An Incredible Case of Dinosaurs

by Kenneth Oppel

  Something nudged up against the bathysphere window, blotting out the light.

  “Gork!” said Kevin again.

  Giles knew exactly what he meant this time.

  This wasn’t a tarpaulin.

  This was something else.

  This something had a purple, wedge-shaped head with green-rimmed eyes, and a long, narrow mouth lined with two sharp mountain ranges of teeth!

  Chapter 4

  Dinosaur!

  Miss Frost looked up as they burst into her office.

  “You’ve got something, all right!” Kevin blurted out, skidding across the floor.

  “A creature!” said Giles. “There is definitely a strange creature living in your pool!”

  “I see,” Miss Frost replied calmly. “You’re quite certain of that, are you?”

  “Certain?” said Kevin. “You should have seen the teeth on that thing!”

  “Thank you, Kevin,” said Tina firmly, “that will be enough. Miss Frost, I’m pleased to report that I have made visual contact with the creature in question, and have managed to make an identification.”

  “Go on,” she said.

  “Unless I’m mistaken,” Tina began, “and I so rarely am, the creature is actually a very rare species of Hydrosaurus.”

  “Are you telling me I have a dinosaur living in my pool?”

  “Yes I am, Miss Frost.”

  Giles had never seen anyone take such extraordinary news so calmly.

  “How did it get there?”

  “Through a crack in the bottom,” said Giles. “It must swim in from some underground river. After we saw it, it darted back down through the crack.”

  A telephone rang. Miss Frost picked it up, said, “Not now,” and hung up.

  She looked back at the three of them and smiled. “Excellent. A remarkable job.”

  “Well, I think that about wraps things up here,” said Kevin eagerly. “It’s been a real pleasure, Miss Frost. We’ll send you our bill and—”

  “No, no,” said Miss Frost. “You’re not finished yet.”

  “We’re not?” said Giles.

  “I wonder how much a dinosaur is worth?” Miss Frost said quietly, turning towards the flashing wall of television screens. “It’s one of a kind. I’d be the only person in the world to have one.” She looked sternly at the three of them. “I want you to catch it for me.”

  “Catch it?” exclaimed Kevin.

  “Miss Frost,” said Giles, “catching dinosaurs really isn’t the kind of thing we do.”

  “It isn’t at all,” agreed Kevin. “I mean, the last time we caught dinosaurs was—”

  “I want that hydrosaur,” said Miss Frost in her steely voice.

  “I’m sure we could trap it for you,” said Tina confidently.

  Giles stared at her in amazement.

  “But—” he began to say.

  “But—” Kevin began to say.

  “Good!” said Miss Frost. “That’s the kind of attitude I like in my business.”

  She opened a drawer and took out the thickest wallet Giles had ever seen.

  “And rest assured,” she said, “I’ll make it very worth your while.”

  “I can’t believe we’re actually trying to catch a dinosaur,” said Giles nervously.

  “It’s a scientific breakthrough,” said Tina grandly. “Think about it, Barnes. Until now, all we’ve had to go on are dinosaur bones. But now we’ve discovered a living specimen! It might be millions of years old! Or this particular species might never have died out at all! It’s absolutely essential that we catch it!”

  “Besides,” added Kevin, “did you see the size of Miss Frost’s wallet? We’re going to be rich!”

  They had been waiting in the bathysphere for a long time now, hovering at the bottom of the pool near the large crack. But so far there had been no sign of the hydrosaur.

  “I don’t understand why the dinosaur keeps coming back here anyway,” said Giles.

  “After we catch it,” said Tina, flipping some switches, “and I have time to study it properly, perhaps I’ll have an answer to that question.”

  “I just hope this plan of yours works,” said Giles dubiously.

  All at once, the dinosaur slipped up through the crack and circled gracefully through the water. For the first time, Giles got a good look at it. Its skin was a deep purple, with brilliant streaks of green. Its body was quite slender, with four leathery fins jutting out from its sides. It had a very long, very thin neck, which ended with its small wedge-shaped head.

