Dinosaur Stakeout

by Judith Silverthorne

  “I have to go,” Daniel ­pleaded.

  “Daniel, you have to listen to reason,” implored Dr. Roost. “You’d be sorely missed if you didn’t return. And I’d never forgive myself.”

  Daniel thought about his family for a moment, but convinced himself that he would be ­okay.

  He stood his ground. “I’m definitely going!”

  Mildred Roost shuffled her weight and stared at him intently. “How about a compromise then, Daniel?” she ­suggested.

  Daniel eyed her with ­curiosity.

  “How about you and I both go?”

  Now Daniel felt like the bowling ball had settled into his stomach. She could ruin everything. She would be nothing but trouble, slowing him ­down.

  “I won’t even be gone long,” Daniel explained. “I’ll just pop into the past and go straight to the Edmontosaurus to see if she’s the same one we uncovered,” he said. “And I’m hoping I can take a photo of the Stygimoloch. Otherwise, I’ll be right back. You’d hardly have time to see anything.”

  Dr. Roost cleared her throat. “I’m not sure you have much choice in the matter,” she said with rigid determination. “If you’re going, young man, so am I.”

  Daniel felt panic pulsing along his veins. She could be about as delicate as a rhinoceros in a henhouse, and just about as noisy too. Did he dare tell her what he ­thought?

  She seemed to read his mind. “I’ll go along quietly, let you take the lead. At least if I’m there, maybe I can keep you safe.”

  Daniel shook his head, stifling a bout of nervous laughter. It would be everything he could do to keep her out of harm’s way. What if she got hurt or was ­killed?

  “It’s just too dangerous for you to come!” Daniel blurted ­out.

  Ignoring his protests, Dr. Roost adjusted her bulging backpack and stood with her arms crossed in front of ­her.

  Daniel studied her. Today she wore baggy trousers with a long, ­camel-­coloured shirt and sturdy walking boots. Under her Tilley hat, her long grey hair was caught up in a braid that she’d wound around her head. She was definitely attired for the trip. But she couldn’t possibly help him and would probably get in his way!

  As if sensing his thoughts, Mildred Roost added, “I can keep pace with you well enough. I can assist you too. One of us will keep our eyes peeled in all directions, while the other takes photographs or gathers information. We can improvise as we go.”

  Daniel looked at her in ­surprise.

  “Oh yes, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this,” she said excitedly. “This is the chance of a lifetime, and I’m going to make the most of it! You know the terrain, right?”

  Daniel nodded. “Yes, but it’s quite a hike through trees and sloughy ­land.”

  “Let’s do it, then,” she ­replied.

  Daniel knew she wasn’t going to budge. He’d either have to take her along or forget it, at least for awhile. Or maybe for ­good – ­if Mildred Roost told Mr. Pederson or his ­parents.

  “We still need to be inside my hideout, though, to leave.” He looked at her ­questioningly.

  Mildred Roost swung her backpack off and slid it into the hideout doorway, followed by her cane. Then she got down on her hands and knees and crawled inside. Daniel shoved his backpack in next, and followed behind. Mildred Roost knelt as she surveyed the interior of his ­hideout.

  “Wow, this is superb, Daniel. When we return, you’ll have to tell me about the contents.” She gave a husky laugh, as she looked around at his collections of stones and fossils, and his overnight gear. Then she stood up in the centre and slipped her backpack on and waited for Daniel’s ­instructions.

  “So how does this work?” Dr. Roost ­asked.

  He pointed to the wall. “I have a pine cone from the past hidden there. You’ll have to hang on to me, because as soon as I touch it, we’ll be hurled into the Cretaceous time.”

  “Amazing,” said Dr. Roost. “Well, let’s go!”

  Daniel felt suddenly nervous. It was one thing to go alone, but to purposely take someone else that he was responsible for wasn’t part of his plan for adventure. With Dr. Roost watching his every move, his ­self-­assurance seemed to slip. He had to concentrate on the task instead and bolster his own confidence. Besides being a momentous occasion, he knew how dangerous the trip was. Dr. Roost seemed to sense the seriousness. She stood still and silent, allowing Daniel to prepare himself mentally for their ­journey.

