Dinosaur Blackout

by Judith Silverthorne

  Daniel smiled to himself as he watched Mr. Pederson accompany Mildred Roost across the pasture to her parked truck. What a change his old friend had gone through since they’d begun talking about going back into prehistoric time. His step was lighter and his voice stronger. Even Dr. Roost was chattier than usual as they walked along, almost touching.

  “Thank you for making an old man feel better, lad.” Ole Pederson squeezed Daniel’s shoulder. “I’m looking forward to finishing our plans tomorrow.”

  “I am too,” said Dr. Roost. “We’ll see you bright and early at the Bringhams’ for breakfast.”

  “Bye, Mildred,” Pederson said with a smile that lit up his eyes.

  Dactyl appeared and hopped into the truck ahead of Daniel. On the ride home, Daniel sat lost in his thoughts.

  “And what’s that smirk doing on your face, young man?” asked Mildred Roost.

  “Nothing,” he answered.

  “Whatever you’re thinking probably isn’t right,” she retorted.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” said Daniel. “I think Mr. Pederson’s kind of sweet on you.”

  “Oh, bosh,” she said. “We’ve known each other for years. We get along fine, that’s all.”

  “You mean to tell me you’re not sweet on him either?”

  Dr. Roost squirmed a little and stepped on the gas without answering. After a moment, she said, “I think you’re getting a mite too personal.”

  “I think I’m just getting too close to the truth,” quipped Daniel.

  “Maybe you are at that,” she said quietly, as if to herself.

  As they drove along, a companionable silence filled the cab of the truck. Daniel remembered how Mr. Pederson’s interest had been sparked and his attention diverted from the theft of his precious fossils. The only problem was that they’d actually have to travel back in time. He gave an involuntary shiver at the thought of the danger they’d be in. The only consoling thought was that they’d only be gone a short time – just long enough for Ole Pederson to see the Stygimolochs and to take a few pictures.

  As if reading his mind, Mildred Roost said, “We’ll plan this trip really well to minimize the risks. I’m sure we can estimate where we need to be within a very short distance.”

  “That will work if the Stygimolochs are still in the same grazing area,” said Daniel, a little bit doubtful.

  “True, but we can probably assume they’re creatures of habit. We’ll make sure we come right back either way,” she reassured him.

  “We’ll need to stay close together at all times.”

  “Indeed. You and I can stay on either side of Ole. We’ll keep a close watch on each other and grab him if we need to leave in a hurry.”

  “Sounds good,” said Daniel.

  He felt his stomach churning at the thought of entering the treacherous world of the dinosaurs again. The last time he’d gone, he’d barely made it out alive. What would it be like having two elderly people to keep an eye on? Having Dr. Roost with him had been bad enough, especially when they’d had to climb a tree. Although Mr. Pederson was looking much better, he was still fairly frail, simply because of his age. But then, Mildred Roost had surprised him with her agility when they’d time travelled together; maybe things would be okay. Besides, they were only going for a few minutes.

  When they returned to the yard, Mildred only stopped long enough to let Daniel out, honked hello to the Bringhams and continued to her parking spot on the far side of the yard. Daniel hurried to the barn. Dad had already milked the cows and Mom was doing the separating.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” said Daniel, grabbing a pitchfork and heading for the stalls. “I didn’t mean for you or Mom to have to do the work.”

  “It’s all right, Daniel,” Dad said. “I think it was more important for you to spend time with Ole.”

  Mom came out of the separating room and poured some milk into the cats’ bowl. Cheryl toddled behind her.

  “This is kind of like old times, all of us out here doing the chores together, isn’t it?” she said.

  Daniel had to admit it was nice to share the work with his family. A warm feeling had replaced his sense of foreboding and for a little while as they worked, he forgot about their other problems.

  “How is Mr. Pederson doing?” asked Dad.

  “He’ll be fine. He promised he’d be here for breakfast in the morning. He said he wouldn’t miss Mom’s cooking for anything.”

  Mom laughed. “Sounds like he’s got some of his old spunk back.”

