Dinosaur Stakeout

by Judith Silverthorne

  “That’s an excellent idea!” Mr. Pederson said. “Then we wouldn’t need a communication system to alert me when to expect them. I’d know beforehand.”

  Dad agreed. “I don’t know why we didn’t think about that before.”

  “Also, I’d get a little more work done,” Ole Pederson added. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you what I uncovered yesterday.” An expression of pure pleasure spread across his face as he explained about the possible ­Stygimoloch.

  Everyone clapped and cheered at the news. Even Cheryl joined in laughing and clapping, wanting to be part of the group, but not understanding what the commotion was all ­about.

  “I’m going to keep the skull hidden under a tarp for now, and continue to leave it out of the tour until we do more excavating. I’d like to identify it officially. Do you think we could keep it quiet? Just between us all here in the house?” Mr. Pederson eyed those around the ­table.

  Everyone agreed. They all knew the Lindstrom family’s problem with ­secrets.

  “I have some news too,” Daniel said. He told them about the photographs on his ­computer.

  Pederson shoved back his chair and stood up. “Let’s go take a look, lad!”

  Daniel and Ole Pederson made it up to his room in record time with the others trailing behind. After he turned on his computer, they stayed glued to it for some time, examining the photos of Roxanne. Dad, Mom, and Cheryl soon lost interest and left. The Nelwins went to start the barn chores, although Craig lingered longer than ­Todd.

  After everyone else had left, Daniel explained his theories to Ole Pederson. “I think it’s probably the same dinosaur that I saw when the Nelwins and I were back in time.”

  “You may be right, lad, but we’ll never know for sure.”

  Daniel just about blurted out his plan of returning. Instead, he held his tongue. Mr. Pederson wouldn’t let him go, if he ­knew.

  Mr. Pederson returned downstairs, while Daniel readied himself for the day, making his bed and tidying his room. The sound of crunching gravel under his window indicated the Lindstroms had arrived, and he hadn’t even done the milking yet. He hurried from his ­room.

  Outside he found Mildred Roost ready with all her gear strapped around her, making her look like a linebacker prepared to tackle. An old canvas bag sat hunched on her back and a worn leather carpenter’s belt around her waist stowed all her picks and chisels. As usual, her Tilley hat sat slightly ­off-­kilter towards the back of her head. She propelled herself across the yard towards the garden while she waited for Mr. Pederson to join her. Poking here and there with the tip of her cane, she examined the produce, checking for tomatoes under the leaves and tapping the cornstalks.

  Laughing at her investigative style, Daniel continued to the barn, but when she caught sight of him, she called him ­over.

  “Young man, I hear you’ve been having some interesting adventures.”

  Daniel eyed her suspiciously. What was she referring ­to?

  ”I guess so,” he answered ­evasively.

  She leaned closer to him. “You can tell me all about the prehistoric trips.” She lowered her voice almost to a ­whisper.

  “Did Mr. Pederson...?”

  “Yes, he told me. He was worried about you,” she said. “I’d like to hear about it.”

  Reluctantly, Daniel gave her a brief synopsis of his encounters, making sure no one else overheard ­them.

  Mildred Roost glowed with interest. “We’ll have to have further conversations,” she said. “I’d like to hear more of the details.”

  “I could show you the sketches I made sometime,” Daniel ­offered.

  Seeing as how she hadn’t sloughed his stories off as just his imagination, Daniel felt a little more confident in asking her opinion. “So, what do you think about travelling back in time?”

  “What a wonderful opportunity,” she said. “I’d give my eyeteeth to do something like that. Just wish there was a way.”

  She eyed Daniel closely, as if trying to penetrate into his mind. He was sure she was searching for evidence of his planning to make another trip. But he kept silent, ducking his head so she couldn’t peer into his eyes. He wasn’t about to say anything about his plans to go again. Mr. Pederson was heading in their direction, so they began discussing special finds that had been discovered over the ­years.

  The two older folks became so excited as they talked about archeological sites they’d worked on together that Daniel found himself totally hooked into going back to the time of the dinosaurs and staying longer than a few minutes. He might as well make his preparations worthwhile and make it a proper expedition to locate the Edmontosaurus. For sure, this would be his last excursion into the ­past.