  Daniel stared at Mildred Roost intently. He should have little trouble convincing her of danger or when to return, unlike the problem he’d had with the Nelwins. They’d been so scared and disbelieving that they’d almost destroyed the chance to make it back. He’d just stay close to Dr. Roost and make sure they came back together. Her coming along changed his plans, ­though – ­she’d probably slow him ­down.

  “We have to stick really close together, and if we’re in any danger, we have to drop the cone and we’ll be back here instantly.” Just saying that out loud somehow made him feel ­safer.

  “I understand totally, Daniel,” Dr. Roost confirmed ­quietly.

  Daniel’s palms were sweaty and his heart thumped loudly as he moved about gathering the tools he needed and stowing them in his backpack. He went over to his stump and sat down. He stared at the patched wall where the pine cone was hidden, reassuring himself that he was only going for a short time. Just long enough to track down the Edmontosaurus, take a few pictures of any Stygimoloch they might see, and gather a few samples along the ­way.

  Daniel looked at her. “Be ready to dash off in any direction as soon as we arrive,” he directed ­her.

  She ­nodded.

  Reaching for the small garden trowel, Daniel clutched it firmly and stood up. Now was the time for action. He began scraping the patched dirt off the wall. Clink! He hit the stone covering the pine cone. He gulped. Gently, he pried out the stone and set down the trowel, pushing both away with his foot, while keeping his eyes on the ­hole.

  Swiftly, Daniel checked his pockets and adjusted his backpack. He was all set. If his theory was right, they should end up about where he’d been before. Hopefully, they wouldn’t land in the water, or they’d be at a disadvantage right from the start. He glanced over at Dr. ­Roost.

  She showed him a ­thumbs-­up signal. Her eyes danced with anticipation as she moved to stand beside ­him.

  “Stick right with me and move fast if you need to,” he warned again. “Now hold onto my hand.”

  She reached out and took his left hand, giving it a squeeze. She held her cane in her other hand and stood looking straight ahead and ready for ­action.

  Taking a deep breath, Daniel reached for the pine cone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dactyl appear in the doorway. There was no time to lose!

  In one sudden, jerking movement, Daniel grabbed for the cone. At the same time, Dr. Roost tightened her grip on his hand. A sizzling crack sounded in his ears. A split second later everything went ­black.

  Daniel and Mildred Roost were in prehistoric time!

  ~

  Daniel gasped in the hot, humid air, twisting his head this way and that, trying to take everything in at once. He heard Mildred Roost’s sharp intake of breath as she suddenly dropped his hand. Not seeing any immediate danger, Daniel tucked the pine cone into his jeans pocket, and watched in delight as Dr. Roost took in her surroundings, her mouth open in astonishment. Dawn was just breaking and streaks of yellow and pink lit up the ­sky.

  They’d landed almost on target on the shore of a huge inland sea. Daniel was sure it was the same one, because it stretched far into the horizon and ­familiar-­looking streams spilled into the muddy shore. Densely crowded small trees, low bushes, and ferns grew along the water’s ­edge.

  Luckily, they hadn’t landed right in the water. Unfortunately, though, their feet were stuck in gooey mud. Dr. Roost stood rooted in the soft mud as if held there by hardened cement. When Daniel tried to lift a sneaker, he had to pull hard against the sucking
sludge. His movements roused Dr. Roost, who wrestled herself free with her cane, now firmly gripped in her right ­hand.

  Gradually, they moved farther onto the beach, steadying each other. They scraped the muck off their shoes, but not before some had oozed inside and got on their socks and pant legs. Mildred Roost didn’t even seem to notice the discomfort as she observed their ­environ-ment.

  “Bloody amazing!” Her quiet words were full of ­wonder.

  Sudden, piercing sounds penetrated the air from the depths of the dark forest in front of them. The first light of dawn sent shadows over the beachfront from a single lofty pine close ­by.

  “Daniel, look!” Dr. Roost pointed to a Basilemys, one of the largest turtles known from the period. “It must be a metre and a half long and a metre across.”

