Dinosaur Breakout

by Judith Silverthorne

  “So, because Jed’s family didn’t have anything like that, they had to let the testing be done?” Daniel asked.

  “Exactly. The pumpjacks will go in later this month. They’ll be paid for the use of the land as well as an annual rental for the right to drill and produce wells on their land. It won’t make them rich, but it will help out.”

  “So maybe Jed’s dad won’t have to go to the city to work this winter?”

  “Maybe not,” Pederson acknowledged, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Cool. Jed hates it when his father’s gone. He’s in a houseful of bossy girls!”

  Daniel and Pederson laughed.

  “I don’t think it’s necessarily because they’re girls!” Pederson said. “I know a few bossy boys too!” Pederson gave him a significant look, remembering how Daniel had saved him in the snowstorm two winters before.

  A few minutes later, Daniel asked, “What would have happened, say, if my parents had said yes?”

  “If oil had been found, they would have received a royalty payment based on the production of the well or wells. Maybe something like $2,000 each a year for the rental on the surface leases. They’d get an additional amount, which would fluctuate according to oil prices. So depending on how many wells they had and how long they ran for, they could have made a tidy sum over the years.”

  Yikes, Daniel hadn’t realized that! They might have been almost rich! He wondered how his parents felt about that. A sudden sinking feeling hit the pit of his stomach like a chunk of apple he hadn’t chewed properly. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so insistent about them not signing the papers. But what good would the money have done, if the fossil history had been destroyed? He twisted and turned these new thoughts over in his mind. No wonder his parents had been so reluctant to consider his suggestions. They’d made a real sacrifice to go along with his plans!

  When Pederson turned left into Shaunavon and pulled up to the grocery store, Daniel barely noticed they’d stopped. He wondered if what he’d convinced his parents to do had been the right thing. Surely they wouldn’t have gone along with it, if they hadn’t agreed?

  “I just need a few items. Anything you’d like, Daniel?” Pederson asked stepping down from the truck.

  “Uh, yeah, let me think. There was something Mom wanted.” Daniel couldn’t remember.

  “Well maybe if you come in and look around you’ll think of it,” Pederson offered.

  Daniel followed him inside. His family grew most of their own vegetables and raised their own meat, so he avoided those aisles, and the junk food. He knew she shouldn’t want any of that! Then he saw it. Twelve loaves of bread on sale! His mom rarely baked bread in the summertime for the family, as the weather was just too hot, and she especially preferred to buy bread for all the sandwiches she would make for the tourists’ day trip lunches and the toast for their breakfasts. They had a huge freezer at home, so Daniel gathered up six loaves of bread in each hand, half white and half whole wheat, and headed for the checkout counter.

  Forty-five minutes later, they were back home.

  “Tell your folks I’ll come over after dinner and we’ll discuss what I found out today,” Pederson said as Daniel jumped down from the truck and gathered the bread. “You might ask them to give the Lindstroms a call, and invite them over too.”

  “Will do,” said Daniel, nodding his head as he clutched the bread in his hands and tried not to squish it.

  Pederson still didn’t have a phone and had no intention of getting one. He preferred to walk most places too, except when he had to make a trip into town for supplies, or when he was hauling something too heavy to carry on his back.

  As Daniel rounded the shady side of the house, Dactyl arose, stretching and yawning, then padded over to Daniel and followed him to the back porch. Mom met him at the door and grabbed some of the bread as it slid from his sweaty hands.

  “Thanks, Daniel,” she said, holding the screen door open for him.

  He gave Dactyl a quick pet and went inside. Cheryl stood in the kitchen doorway, gurgling at the sight of him. She walked over to him on chubby legs; her blonde curls bouncing around her smiling face. Daniel scooped her in his arms and gave her a big hug.

  “Mr. Pederson’s coming over after dinner to tell you about his meeting. He wants us to call the Lindstroms too. I can call, if you like,” he offered, wanting to speak to Jed anyway.

  “Sure, go ahead, Daniel,” she said. “Tell them to come about seven o’clock.”