  Then he heard Dr. Roost say she would make the trip into town for more plaster of Paris. They hoped to bring in some of the smaller fossils by the end of the ­day.

  “But I won’t need to wrap any large fossils for quite some time, so there’s no reason to make a special trip,” Mr. Pederson ­said.

  “I want to do this,” Dr. Roost ­insisted.

  “At least take my truck,” Mr. Pederson persuaded her, holding out his keys. “Yours is your home. Mine is for hauling things.”

  Mildred grumbled something about male chauvinism, but took the keys and strutted off in quick fashion with her cane ­swinging.

  Mr. Pederson went ahead to the quarry, while Daniel and the Nelwins finished at the barn. An hour later, the brothers left for the dig site. Daniel gathered bottles of water and his own tools and was ready to head out too, but Mom intercepted him. She gave him a container of snacks for their ­mid-­morning break. Dr. Roost had still not shown up by then. Daniel walked anxiously to the end of the driveway and peered down the access road. He returned ­wistfully.

  “You go ahead,” Jed called to him, “I’ll help her when she comes.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Daniel agreed without a moment’s hesitation. He was anxious to check on the progress of uncovering the Stygimoloch. Peculiar, though, that Dr. Roost wasn’t back yet. From all the praises Mr. Pederson had given about her, being late was not one of her characteristics. Where could she ­be?

  Once on the site, Daniel carefully removed the tarp from the Stygimoloch skull. He bent to examine it. Most of it was exposed, except for a back portion which was encased under heavy soil. They wouldn’t be able to get to it until they’d dug down, and getting to that depth meant digging more layered ­steps – ­the main reason Pederson had brought the Nelwins to help. Daniel covered the skull again. He guessed they wouldn’t be wrapping it for a few days ­yet.

  Daniel moved over to his own section and picked up a small paintbrush. Softly, he brushed around several teeth on a raised area about thirty centimetres in diameter. A shallow trench surrounded it. As he worked, he uncovered a piece of the jaw close to several teeth. Excitedly, he called Mr. Pederson ­over.

  “Good work, lad!” Pederson said, coming up behind him. “We might as well take this segment in. I have enough plaster for it.”

  Daniel picked up a small trowel and began digging the trench deeper and cutting away the dirt underneath and around the segment of fossils, forming a pedestal like a giant ­mushroom.

  From above them, the Nelwins stopped and leaned on their ­shovels.

  “Why are you doing that?” Craig called ­out.

  “It strengthens and protects the teeth for when we transport them,” Daniel answered, sitting back on his haunches, satisfied with his work. “Come and watch if you want.”

  As the boys hurried down, Pederson brought over some tissue paper, strips of burlap, and a plaster of Paris mixture. Carefully, he and Daniel laid the tissue over the fossilized teeth, then dipped the burlap into the plaster and spread the strips overtop, sealing it well. While they waited for it the field jacket to dry, they trooped over to see the progress of the ­Nelwins.

  “Great work, lads!” Mr. Pederson encouraged ­them.

  Daniel noticed the boys flushing with pride.
They probably didn’t often hear any ­praise.

  Daniel passed out bottles of water, and they stood sipping and staring out over the valley around them. The pale ­blue-­grey of the distant hills gave them a restful feeling underneath the hazy sun of the late morning. A hawk swooped and swerved down the valley, giving out a harsh keeer cry. As they breathed deeply, the distinctive smell of sage scented the air. No one spoke for a time, letting the peacefulness wash over ­them.

  The Nelwins eventually returned to their digging, and Mr. Pederson continued uncovering more of the Stygimoloch. While the plaster of the field jacket set, Daniel worked on an area close by. The heat and the dry winds sped up the drying process and he was soon able to move back to the partially jacketed ­teeth.

  He began trenching farther underneath the fossils until the stem of the ­pedestal-­shape was narrow enough to snap off and roll over. Pederson and the Nelwins came over to help him flip it. Then, Daniel cleared the base until he was close to the underside of the teeth. Together, they wrapped the bottom until the entire fossil clump was covered with the plaster ­jacket.