  “Look at it move!” said Giles in awe. “It’s so fast!”

  “Here we go!” said Tina excitedly. She edged the bathysphere forward until it nudged against the huge statue of Poseidon. The propeller whirred loudly, and the whole vessel began to shudder.

  “The statue’s too big!” shouted Giles.

  “It won’t budge!” cried Kevin.

  “We have the power!” said Tina through gritted teeth.

  The propeller’s whining increased in pitch, and the bathysphere shook so violently that Giles thought it would burst apart at any moment. But slowly, the statue of Poseidon began to scrape across the pool floor towards the long crack.

  “It’s working!” said Tina.

  A second hydrosaur suddenly darted up through the opening—this one a bright yellow, with a pink under-belly. The two dinosaurs rolled playfully through the water together.

  “Look!” gasped Giles. “We’ve got two now!”

  “We’ve got an incredible case of dinosaurs!” said Kevin.

  Tina threw another lever and the bathysphere pushed ahead some more. In a few seconds, the statue rolled into place over the crack, blocking the opening completely.

  “Miss Frost,” Tina said with satisfaction, “is now the proud owner of two dinosaurs.”

  Chapter 5

  Smarter Than You Think

  Giles wrinkled his nose as he plunged his hand into the bucket, grabbed another fish and threw it into the pool. One of the dinosaurs snapped it up before it even hit the water.

  “They sure do eat a lot,” said Kevin, lobbing a cod tail to the other hydrosaur.

  “Good job, you two,” said Tina. “Keep it up.” She was stretched out in a lawn chair at the poolside, a digital voice recorder in one hand, a glass of iced tea in the other. Every so often, she would lift the recorder to her face, speak into it, then smile and shake her head with a small chuckle—as if what she’d just said was the most amusing and remarkable thing she’d ever heard.

  Giles rolled his eyes in disgust.

  “I don’t suppose you want to take a turn feeding them?” he asked.

  “No need to be sarcastic, Barnes,” Tina replied. “Anyone can see I’m extremely busy making scientific notes on these specimens.”

  “Right,” Giles grumbled.

  Every day after school for the past week, he and Kevin had made the trip to the local fish market to buy pounds and pounds of raw fish for the hydrosaurs. The bus driver refused to let them on with their stinking buckets of dinosaur food, so they had to lug them all the way to Miss Frost’s house by foot. People on the street would sniff, then stop, then sniff again, then stare as they passed by. It was the worst!

  “This is going to make headlines,” Tina said contentedly. “‘Local genius discovers dinosaurs.’ Or maybe, ‘Breakthrough of century made by local genius.’ Or what about ‘Tina Quark wins Nobel Prize’? It’s been far too long since I was on the front page of a newspaper.”

  “At least you’re not the one who goes home smelling like a barnacle,” Giles told her.

  “You’ve got nothing to complain about, Barnes,” Tina said. “Miss Frost is paying us all very generously to take care of the dinosaurs. A few more days and you’ll have enough for that remote-controlled airplane you’ve wanted for so long. Don’t you want to be rich?”

  Giles sighed.

  He supposed he did want to be rich. After all, who didn’t? And he definitely wanted that airplane.
Yester-day he’d passed the store window where it was displayed. He was always a little afraid that the next time, it would be gone. Soon, though, he’d be able to walk right into the store, put his money down on the counter, and take the airplane home himself.

  But he felt uneasy. And it wasn’t just because he had to heft buckets of smelly fish around every day. He looked at the two hydrosaurs in the pool.

  “I don’t think they’re very happy, trapped like that,” he told Tina.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Barnes,” said Tina. “They have brains the size of grape seeds. Would you feel sorry for a goldfish in a bowl? I don’t think so. These creatures probably don’t even realize they’re trapped!”

  But Giles wasn’t so sure. After they’d rolled the statue of Poseidon over the crack, the two hydrosaurs had prodded at it with their heads, and darted back and forth in confusion. And a ghostly moaning had drifted through the water. It was the most mournful thing Giles had ever heard.

