No Time For Dinosaurs

by John Benjamin Sciarra

“Nothing. I just can’t get to sleep. I keep thinking about the shoestring. How could I be so incredibly stupid and yet so smart at the same time?”

  “It’s not your fault, you know. Sonja and I could have remembered the shoestring. We’re not helpless. It’s as much our fault as yours. Besides, Dad’ll get us back.”

  “It’s not just that. After I came back from the future, I ignored most of what happened there. Dad, the Commissioner, you and Sonja and the other me…all old and…weird looking. It was so bizarre. I can’t shake the visions of the future.”

  “I’d think you had enough to do thinking about where we are now.”

  “What do you remember, Teresa?”

  “I didn’t go with you. How should I…”

  “No, no, no. I mean, what do you remember about the last trip you took in the capsule?”

  “Why?”

  “Can’t I ever get a straight answer out of you?”

  “I never got one from you before…I’m sorry. I’m just upset.” Teresa started to sob.

  “I think Dad will eventually figure out how to get us back. It’s just…” Something struck Kyle. Not literally. It was a thought that hit him like an anvil. It wasn’t a good one.

  “We have to get back to the distortion field as soon as possible.”

  “Why?”

  “The only way the capsule can come back here now is if someone is in it and they don’t change a thing. We can’t let them get out of the capsule or whoever comes back for us will be stuck here, too.”

  Teresa thought about that for a moment. Then said, “Would that be so bad? At least we’d have an adult with us.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better if we went back, though? Do you want to be stuck here for the rest of your life?”

  “No. I wanna go home.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Why did you ask what I remembered?”

  “I don’t know. I just wondered if somehow there was some memory of the future that you remembered. I think that when I went to the future, I really messed up a lot of things that happened in the past. I can’t be sure of anything.”

  “Did something happen there you don’t want to talk about?”

  “That’s a dumb question. If I didn’t want to talk about it, why would I ask?”

  “I know you. You’re hiding something. Come on. What happened…I mean besides Sonja and me getting eaten by dinosaurs.”

  “I don’t know that you and Sonja were eaten. I just said that was the last time I saw the two of you was when the Allosaurs were out there. For all I know you both would have survived.”

  “So? What’s bugging you?”

  Kyle wondered why he wanted to say something, but he felt compelled. His state of mind was very confused and he didn’t see why it would hurt to tell his sister. After all, they might be stuck there together for all eternity as far as he knew.

  “You have to promise me with all your heart that you will never, ever tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. Do you swear on a stack of Bible’s?”

  “Okay, okay. I swear, I swear? Oh my god. What did you do?”

  “The older Kyle? He and…Sonja were married.”

  “To each other?”

  “Of course, to each other. What did you think?”

  “Wow! I guess I can see why you didn’t want to say anything. You should tell her. I think she likes you.”

  “No! Never! She’s too young for me. She’s nice and all. But…I don’t really like girls all that much right now. Let’s just get some sleep. We have to get up early and get down to the pond and back to the distortion field as fast as we can.

  Teresa rolled over and closed her eyes. She was wondering how she could use this new information to get back at her brother for a lot of the teasing he did to her. Kyle closed his eyes, but it was almost impossible to sleep. He was wondering why he told his sister. Besides, it wasn’t really him. He remembered something the professor said. The past and future were echoes of reality. He wondered what that meant.

  A distant sound of rolling thunder shook the ground and Kyle worried that they might be rained on. He didn’t think the roots would protect them if that happened.

  Another set of eyes blinked opened. A set of eyes that had pretended to be asleep while she listened to the conversation between Kyle and Teresa. She smiled and felt warm inside despite the situation they were in. We were married!

  ***

  The next morning, Kyle awoke with a start. He jumped up and looked outside. A herd of dinosaurs of all kinds wandered around in the field outside the tree. He wondered what it could mean.

  “Teresa, Sonja. Wake up. Time to go.”

  Teresa sat up and looked at Kyle through dreary eyes. He was laughing and pointing at her head.