  “Now what will you do with it?” Craig ­asked.

  Mr. Pederson stood and answered. “Haul it back to the farm, then to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum lab at Eastend. The researchers and technicians will assemble and study it there.”

  “You mean you don’t get to do that?” asked ­Todd.

  “We’re part of the team that prefers to keep digging for the time being,” Pederson answered. “Besides, we have an agreement with the rsm and we’re in good hands with Tim Tokaryk. They’re the experts over there.”

  “Have you ever been there?” Daniel ­asked.

  Todd and Craig shook their ­heads.

  “How about we take you sometime?” Pederson said, obviously pleased with the Nelwins’ interest in ­paleontology.

  “Sure,” said Craig, the more outgoing of the two. Todd nodded his head in ­agreement.

  Suddenly, they all turned at the sound of some scuffling ­overhead.

  “Ahoy, there!” A shout came from Mildred Roost, who appeared over the crest of the hill above them. They watched her progress as she ambled down skilfully, barely using her cane as a support. She reached the bottom unscathed and began leisurely examining the day’s progress in the bone bed. Her face was partially hidden by her Tilley hat, but they could see a look of deep concentration etched ­there.

  “So do I get to see your new find today?” she asked smiling ­hopefully.

  Pederson took her arm and guided her to the Stygimoloch skull. She lifted the tarp and bent down to study the fossil. Her eyes brightened with excitement, as she turned to Ole Pederson. “This is a find of great consequence!”

  “I have great hopes there will be far more of the skeleton here,” Pederson said, pleased by her ­praise.

  Mildred nodded. “Indeed, this find will bring you great recognition, and about time too!” She grasped him by the arm and he beamed at ­her.

  They wandered over the site then, chatting in their own world, as if the rest of them didn’t exist. The Nelwins went back to digging, and Daniel watched the old couple for a few minutes, wondering if there was something more than the shared interest in paleontology drawing them ­together.

  Then he thought again about his trip to prehistoric time. Dr. Roost was definitely going to be an added distraction to everyone. He might try to go even sooner than he’d planned. He just had to make sure she didn’t notice any suspicious movements. Her ­hawk-­like eyes didn’t seem to miss much! He’d be extremely careful around her while he gathered his ­gear.

  Vials, specimen kits, labels! Daniel mentally added those to his list too. Maybe a first aid kit would be a good thing, especially as he seemed prone to being injured. And what about some kind of strong rope? He’d definitely take his binoculars and maybe a magnifying ­glass.

  Although he’d decided to stay in the past more than a few minutes, he still didn’t intend on being there long. He wasn’t sure of the time changes from present to past, or what kind of terrain he’d end up in, and he might need to rest. A small nylon tent would be of little protection set up on the ground, so that was out. Maybe he should take a sheet of plastic that he could wrap around himself while he was up in a tree, in case it rained? He shuddered at the thought of spending hours in cramped conditions. He had no intention of doing that and quickly shrugged off the ­idea.

  Jed appeared a few moments later, panting with the weight of the sack of plaster of Paris on his back. He slid the bag to the ground and groaned with relief. Then he joined Daniel, waving to the Nelwins on the hill above ­them.

  “Hello, Jedlock!” Daniel gave him a ­high-­five. “How’s it going?”

  “Good!” he said, rolling his shoulder blades together to ease the tension. “Hauling that plaster for Dr. Roost is not my idea of fun. But as far as the tours go, it’s been a light morning. I’m sure it’ll pick up this afternoon. We’ve had a few more calls.”

  Then Daniel explained what he’d done so far that day, pointing to the fossils in the field jacket drying in the ­sun.

  “Do you think I could come back and work on my area sometime?” Jed asked, looking wistfully over at the tiny scratching marks of a ­bird-­like creature he’d uncovered several days earlier. Prints of any kind were rare, and ones of birds almost ­non-­existent, so these were ex-tremely ­important.

  “Sure,” Daniel said. “Let’s see the schedule when we get back, and maybe you can come later and I’ll take over the tours.”

  “Right on!” Jed said, breaking into a huge ­grin.

  As they observed the action below, they saw Dr. Roost take a digital camera from her backpack. She took a couple of shots of the tiny fossils, then wandered over and took some of the exposed ­ribs.