  “Dr. Roost will be here too,” said Daniel. “She was at Mr. Pederson’s.”

  “Guess I’ll have to make something special then,” said Mom, wrinkling her brow.

  “How about Belgian waffles?” Daniel suggested.

  “I think that could be arranged.” She swung Cheryl onto her hip and left the barn. “I’ll let you feed the separated milk to the calves and I’ll get supper on. I’ve got the cream I need to whip for the morning.”

  “Sure thing,” said Daniel, grabbing a bale and spreading the straw into the stall his dad had just cleaned.

  When there was only one more stall to go, Daniel said, “I’ll finish up here, Dad.”

  “Okay, son. I’ll take you up on that. I want to get working on the books.”

  After a quick supper, Daniel wandered outside to spend some time with Gypsy. As he brushed her down, he thought again about Todd’s sudden disappearance. Did this point to his guilt or to knowledge about the theft? And what was up with Craig not returning either? A thought popped into his mind. He’d been so busy thinking suspicious things about Todd that he hadn’t considered whether there might be something wrong at their house. Maybe someone should go over and see if things were all right. They didn’t have a phone, so they couldn’t simply call.

  Daniel returned the grooming tools to the barn and hurried to the house.

  “Dad?” he called.

  “In the dining room, son,” Dad answered.

  Daniel rushed in. “Do you think we should go over to the Nelwins and see if they’re okay?”

  Dad thought about it for a moment. “Maybe we should, but I hate to interfere in someone else’s business, when we’re not asked. There isn’t really any good reason to go over.”

  “How about a purely social call? We could take some fresh cookies I baked this morning,” Mom suggested from the doorway, where she held a squirming Cheryl wrapped in a fluffy blue towel after her nightly bath. “You and I could go and chat with Horace...tell him how well his sons are doing, that kind of thing.”

  Dad shrugged. “Sure, if you want to.”

  “Yes, I do. I agree with Daniel and something tells me we should check it out.” She handed Cheryl over to Daniel. “How about you finish drying her off and get her into bed?”

  Daniel sighed. He wanted to go with his parents, but he knew there was no point in arguing.

  “Book,” said Cheryl.

  Daniel smiled. “Yes, I’ll read to you. Come on.” He carried her upstairs.

  From the window in Cheryl’s room, he watched his parents get into their car. Mom had her nursing bag in her hand. She often carried it with her, but Daniel was surprised she’d take it when they were only going a mile and a half away. Maybe she thought something had happened as well. Or maybe she was just being prepared.

  By the time Daniel finished reading Cheryl her book three times and she’d settled down to sleep, he heard Mom and Dad returning. Quietly, he left his sister’s room and slid down the banister in time to meet them at the kitchen door.

  “Well?”

  “There wasn’t anyone home,” said Mom, seeming even more puzzled than before.

  “We drove around the yard, but there weren’t any lights on anywhere,” said Dad.

  Mom said, “I wouldn’t let your father get out of the car with all those vicious dogs.”

  “The family was probably out somewhere,” suggested Dad. “We have no business nosing into their affairs.”

  “You’re
right, Ed,” Mom said, “but still I wonder if they’re okay.”

  “Hard to say,” said Dad, heading back to the dining room. “Well, I have to get back to my paperwork. The bank is expecting a financial report by Tuesday.”

  “Thanks for going anyway, Dad, Mom,” Daniel said, although he was disappointed with the outcome.

  Getting ready for bed, his thoughts turned to the things they’d need for the journey to dinosaur time. They were only going for five minutes, tops, but he wanted to be able to take advantage of every opportunity. Dr. Roost would have her digital camera, but he’d take his as a backup.

  He fell asleep still making plans.

  Chapter Six

  After chores and breakfast the next morning, Daniel headed back to his room, where he grabbed his prehistoric photographs of Stygimoloch and some reference books. Next he went to his secret hiding place under the shelf in the bottom of his closet. He removed the elastic-bound notebook he’d used during his last visit to the past and turned to the page where the prehistoric leaf lay preserved. He breathed slowly and avoided direct contact with it – one slip and he’d be flung totally unprepared into the perilous world of the dinosaurs. Then he gently turned to the last page, where he found the tiny branch he’d carved off an ancient tree in the past still inside its plastic bag. Securing the elastic bands around the notebook once again, he slipped it into a large Ziploc bag and tucked it into his backpack.