  As they watched, the creature poked its neck farther out of its thick shell, raised its head, and squinted at them with tiny eyes. Its fat, tubular legs lay flat to the ground with ­flapper-­like feet on the ends that presumably pushed the mud as it plodded ­along.

  “Graviportal legs, just like some turtles today,” observed Dr. Roost. Then she explained. “They can’t move their wrists and ankles, because the heavy shell restricts their limbs from ever becoming vertical.”

  “That’s why they move so slowly, I guess,” Daniel said. “That shell is as thick as my fist!” He studied its hard covering, marvelling at the distinctive patterns etched into it, as it turned and lumbered along the shore away from ­them.

  Towards the water’s edge on a low branch of a gingko tree, a large ­gull-­like bird groomed its multicoloured feathers with its long, ­tooth-­filled beak. Suddenly, it flew off and snapped up a giant green beetle scuttling along the ­mud.

  Mildred Roost grasped her hands together in excitement. “I can hardly believe this is real,” she said softly, so as not to attract attention to ­them.

  Around a distant point of the shoreline, some kind of creatures unfamiliar to Daniel roamed. He pointed them out to Dr. Roost, as they ripped at aquatic plants. In between their long necks and ­whip-­like tails, their bodies were protected by bony plates. They had four ­stump-­like legs, long skulls with large ear openings, and wide snouts for gobbling ­plants.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think we were seeing Quaesitosaurus,” Mildred Roost spoke quietly beside him. “But they lived much earlier and only in Mongolia, so these must be some kind of related species.”

  Daniel eyed the large creatures warily, and then he noticed a flock of large shorebirds on the ­beach.

  “Cimolopteryx, I think,” Daniel ­pointed.

  “Remarkable!” said Dr. Roost. “Remains have only been found as close as Wyoming up until now.”

  They watched the colourful prehistoric birds use their long, slender bills to probe in the mud for food. Occasionally one waded into the water and then dove after its prey, running rapidly on long, strong legs. They took no notice of the ­humans.

  As Daniel surveyed the environment, he reflected on the strangeness of being in a place where almost all the animals were unfamiliar. There were no cows, horses, cats, or dogs. All of those would come many millions of years later. How amazing to be standing there watching creatures that were extinct in his own time! Their world had to disappear for his world to evolve into what it was ­today.

  He looked in the other direction, further down the seaside, where two creatures about the size of an ostrich were drinking in the shallows. They had ­five-­fingered hands on small arms, and ­four-­toed feet at the back. Daniel took note of the horny beaks and large eyes protruding from their smallish heads. They must have come to the freshwater sea to quench their thirst, as they usually lived in the ­forest.

  “My goodness, I can’t believe my ­eyes – ­Thescelosaurus,” Mildred spoke at ­last.

  Daniel nodded. He’d seen examples of Thescelosaurus on his last trip and had recognized them ­then.

  “The only traces of a dinosaur heart that’s ever been found came from one of them. They discovered it in a fossilized chest cavity down in South Dakota. It was ­four-­chambered, so they think they were ­warm-­blooded creatures, although some scientists more recently have challenged this theory.”

  “Wow!” said Daniel, looking at them with renewed interest. “I didn’t know that.”

  “I’m not too surprised to see that they lived around here, I just wonder why we haven’t come across any fossils of them so far.” She poked Daniel. “Get out the camera.”

  As quietly as he could, Daniel fished the camera out of his backpack and handed it to Dr. Roost. He’d let her do the picture taking, while he kept watch. So far, they were only seeing relatively harmless herbivores and ­bird-­like creatures. Not that Daniel was complaining. And although they’d only been here less than a couple of minutes, he knew he had to find a safe vantage point for them ­soon.

  Daniel kept watch for ­Borealosuchus – ­huge ­crocodiles – ­behind them, but he knew from experience that it was hard to distinguish them from the fallen logs on the beach and those draping into the water. If something moved suddenly, they’d have to make a run for it. They’d have to keep their eyes skyward too. He peered into the redwood forest several hundred yards ­away.

  Normally, he would have made his way to one of the trees that he could climb to safety, but now that he had Mildred Roost to consider, he’d aim instead for a huge clump of cycads. Not the best choice, but at least some ground cover would protect them from sight. They had some dangerous patches to cross before they would get to the nesting Edmontosaurus. Would they make it there ­unscathed?

