So is their house salad dressing. Talk about ‘valley of hidden secrets.’ Everything about this community is one of the best-kept secrets from the rest of the world. But the locals are great about sharing!”

  She pointed to the dinosaur footprints painted on the sidewalk. “They lead you right where you want to go!”

  Seemed there was no getting away from this woman. Daniel smiled as he watched Pederson meekly follow her instructions. The woman was a bit of a bully, but the old man didn’t seem to take offence. They headed into Jack’s Café.

  ~

  “Some things are just better to go along with than cause trouble,” he said later when they were back on the road.

  The woman had talked non-stop, filling Pederson in on all the latest developments in the Alberta paleontology world, including news about the various people they both knew. Daniel sighed in relief as he listened to the barrage. Mildred Roost had given him a reprieve from telling Pederson his weird story, but the tide turned again when they were back on the highway.

  “Okay, young man, let’s hear the rest of your story!” Pederson said, concentrating on his driving,

  “First, tell me what you think so far,” Daniel said, fidgeting in his seat. He ran his right hand up and down the seat belt that ran across his shoulder. “Sounds like you think it’s just some story I’m making up.”

  “I know you better than that, lad,” said Pederson.

  “I’m not sure what to make of it just yet. Anything is

  possible – something could have altered your state of mind when you hit your head...”

  “See, I knew it,” Daniel interrupted. “You think it’s all because I hit my head.”

  “Or it could have been a dream state, some sort of delusion from the bump on the head...” Pederson continued patiently as if Daniel hadn’t interrupted.

  “But, but...” Daniel protested, straining the seat belt as he turned to Pederson.

  “No, let me finish, “ Pederson continued kindly. “Or there is a possibility you really did go back in time through some sort of shift in reality. Now, if that’s the case, we need to have proof. Remember, we are scientists.”

  Daniel settled back, somewhat deflated, yet not altogether discouraged.

  “First, we need to examine each of the possibilities from various perspectives to eliminate those that didn’t happen,” Pederson explained. “Then we need to test the one we think is the right answer. Fair enough?” He turned to look at Daniel.

  Daniel nodded and thought about the possibilities. “So you might just believe me?”

  “Let’s do our research and then I’ll give you my opinion,” Pederson suggested.

  “Okay,” Daniel said reluctantly. Man, this could take a long time. How was he ever going to prove it to Pederson? At least the old man hadn’t laughed him out of the truck, or told him he was a flake and that he never wanted to work with him again.

  Daniel took a deep breath and told Pederson the rest of the story. When he finished, Pederson nodded. “Thank you, Daniel. I can see we’ve got a lot to think about.” Daniel relaxed, glad he’d told someone.

  “Look!” Pederson pointed to the valley on their right.

  Several antelope were crossing a ravine down below them, headed towards a small stream. Pederson slowed and they watched them for several minutes until they drank and disappeared into a bluff of trees. For the next few miles Daniel and Pederson were silent, each caught up in their own thoughts as they watched the passing landscape.

  As they neared Shaunavon, pumpjacks over oil wells began popping up everywhere across the country-

  side, even several close together on some people’s land. Daniel considered again how lucky he had been that his family hadn’t been forced to go that route. Although the fields looked fine now, with crops surrounding the pumpjacks, he knew there had been seismic testing, and roads cut through the land, while the drilling crews brought in the necessary equipment.

  At the time he hadn’t understood all the rigmarole, but he knew there had been a bit of a tussle with the Crown for some people in the area, as they didn’t hold all the mineral rights on their land. Only some of those who had original homesteaded la
nd managed to own the mineral rights, which included oil and gas. Everyone else had only what was called “surface rights.” Even though they’d bought and paid for their land, they only owned the surface, not the mines and minerals below! Daniel still couldn’t believe it.

  “Tell me again how that could have worked about us being forced to give our land over for mineral rights,” he said.

  “Your family didn’t have to, Daniel, because your great-grandfather homesteaded it and owned those rights. They were printed right on his land title papers. Even so, your parents could have signed them over if they’d wanted to, but because we’d proved there were heritage prospects in the form of fossils on the land, they chose not to.”

  “Okay, but what happened to Jed’s family? How come they had to fight against the testing?”

  Patiently, Pederson explained. “They didn’t own the rights in the first place, but they can refuse to allow the oil companies on their property, which they did, because they wanted to preserve the land, as you know.” Pederson looked over at him and smiled in a conspiratorial way. “They have some crazy idea that they might have dinosaur fossils on their property too.”

  Daniel grinned.

  Pederson looked back at the road and continued his main explanation. “Then the decision goes to arbitration, which means a group of people act like a jury and discuss the situation. They make the decision as to whether or not the companies get to drill.”

  “It seemed to me they had to talk to a lot of important people.” Daniel noted.

  “Yes, the Conservation Data Centre, the Heritage Resource Impact people, and the Saskatchewan Environ-ment and Resource Management team is contacted and are all brought into the discussion.”

  Daniel said, “Okay, I think I understand now. Basically, the area is scanned for endangered plants and animals, and for archaeological and environmental aspects, before anything can happen?”

  “You’ve got it! If any of those areas are at risk because of the seismic testing and future drilling, then it’s not likely going to happen,” Pederson explained. “If there’s a good reason, such as some sort of heritage element – an important burial ground or foundations of special old buildings, paleontology possibilities, or something along that line, then they can be excused.”