  “You…have branches…in your…hair! Ha ha ha! You should see yourself.”

  Teresa reached up and pulled out the twigs and branches she had rolled into in the middle of the night looking as if she were still asleep.

  “I miss my bed!”

  She reached into her bag, pulled out a brush and combed her hair.

  “Actually, it looks pretty good. Maybe you’ll find a caveman. He might find it attractive.”

  “Oh shut up, Kyle. Let’s get this over with.”

  “Kyle, you remembered I can’t swim, yes?” said Sonja with fear in her eyes.

  “Maybe we won’t have to. Like I said, I’d figure something out. Let’s just get there and see what we’re up against. Come on. Let’s get a move on. Places to go, dinosaurs to see…or something like that.”

  Teresa shook her head. “You are a nut, Kyle.”

  “Me? Who’s combing their hair for the dinosaurs?”

  The trio stepped out of their home and stared in awe at all of the dinosaurs. The animals all ignored them. They were far too busy foraging and, apparently, didn’t consider the children a threat.

  “This way,” said Kyle pointing toward the rising sun. Kyle pointed here and there. “Poop alert!”

  “He’s an expert, Sonja. When Kyle points out the poop, everyone listens.”

  Just then, a swarm of black flies the size of small birds flew at them. Teresa and Sonja screamed and ran. Kyle swatted at them as they dove at his hair. One bit him on the arm and it stung as if he’d been stung by a hornet. He quickly realized they could be in serious trouble.

  Kyle swung his backpack at them giving him enough time to get the distortion device out and turn it on the bugs. It didn’t have any effect. Then, as quickly as they arrived, they left. Kyle ran over to the girls and was surprised to find them unharmed.

  “Are you two okay?”

  “Yeah,” said Teresa. “Turns out that my little can of hairspray scared them off. And you made fun of me for bringing my hair products.”

  “I…guess I owe you an apology. If you didn’t have it, they might have done a serious number on us. Did either of you get stung?”

  “I am okay,” said Sonja.

  “Me, too. I was pretty quick with the trigger!” boasted Teresa jokingly as she blew on the end of her hair spray can. They all laughed, but knew that they had come close to a disaster.

  “One of them got me in the arm. Can you see it? It’s on the back of my right triceps.”

  Teresa and Sonja both looked.

  “Does it hurt?” asked Sonja.

  “Why? Is it swollen?”

  “No,” said Teresa. “But there’s a big black stinger sticking out of where it bit you. Want me to pull it out?”

  “Well, yeah! Hurry before the poison gets in!”

  “Okay. Hold on. I have my tweezers.”

  “Did you manage to get a mirror in there, too?”

  “Well of course I did!”

  “Just pull the thing out…and hurry. Now it’s starting to hurt.”

  Teresa pulled out her tweezers and carefully grabbed hold of the stinger and gently pulled.

  “Ow!”

  “Oh don’t be such a baby. It’s out.”

  “I don�
�t suppose you have any antiseptic in there, do you?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  “Can you suck out the wound and spit out the poison?”

  “What? Are you out of your mind?”

  “Listen. If that thing was carrying anything really nasty, it might kill me.”

  “I’ll do it,” volunteered Sonja.

  Kyle thought about it. “Nah. No sense taking a chance of you getting sick. Besides, I hope we’re out of here soon. Let’s just get a move on. The sooner we get to the pond, the quicker we can get back to the place where the capsule might come back.”

  ***

  They walked for almost two hours when Teresa stopped and plopped herself down on a blackened rock.

  “That’s it. I’m done. I can’t go on any farther. It’s too hot. I need a rest.”

  “I don’t think it’s much farther. Come on, Teresa. Don’t be such a baby.”

  “I don’t understand why you need the recording anyway. You said we might not get back. Why don’t we just stay where we were? At least none of the animals bothered us there.”

  “Well…I wasn’t going to say anything, but, I think we might have a really good chance of going back. I didn’t want to get your hopes up, so I wanted to wait until I knew for sure.”