  Daniel carried Cheryl over to the phone on the wall in the kitchen.

  “Jedlock!” he said when his friend answered. He explained his reason for calling.

  While Jed set down the phone to talk to his parents, Daniel tickled Cheryl until she squirmed and almost slid out of his arms. She was getting heavier all the time, so he stopped and set her onto the floor. She padded away to get the carrot stick Mom held out to her.

  “Mom, can Jed come for supper?” Daniel asked on the spur of the moment.

  “Sure,” she answered, turning back to the kitchen sink to peel more carrots.

  Jed returned to the other end of the phone.

  “No problemo,” he said. “My folks will be there.”

  “Good, how about you coming now and you can stay for supper?”

  “Hang on!”

  He could hear Jed calling to his mom in another room of their house.

  When he came back, he said, “Sure, I have to do a few chores first, though, then I’ll bike over. Say in about an hour and a half?”

  “Sure. See ya soon!

  “Okay!” Jed slammed down the receiver in Daniel’s ear like he always did.

  Daniel headed to the fridge for some cool water, drank two glasses full, and then headed outside. It was too early to start chores. And he sure didn’t want to be roped into doing any more than he had to. He plodded over to the garden and into the raspberry patch. His mom couldn’t see him from the window.

  He’d eaten a couple of handfuls, when he suddenly remembered he needed to go back to his hideout. He’d seen a display of plant fossil impressions at the museum, and it reminded him of something peculiar on the piece of bark that lay on his hideout floor. Quickly, Daniel headed to the house and called to his mother through the screen in the kitchen window.

  “Mom, I’m going to my hideout for a really short while. I just need to put a couple of things away,” he said.

  “Come and get your hat and some water,” Mom insisted.

  Daniel screwed up his face, “Aw, Mom, I won’t be gone long!”

  “You won’t be going at all unless you get your hat and some water!” she retorted.

  Daniel mumbled to himself as he gathered the items, along with his backpack and research book. He already had his rock hammer sticking out of his back pocket. Jamming his baseball cap on his head, he whistled for Dactyl and they headed off at a fairly quick pace. He wanted to make sure he was back in time to meet Jed. This time there were no games with his dog. Dactyl seemed to sense the urgency and stayed close to his heels. Besides, it was too hot to do chasing of any kind.

  The sun was still high in the sky and hot as ever. Daniel was secretly glad his Mom had made him bring the water. As he walked he took an irregular path, keeping his eyes out for the Nelwins, but they didn’t seem to be around.

  Daniel reached his hideout without incident and crawled into the somewhat cooler interior. He removed his backpack and dug out a bottle of water, and took a couple of swigs while Dactyl did his usual examination of the entire cavern. Then he poured some water in the old tin pot for his pet. Right after that, Daniel put the water bottle into his backpack and at the same time picked up the piece of bark off the floor.

  Instantly, there was a crackling noise, and then Dactyl and the cave disappeared!

  Chapter Seven

  Daniel froze. “Oh, no! Not again!!!”

  He stood in shallow, reedy water, staring at a prehistoric forest. Eerily, a low mist shrouded the tops of the trees.
He looked desperately around for any signs of immediate danger. Seeing nothing he recognized, he examined his situation.

  In one hand he held his backpack and in the other the chunk of bark from his hideout floor. He looked down at his feet. Luckily he had his runners on, as there were all kinds of bugs and strange things floating on the water. Who knew what they were or if they’d bite or sting? Or what else might be lurking in the depths? He looked about quickly and stepped as fast as he dared onto the marshy shore. Every nerve in his body tingled and his chest tightened with each step he took.

  Weird, piercing calls sounded from deep within the trees. Behind him the landscape was desolate and swampy with little fingers of land along the edges. Numerous small islands with a few trees and plants on them spotted the shallow sea. Small groupings of water lilies floated a few yards from the shore. The air smelled just like it did back home after a rain.