  And Giles thought they looked a little listless sometimes, floating near the surface, their wedge-shaped heads peering out at him. At other times they seemed restless, churning the swampy water into a froth as they tore around the perimeter of the pool, faster and faster, as if they were desperate to escape.

  “How do you know they’re so stupid?” Giles asked.

  “Everyone knows the dinosaurs weren’t very bright,” Tina replied wisely. “All these creatures can do is swim and eat. They’re savage beasts. They’re eating machines.”

  “I wonder what Miss Frost is going to do with them?” Giles wondered aloud.

  It wasn’t as if she’d taken any real interest in the dinosaurs. She hadn’t even come down to the poolside to have a close look. A few times, Giles had turned to see her watching from her office window, but, once spotted, she always quickly disappeared from sight. What a strange person she was, Giles thought, working all alone in that huge house, with only her creepy personal assistant, Swift, for company!

  “I want to get a shot of the dinosaurs,” said Kevin, taking a camera from his backpack. “Barnes, can you stand by the edge, holding a fish?”

  “Do I have to?”

  “Yeah. It’ll be a great photo.”

  Giles faced Kevin, holding a fish head as far away from his body as possible.

  “A little further back, Barnes. You’re not in the picture.”

  He took another step back.

  “A little more! There’s plenty of room!”

  Another few steps.

  “Um, Barnes…” he heard Kevin say suddenly.

  The next thing he knew, he was deep in the pool, swampy water shooting up his nostrils. Spluttering, he fought to get back to the surface, but his clothes were drenched and dragging him down. His head popped up for a moment, but he just managed to suck in a breath of air before sinking under again.

  I’m a goner! he thought in pure panic. I’m about to get eaten by dinosaurs!

  Opening his eyes, he made out a blurry purple shape swirling around him, and then felt it brush past him. This is it, he thought, gritting his teeth. Here it comes. He felt the dinosaur nudge its head against his backside and then push hard. Giles was propelled up and out of the water, as if he were in an ejector seat! He sailed through the air and landed at the edge of the pool, dripping water, still spluttering.

  “Wow!” gasped Kevin.

  “Extraordinary!” said Tina, who had put down her glass of iced tea and was standing at the poolside with Kevin.

  “Am I ever sorry, Barnes!” said Kevin worriedly, slapping him on the back. “I had no idea you were so close to the edge! I was about to dive in and save you!”

  “You most definitely were not, Kevin,” said Tina with-eringly.

  “Well, I was planning on doing something!” Kevin said. “Are you okay, Barnes?”

  Giles nodded. He still felt a little shaky. He could see the dinosaur poking its head above the water, watching him with its bright eyes.

  “It didn’t eat me!” he stammered. “It lifted me out!”

  He’d heard all sorts of stories about shipwrecked sailors being saved from drowning by dolphins. He’d just been saved by a hydrosaur!

  “They must be smarter than you think, Tina,” Kevin told his sister.

  “And friendlier,” Giles said.

  “And much cuddlier than I first thought,” added Kevin, waving at the purple dinosaur in the pool.

  Tina frowned, then stalked back to her lawn chair and started muttering into her recorder.

  Chapter 6

  The Big Deal

  Giles looked at the remote-controlled airplane in the store window.

  “It’s a beauty all right,” Kevin said.

  Giles crinkled the money in his pocket. He’d waited a long time for this airplane—and now, thanks to their dinosaur job, he could finally buy it. He knew every detail of the airplane by now, and had often daydreamed about taking it on its first flight in the big field near his house.

  “It’s great being rich, isn’t it?” said Kevin cheerfully. “Now I can buy an iPod to replace the one Tina blew up last month. Those dinosaurs are the best thing that’s ever happened to the genius business!”

  Giles jammed his hands into his pocket and turned away from the window.

  “Aren’t you going to buy it?” Kevin asked in confusion.

  “We’ve got to set them free,” Giles said.