  A digital camera! That’s what I need, Daniel thought, wondering if he could borrow hers for his adventure into the past. He’d have instant results of everything he snapped, and wouldn’t have to take extra rolls of film with him. Mentally, he reviewed his list. Could he fit everything into his backpack? He’d have to make it ­so.

  The Nelwins worked at a slower pace now that the sun was higher in the sky. Mildred Roost wandered off, scouring the hillsides. Daniel and Pederson began gathering the tiny fossils from the microsite. They scooped shovelfuls carefully into gunny sacks, ready to take to the lab with the jacketed teeth ­fossils.

  The rest of the morning passed quickly. Dr. Roost eventually returned and they all headed back to the farmyard for lunch. There was time to have a nice long break before more tourists ­arrived.

  Daniel, Lucy, and Jed looked over the schedule after finishing their meals. They saw that they could handle all the tours and still give Jed some time at the site. Jed decided to leave right away, so he could extend his time. Mr. Pederson, Mildred Roost, and the Nelwins headed off with ­him.

  As they passed by Daniel’s dad, he quietly stopped Craig and ­Todd.

  “Thanks for the great job you’ve done today, boys,” he ­said.

  “You’re welcome,” they replied in unison, their voices sounding surprised. They seemed to stand a little ­straighter.

  “I don’t mind doing farm work,” Todd ­said.

  “Good,” Dad answered, with a kindly dismissive gesture. “Have fun at the dig.”

  “We will,” answered Craig, before he and Todd rushed to catch up with the ­others.

  While everyone was distracted, Daniel slipped away to plan for his trip. The worst problem would be keeping safe. Taking any kind of weapon would be useless against the megabeasts he’d encounter. Big knives, bows and arrows, and guns of any ­sort – ­regular, machine, elephant, or ­tranquillizers – ­wouldn’t be enough, even if he had access to any and knew how to use them. Dinosaurs’ hides were just too thick, and dinosaurs were too large to be brought down with a couple of shots. There weren’t even any steep cliffs to run them over like the First Nations people had done to buffalo in the past. Besides they were far bigger cre
atures. He shivered at the thought of being attacked. What would he do? He had to think of something or he’d be dino food in a ­flash.

  Chapter Six

  In his room, Daniel finalized his list and quietly began gathering the gear for the trip. In the bathroom, he loaded up with the bug spray, sunscreen, and first aid stuff. He slid open his closet door and laid them out on the bottom shelf. Mom wouldn’t be doing laundry for a while, so no one should see his ­stash.

  From his computer desk, he retrieved pencils, pens, sketching paper, and a notebook. As he collected all the items on the list, he ticked them off. When he’d done what he could in his room, Daniel headed to the kitchen. He rummaged around for some waterproof matches and grabbed a stash of granola bars. They would be light and easy to pack. He’d need something more substantial, but he could easily find something when he was ready to leave. Mom was used to him loading up and going out to the excavation site or his hideout. And really, this wouldn’t be any different, except he’d be going to visit the dinosaurs live!

  In the porch, he grabbed a couple of plastic garbage bags. The tools he wanted to take were at his hideout, and that was where he’d leave from. He thought again about using Dr. Roost’s digital camera instead of his own regular film one. A video camera would be even better, but no one he knew had one. Dr. Roost’s would do nicely. He just had to think of a way of asking for it without raising any ­suspicions.

  Daniel returned to his closet and lined everything up according to survival, research, and personal items. He felt his pulse race as he thought of his expedition. Maybe he should go tonight? No, being in prehistoric time in the dark was probably not the smartest thing to do. He’d noticed that no one was booked for a tour until eleven tomorrow. Maybe he could go after morning chores? He could go even earlier, if he could get the Nelwins to cover his barn chores for ­him.

  Excitedly, Daniel plotted his trip. He was positive he’d end up in the same prehistoric period, because he had the pine cone from that time. And he felt reasonably sure that he’d end up in the general vicinity of where he’d been three times before. As soon as he arrived, though, he’d have to be prepared to find cover quickly. He would be in constant danger, but he’d just have to be smarter than the dinosaurs!