  By the time he gathered his research and made it downstairs, he found Ole Pederson’s truck running outside the back door with Pederson and Dr. Roost already seated inside. Daniel smiled to himself at how eager they were to work on the project.

  “I’d better double-check with Mom that it’s all right if I take off for a while,” Daniel said to Pederson through his rolled-down window.

  “Already taken care of,” Dr. Roost said from the passenger side. “I told her we had important things to be done. And make no mistake, we do.”

  Later, seated around Pederson’s table, Dr. Roost spread out the map she’d drawn the night before. Daniel was surprised to see how detailed it was. As he made tea for them all from the thermos of hot water Mr. Pederson had brought from Daniel’s mom, the old couple worked away on the maps and examined the photographs with a magnifying glass. Daniel added his calculations from the jottings and diagrams he’d made in his notebook.

  “These documents are quite important to the study of geographical changes throughout the ages,” said Pederson, using a pencil to add specific features that would help them align the two.

  Dr. Roost nodded. “One of our maps represents the Cretaceous Period and the other represents our present time. In between these periods came the ice ages, the beginnings of the first human societies and all the rest of human history.”

  Daniel thought about the implications. “It’s incredible even to think about the spot right here where we’re sitting and how it used to be.” He pointed to the spots on the two maps.

  “It’s amazing, all right.” Ole Pederson sat back in a contemplative mood. “And going back to that time is the most profound thing I could do in my life. I could never have dreamed I’d be planning to see actual Cretaceous Period creatures. I’m still concerned about the dangers, but I can hardly wait to go.” He rubbed his hands gleefully.

  All at once, he went still. “Why don’t we go right now?”

  “Whew!” Dr. Roost chortled. “We’re hardly prepared.”

  Daniel looked up from the maps. “Are you serious?”

  “Why don’t we just pop in for a couple of minutes and let me get the feel of it? Then I’ll have a better idea of what I need to take,” Mr. Pederson said.

  “That would be crazy,” spluttered Mildred Roost. “What’s gotten into you, anyway? It’s one thing to get going on the planning, but quite another to go too hastily.”

  “I just want a quick glimpse, that’s all,” grumbled Pederson.

  “But it’s so unlike you not to want to be totally prepared,” Dr. Roost said.

  “I’ve been prepared all my life,” said Pederson, “and where has it got me? The greatest discovery I’ve ever made was stolen from me and I’m right back at square one. Except now I have a chance to do something truly spectacular and I want to experience it as soon as I can.”

  “Well, you don’t want to put yourself or us in danger while you’re satisfying some whim, you silly old fool,” Dr. Roost scolded.

  Daniel eyed her carefully. The idea wasn’t that crazy, but maybe she was scared to go. Even more than he was.

  “All I’m suggesting is a quick look,” Pederson said.

  “But I don’t have my good hiking boots on or my backpack with all my stuff,” she objected.

  Mr. Pederson guffawed. “Well, then how about Daniel and I just drop in for a minute? I want to see how this all works.”

  When he felt Ole Pederson’s eyes on him, Daniel felt his pulse increase along with his breathing. “I g-g-guess we could go right away,” he spluttered out.

  “All right, do you have that leaf we need or not?” Pederson demanded.

  “How did you know that’s what I had?” asked Daniel.

  “I didn’t for sure, but you’ve just confirmed it,” smiled Pederson. “I knew it had to be something flat to fit in your notebook. So did you bring it?”

  Daniel gulped. “Yeah, I did, but I didn’t really expect to be going today.”

  “Don’t tell me I have two chicken-hearted partners,” he said.

  “You won’t be calling us that when you’ve seen what we have!” Dr. Roost said indignantly.

  “So show me,” Pederson goaded them.