  For the moment, danger seemed far away and he felt the thrill of being back in this marvellous world. And this time he had someone with him who understood what they were seeing and who might even be of help to ­him.

  Chapter Eight

  Back down the beach, Daniel saw the Thescelosaurus turning away from the sea and heading back into the trees. A flock of pterosaurs scooped fish out of the shallow water some distance away. To their left, creatures that looked like a cross between a loon and a huge duck crowded onto the shore on their bellies like penguins. They only seemed to be able to move by digging into the sand with their legs and pushing like a sea turtle. They obviously couldn’t ­fly.

  Daniel became mesmerized as he watched some of them plough rapidly through the water with sharp leg strokes. They dove underwater, using long jaws filled with many tiny teeth to grab at schools of fish. Their feathered bodies were sleek with long legs and webbed feet. While they scanned the depths, they ­floated.

  “They’re ­Hesperornis-­like,” Dr. Roost said in his ear. “Look at their small wings. At most, they might use them to make turns while swimming under water, but see how they seem to rely on slowing down and using sideward strokes of their legs.”

  Daniel nodded. “And look at how their legs stick out – perpendicular to their bodies!”

  “Definitely ­peculiar-­looking!” Mildred Roost ­concurred.

  Daniel chuckled quietly. “But then almost everything’s really strange here!”

  Dr. Roost gave a snort of agreement and snapped several more photographs. Daniel pulled his attention away and looked around for some way of marking their location on the beach. He wanted to be sure they could come back to their landing spot when they were ready to go back to their own time, so they could return to his ­hideout.

  Touching Dr. Roost’s arm, he whispered, “Your turn to keep watch. It’s time to start marking our trail.”

  Quickly, he gathered some soggy limbs on the beach, standing them upright, and pounding several into the soft ground near a pine tree, teepee fashion. He tied them into a bundle with a chunk of twine he’d brought. All the while he worked, Dr. Roost seemed mesmerized by the ­environment.

  “This is kind of like being in Florida, in the swampy areas,” she said ­quietly.

  “Have you been there?” Daniel ­asked.

  “Yes, it’s a fascinating place.”

&nbs
p; “I’d like to go there some day.”

  “I’m sure you shall,” she said not taking her eyes off their surroundings. “Though this does have quite a few differences. Everything here is magnified in size and almost surreal compared to there.”

  “I don’t suppose there’s any place on earth that’s like this,” agreed Daniel, ducking a ­palm-­sized ­bumblebee-­like insect that flew at his head. “It’s like everything is out of proportion here. Like we’re little kids in a giant world.”

  Carefully, Daniel wound some of his mom’s plant tape around his structure. Then he stood back and surveyed the ­result.

  Dr. Roost tapped the structure with her cane. “Seems sturdy enough.”

  Daniel looked at her with one raised eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t offered any help or advice and he wasn’t expecting her to pass judgement on his work. He ignored the comment and retrieved his compass, a pencil, and a scribbler. Drawing a rough map, he noted the direction they would be ­heading.

  Mildred Roost came over to stand beside him as he tucked his notebook away. “This is better than I could ever have dreamed,” she ­said.

  “There’s plenty more to see,” Daniel answered as he slid the compass into his jeans ­pocket.

  Carefully, he moved forward, motioning to Dr. Roost. She slung her camera strap around her neck and followed, making as little disturbance as possible, just as he did. The many small creatures in the underbrush could be dangerous too. He knew there had to be several hundred species in the prehistoric past, although maybe not as many as there were in the present world. For sure, dinosaurs shared their world with a multitude of others in various shapes and sizes: amphibians, tiny mammals, bony fishes and shellfishes, marine, land, and flying reptiles, insects, and ­birds.

  And except for those he’d previously encountered, Daniel had no idea how any of them would react to human beings. Would they ignore them, or attack? He kept watch in all directions. If they were stung or bitten, who knew if they’d survive? If any of these creatures had poisonous venom, there probably wasn’t an antidote, even in his own world. He swallowed and pushed forward through the tangled undergrowth. Their biggest challenge lay just ­ahead.