  “Wait for what?” asked Sonja.

  “Look, I think there’s a good chance Dad’ll send the capsule back for us. That’s why I’m in such a hurry to get the recording and get back to the spot where the capsule disappeared.”

  Sonja remarked, “But did you not say that without the shoestring it could not return?”

  “True. But I left the harmonics adjusted to the right setting. If my dad or your dad doesn’t mess with it, I think they can send it back here. The only thing is…” Kyle bit his lip.

  “What?” asked Teresa.

  “Someone has to be in the capsule. That means we’ll be in serious trouble when we get back.”

  “But they didn’t do that the last time,” commented Teresa.

  “Yes, but by leaving the harmonics the way I did, I think they’ll figure out that they can get someone here. The only thing is…” Kyle hesitated again. There were so many ifs; the whole idea was starting to sound improbable.

  “What?” asked Teresa. “Come on, Kyle. You can’t leave us hanging like that.”

  “They would have to figure out the shoestring trick.”

  “Dad’s smart.”

  “So is my dad,” said Sonja. “They will figure it out. They have to.”

  “Well, I left the harmonics the way the other Kyle taught me. Like music. They won’t dare change it. They won’t know how.”

  “But my dad is one of the best computer programmers in the world and the only expert in harmonics.”

  “Yeah, but he was never actually in the capsule.”

  Medina and Ravina marveled at the colors as they spun around and around. The sounds of the violins were growing louder and louder. Through the gel, they watched as their husbands, faces filled with doubts and fear, faded away as if the spinning liquid dissolved them. The women held hands tightly and shivered as they ventured onward to a journey, a journey they had no idea what to expect. As mothers, however, with the lives of their children hanging in the balance, nothing would have stopped them from trying.

  The colors changed from green to all the colors in the rainbow, pulsing up and down. Then it looked like water. The threads of electricity banged and popped above the dome. The violins sounded beautiful and they felt an odd sense of confidence despite the seeming hopelessness of their situation. They knew they made the right decision no matter the outcome, and were willing to accept their fate as long as they did everything they could.

  Suddenly, the music stopped; the gel turned green again.

  “I guess this is our floor, Ravina. Can you see anything out there?”

  They both strained to see through the gel.

  “There is something big out there moving. Do you think it is a dinosaur?”

  “I was kind of hoping we were going to wind up in a zoo with a couple of camels.”

  “Well, there is only one way to know for sure, Medina. Let us find the opening.”

  “Here it is,” said Medina as she parted the gel and slipped through. Ravina followed and bumped into Medina. Both stood frozen in time, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide. What they saw shocked them more than anything they could ever have imagined.

  ***

  “Stop. I hear something. Up ahead. Do you hear that?”

  “I hear a lot of things,” said Teresa. “What is it?”

  “I hear it!” said Sonja. “It sounds like…whistling.”

  “Yes! It’s them. It’s Nessie. Or at least an animal like Nessie. We should approach quietly. They won’t remember me. It’s before I met them. Just keep it quiet. Up ahead behind those trees.”

  Cautiously, the three of them tiptoed through the bushes and crouched behind a leafy plant.

  “Do you see them?” asked Teresa.

  “Shhhh. Let me get my recorder out before we do anything.”

  “I see one of them. It’s a little one near the edge of the pond.”

  “Fantastic! It was exactly what I hoped would happen. Now Sonja doesn’t have to go into the water.”

  Sonja exhaled loudly. She was relieved.

  “Quick!” yelled Teresa. “Get your radio-blaster-thingy out before it goes away!”

  They heard a splash as the little animal dove back to the bottom.

  “Oh great, Teresa. Your big mouth scared them. Now I’ll have to go in after all.”

  Kyle trudged through the bushes and kneeled down at the edge of the pond.

  “I don’t suppose you’d want to come out, Nessie.” He peered down into the water. It was as clear as glass. Two golden eyes peered at him from just under the surface. Sonja and Teresa leaned over Kyle’s back for a look. They screamed and ran back to the bushes.