  “We’re not falling for that trick, Mr. Pederson,” said Daniel. “I’ve used that one on Cheryl to get her to do something I want her to do, so give me some credit.”

  Pederson laughed sheepishly. “Okay then, why don’t you explain to me again how the time travel thing works.”

  “First off, we all have to stick together,” Daniel said. “I mean that very seriously.”

  Pederson nodded.

  “We have to be in contact so that we can all travel through time at once,” Daniel continued. “When I touch the leaf, you’ll be connected to me and we’ll instantly go. If I drop it or we lose it and we’re not touching each other, you’ll be stuck there and there’s no coming back for whoever is left behind.”

  “Do you have to hold the leaf the whole time we’re away?” asked Pederson.

  “No, I usually put it in my pocket. But as soon as I drop it – when it’s no longer touching me – I come back with whoever is connected to me.”

  “Okay, I’ve got that all straight. I have no intention of straying from either of you,” said Pederson. “So shall we give it a whirl?”

  “We haven’t even discussed where we’ll leave from,” Dr. Roost protested.

  “Details. Let’s just pick a spot and go for a few moments.”

  “We can’t do that, Mr. Pederson,” Daniel said. “We don’t want to end up in the middle of the sea!”

  “That’s for sure,” agreed Dr. Roost. “It’s slimy and the bottom sucks at your feet like quicksand, not to mention the hungry creatures lurking about.”

  Daniel added, “We have to be prepared in case we have to hide somewhere right away.”

  “You sure don’t want to be standing right in front of a T. rex with his mouth hanging open.” Dr. Roost looked at Pederson crossly.

  Meekly, Mr. Pederson sat back. “Yes, you’re right. I’ve waited this long. Guess I can wait a few more hours.”

  “Hours?” Dr. Roost stood up. “We can’t go today!”

  “Why not?” Pederson looked at her in surprise. “We can gather everything we need over the next couple of hours, surely.” He looked at Daniel. “How much time do you need?”

  “I suppose I could be ready in an hour or so. Maybe we could go after lunch.”

  Pederson turned to Dr. Roost, “Mildred?”

  “I suppose we could go then, but I stil
l don’t understand what the hurry is.”

  “And I don’t see the need to wait,” said Pederson.

  Daniel had never seen the old man quite so determined. He seemed to have stopped worrying about the implications of what they were about to do.

  “All right, then, you two are the experts. Where shall we leave from?” Pederson bent to study the maps.

  “I’d say about halfway between here and my hideout,” Daniel estimated.

  “Near where you and Mildred returned this last time?” asked Pederson.

  “No, a little closer to my hideout and a little bit more to the east – more towards the quarry.” He pointed to a spot on the map.

  Dr. Roost used the pencil to mark the spot. “I’d say that’s about right, Daniel. We saw the Stygimolochs when we were nearly across that meadow, which I think is about here.”

  “All right, that’s where we’ll leave from after lunch,” Pederson said confidently.

  But at lunchtime Daniel could hardly eat a thing, even though Mom had prepared lemon meringue pie for dessert.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Mom asked.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Just a little disappointed that there’s been no news from Corporal Fraser, I guess.”

  “That’s enough to put us all off our feed,” said Dr. Roost, swilling back the last of her tea.

  “I’m not leaving any crumbs,” said Pederson, wiping off the last of the meringue from his chin.

  “I’m glad to see you’re a little more chipper,” said Mom. “What do you attribute that to?”

  Pederson and Dr. Roost sat there with stony faces, not knowing what to say and not wanting to tell a lie. Daniel finally found his tongue.

  “We’re working out some strategies that might help find more information about the Stygimoloch. We’ve been studying maps of the area,” Daniel answered truthfully.

  “Yes, and we’d better get back to it,” suggested Dr. Roost, kicking at Mr. Pederson under the table.

  “Indeed! Thanks for another fabulous meal, Libby. I especially enjoyed the pie!” said Ole Pederson.

  “You’re quite welcome. There’s enough left over for a coffee break this afternoon, if you’re interested,” she added with a pleased smile.