  As he walked over the muddy ground, his sneakers made sucking noises every time he lifted a foot. Little sand creatures scurried out of his way and hundreds of minnows swam in shallow puddles. Giant dragonflies fluttered by on translucent yellow wings, and distorted-looking bees droned about the low flowering magnolias. The white blossoms gave off a strong perfumed scent that made him sneeze as he headed towards the denser trees and more solid ground. And, he hoped, to some kind of safety!

  As he rounded a bluff of trees, he stopped short. A huge carcass lay in torn shreds and rotting hunks over the ground in front of him. Small animals and birdlike creatures swooped in, ripped off portions, and scurried away with them, oblivious to Daniel. He looked more closely at the frame of the dead dinosaur. It was a Stegosaurus. He could tell by what was left of the dome-shaped head. The Edmontosaurus must have escaped! He felt only slightly cheered by the thought.

  Holding his nose to keep out the smell of rotting flesh, he picked his way through the leftover debris. He noted the huge tooth marks made by the T. rex when it attacked, killed, and ripped apart its prey. His thoughts turned to Roxanne and he wondered if there had been any progress on the cleaning and preparation of their special find. How had Roxanne died?

  A rustling sound from the other side of the trees brought Daniel back to instant alertness. With extreme care, he skirted the debris in a wide arc, hiding behind various clumps of low bushes. He headed towards a small stand of shorter trees, where he examined the cycad ferns beneath them. When he was sure there were no nests or other creatures inhabiting the foliage, he crawled under the fronds and sat against their base. Whew! He’d made it!

  Good thing there were ferns. He sure didn’t relish climbing one of the giant redwoods at the moment. If anything, the air seemed even hotter and moister than in the previous visit, Daniel thought, wiping the sweat from his face.

  As he reached for his backpack for some water, he realized he still held the piece of bark. He examined the thick, reddish-brown, rough texture. How had he ended up with it at his hideout? Where had it come from? He was sure he’d never seen it before he’d been in dinosaur time. And for sure, it wasn’t from a local tree around his farm. They were all poplars, willows, and elms, not forest conifers.

  He peered about and held the bark between his fingers in the air, comparing it to a nearby redwood tree. From this distance, it appeared to be similar. Slowly he stuck his head out of the ferns and checked for danger, and then he crawled from his hiding place. Upright again, he headed for the tree. No doubt about it. The bark belonged to a redwood.

  Just then the ground started to tremble beneath his feet. Something huge was approaching. At first he couldn’t tell from which direction, but as the vibrations increased, they seemed to be coming from the forest in front of him and to his left. What to do? Dive back under the fern or climb the tree? He chose the fern. There wasn’t time to scale up any trunks.

  The ground shook beneath him as he ran back to the fern. He startled a small dog-sized lizard and nearly tripped. But he managed to get under the fern and tight against the base before whatever creature it was appeared. Moments later he saw a Tyrannosaurus! Its huge yellow eyes glared out of its ferocious head that swung twenty feet above Daniel. Somehow it seemed even more terrifying now that he’d examined the skeleton closely at the Discovery Centre. Daniel was probably nothing more to the T. rex than a barn cat would be to him!

  Even though it was still several yards away from him, the ground vibrated in waves with each step it took. Daniel tightened his mouth to keep his teeth from chattering. He trembled all over! The T. rex’s huge feet left deep indentations in the mud as it headed towards the sea. As it passed, Daniel saw the scar on its back. It was the same T. rex from before! He’d definitely come back to the same time and almost the same place! How could this have happened?

  Thinking back to the first time he’d travelled back to the Cretaceous Period, Daniel recalled how he’d climbed the redwood and then been attacked by the Pteranodon. When he’d returned home and emptied his backpack, the bark had fallen out. A piece must have broken off and fallen into his pack when he fell from the tree!

  He stared at the piece still clutched in his hand. Had he gone back in time again when he’d picked it up? That must be it! It was the last thing he’d touched before he’d been transferred into the prehistoric world. Obviously he’d carried it around in his backpack and nothing had happened, but as soon as he came into physical contact with it, the shift had occurred! Did that mean the opposite would happen? If he let go of the bark, would he return to his own time?