  Kyle stood up agitated. “Now she’ll never come back,” he said with his hands on his hips.

  The girls peered through the bushes and their eyes became as big as saucers when they saw an immense creature emerge from the water behind Kyle. They thought he was a goner.

  “What? Do I have two heads or something? Why are you look—”

  Kyle turned around and looked up at the monster from the pond.

  “Nessie!”

  The creature looked at Kyle with its head cocked in intense curiosity. Then she whistled.

  Kyle whistled back and the creature recoiled. Then it stuck its face right next to Kyle’s and whistled again.

  Kyle whistled softly and tried to harmonize with a pitch higher than the creature. Kyle reached out and stroked the animal across the chin.

  “You don’t remember me, but I remember you. You’re the same creature I named Nessie.”

  Teresa and Sonja watched completely mesmerized. Then they heard a sound from somewhere in the distance. Teresa called out to Kyle.

  “Kyle! We have to go!”

  “No. It’s okay. She’s friendly.”

  “No Kyle. You don’t understand. I hear…violins.”

  ***

  Medina and Ravina stood next to the capsule frozen in place. Surrounding them were a group of velociraptors. The creatures began fanning out around the women.

  “What do we do, Medina? What are they?”

  “They look like the creatures from the Jurassic Park movie. Raptors. Smaller. But they don’t look very friendly.”

  “Should we get back in the capsule?”

  “I don’t think we’d make it. They look fast.”

  The two of them moved closer together. One of the raptors lowered its head close to the ground and hissed clacking its teeth.

  The others began to move forward cautiously. Medina and Ravina closed their eyes and screamed as they waited for the pain. They waited, but nothing happened. Ravina opened an eye.

  “Medina? What…what is going on?”

  Medina opened h
er eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. One second she expected to die a vicious death at the claws and teeth of the raptors. Now they were cooing and rubbing up against one another.

  “What…happened to them?” asked Medina.

  “Hi, Mom. Sorry we we’re late. Those things will rip you to shreds if you’re not careful.”

  Medina’s jaw dropped open as Kyle walked up to one of the raptors and began rubbing its head.

  “They’re pretty friendly once you get to know ‘em.”

  Teresa rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Mom. He zapped them with his little distortion device.”

  “Distortion? What? What on earth are you talking about? Who are you and what have you done with my children?”

  Sonja ran up and hugged her mother. “He is wonderful, is he not Mother? I think he is as smart as Father!”

  Medina and Ravina looked at one another in disbelief. Kyle walked past the raptors that completely ignored him and went up to the capsule. He placed his hand on the gel and it parted.

  “Mom, why didn’t Dad come?” asked Teresa.

  “Yeah,” chimed in Kyle. What’s with the two great scientists?”

  “We didn’t give them a chance,” said Medina.

  “Besides…if you need a job done correctly,” said Ravina. “You must have a woman do the job.”

  “We are sooo glad you are all okay? This is so amazing! Are we really back in time when the dinosaurs lived?” asked Medina.

  “Are you serious, Mom? Wanna pet one of the raptors?” asked Kyle as one raptor stuck its tongue out and licked Kyle in the face.

  “Yech!”

  Ravina asked, “Now that we are here, we should look around a little. We should have brought a camera.”

  “Well…guess what? I did!” exclaimed Medina as she opened her pocketbook.

  “You American women and your pocketbooks!”

  “We should get back in the capsule right away. Every second we stay here, we risk losing any chance of getting back.”

  “There’s no need to hurry. Look what I have?” Medina held up a shoestring.

  “Uh…great. Dad figured out the shoestring trick. But he was supposed to leave the shoestring half in and half out.”

  “Oh… Is that bad?”

  “If we don’t get back in there it is.”

  “Kyle is right,” said Ravina. “We should go while we can. I for one do not want to live here for the rest of my life.” Sonja beamed with pride.