  Before he could decide, the T. rex swung about and headed in his direction. It snorted and swung its head about as if it were sniffing a scent in the air. Daniel felt his mouth drop open. Had it detected him? Was he going to be lunch? This time there were no distractions for the creature as it plodded his way. Daniel gasped and shrunk into the shrubbery, but there was nowhere to hide from a vicious dinosaur. Its huge feet covered a large area of ground in a short time and the ground quaked.

  So did Daniel! In a total panic of clashing nerves and rolling stomach, Daniel couldn’t think straight. He clutched his backpack and moved backwards just as the

  T. rex’s head dropped to inspect the fern he hid under. Without even realizing it, Daniel dropped the chunk of bark inside his backpack. A loud snapping noise cracked in his ear.

  ~

  Instantly, he was back in the present – a few yards from his hideout. Inside, he heard Dactyl let out a howl. Daniel ducked inside. His eyes had gone blurry, but he could just make out the shape of Dactyl, cowering in the back of the cave.

  “It’s okay, boy,” he said, trembling uncontrollably from the narrow escape. Gradually his eyes cleared.

  His teeth chattered and every nerve in his body seemed to tingle at once. Daniel flung the backpack off. It landed a couple of feet away. Then he thumped onto the ground and sat there. Dactyl whined and slowly came forward to examine him, licking his face and wagging his tail. Daniel raised his arm and hugged his dog to him tightly. He’d thought he might never see him again.

  Even though the hideout was warm and cozy, Daniel couldn’t stop shivering. He knew it was from shock, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it. He wasn’t even sure if he could walk home again. He needed a drink of water, but he was afraid to touch the backpack. Something told him to stay clear of the piece of bark, which he vaguely recalled he’d dropped back inside at the last possible second. He could still feel and smell the horrible breath of the T. rex!

  Then he thought about the surprise the T. rex must have had when he’d disappeared before its startled “3D” eyes. As he tried to imagine the astonished look on its fiercely grotesque face, he began laughing hysterically. Dactyl began barking in excitement. When he gained control again, Daniel sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. He was parched.

  Slowly, he crawled over to his backpack and touched it. Nothing happened, so he carefully opened a flap. He saw the chunk of bark, and licking his lips in deep concentration, he avoided it while he drew a bottle of water from the pack. Rel
axing when he had the bottle safely in his hands, he took a long drink, letting the refreshing moisture soothe his dry throat. He swirled it around his mouth and closed his eyes, savouring it. He was grateful for being alive and being able to taste and swallow. If things had gone differently, the T. rex would be swallowing him right now! Scotty or not, that beast was not a friendly one!

  When he finished, he set the bottle on the cave floor and with great delicacy tipped the rest of the contents out of the backpack. Using the handle of his rock hammer, he separated everything away from the piece of bark, being careful not to touch it. Dactyl went over to sniff at it.

  Daniel hollered at him. “No, boy! Don’t touch!” He brushed Dactyl away roughly.

  Dactyl whined and looked eagerly at Daniel, wagging his tail in short bursts of confusion. Daniel poured some water in Dactyl’s dish to distract him. Now he had to think of a safe place to keep the bark. He should have left it behind and then there wouldn’t have been any more trouble. If only he’d thought of that then!

  But he knew, somewhere deep inside him, that he had too much curiosity and that maybe sometime, if he planned properly, he’d go back again to explore. For right now, though, he didn’t want the bark to fall into the wrong hands. Nor did he want Dactyl touching it, in case it affected him too.

  Then a crazy thought struck him. Pederson wanted proof. Maybe he’d give him the opportunity! He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. The time shift must have addled his brain. He didn’t want to subject the old man to such a horrible encounter. He might have a heart attack or something. There wasn’t anyone he could share the adventure with – Jed would be needlessly traumatized too.

  Suddenly, Daniel remembered that Jed would be over soon. He had to get back! He collected his belongings into his backpack and stared at the bark. He didn’t dare touch it – not even to move it with a stick. Maybe if he just covered it somehow. He looked around the hideout and spotted a pot lid. Perfect for now! He placed it over top, careful not to disturb the chunk in any way.