  “What? The dinosaurs?”

  “It’s not fair to keep them trapped in that pool,” said Giles. “And all because Miss Frost wants to own the only dinosaurs in the world! It’s just like all those other valuable things in her house just collecting dust! It’s just greedy!”

  How could he possibly buy the airplane with the money Miss Frost had given him? He knew he’d feel too guilty.

  “Do you really think they mind staying in the pool?” Kevin asked with a frown.

  “How would you like it if someone boxed you in?”

  “Tina was thinking about it once,” Kevin replied thoughtfully, “but I managed to talk her out of it. You’re right, Barnes, I don’t think it would be very comfortable at all.”

  “They’re not eating as much as they used to, either,” Giles said. “They’re definitely unhappy. We should set them free.”

  Kevin shook his head uncertainly.

  “Tina won’t like it,” he said. “Do you know what she’s doing right now? She’s at home, dictating her memoirs! Once I passed her door and heard her practising some kind of acceptance speech. She kept saying things like ‘Thank you for this great honour’ and ‘I knew it was only a matter of time before my great genius was recognized by the international community.’ She’s counting on these dinosaurs, Barnes. She thinks they’re going to make her world-famous!”

  “We’ll have to do it without telling her.”

  “But what about Miss Frost? She’s not going to let us set them free. She owns the dinosaurs! And you’ve heard the way she talks to people on the phone! She’s tough, Barnes. She’s downright scary! There’s no way we’ll ever convince her!”

  “There’s only one way,” said Giles. “We’ve got to make her a deal.”

  Swift opened the door, blinked, and stared in amazement.

  On the doorstop stood Giles and Kevin, both dressed in large, dark suits and ties borrowed from Mr Barnes’s closet. Kevin wore sunglasses and a scowl. His hair was slicked back with half a bottle of hair gel, and his arms were folded menacingly across his chest. Giles held a briefcase in one hand.

  “We’re here to see Miss Frost,” he said.

  Without waiting for a reply, he and Kevin marched through the door and headed for the curving marble staircase.

  “Wait! You can’t just barge in here!” Swift objected, hurrying to block their way. “Miss Frost is far too busy to be bothered by unannounced visitors.”

  “Move aside, sir,” said Kevin in a very deep, very serious voice. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

  Swift stepped back without hesi
tation. Giles was impressed.

  They made their way quickly up the stairs. Kevin, practically blind in his sunglasses, had to feel his way along the bannister to avoid tripping.

  Miss Frost was on the telephone when they burst into her office.

  “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse!” she growled. Snatching up another phone she said, “Tell him he’d better sell now, or he’ll be eating potatoes for the rest of his life!”

  Giles gulped.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. But it was too late now. Miss Frost had caught sight of them and was frowning curiously.

  “I’ll call you back in thirty seconds,” she said into the phone.

  Giles took a deep breath, handed his briefcase to Kevin, and strode up to the huge desk.

  “Miss Frost,” he said, trying to sound firm and professional, “I have a deal for you.”

  “Is that Giles Barnes?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And who is this with you?”

  “That’s my personal assistant.”

  “How did you get his hair to do that?”

  “Never mind that right now, Miss Frost.”

  “Why is he wearing sunglasses?”

  “To look menacing,” Kevin said helpfully.

  Miss Frost glanced at her day planner.

  “I don’t believe we have an appointment today,” she said.

  “No, we don’t,” said Giles brusquely. “But this simply couldn’t wait.”

  “Oh?”

  “I want to buy those dinosaurs, Miss Frost, and I’m prepared to make you a cash offer right now.”

  Giles thought there was a sparkle of admiration in her eyes.

  “Go on,” she said.

  Giles suddenly drew a blank. He simply didn’t know what to say next. Instead, he snapped his fingers. Kevin stepped forward obediently and helped him off with his jacket, draping it over his arm. Giles cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. He had no idea what he was doing, but it all seemed incredibly professional. For good measure he snapped his fingers again and Kevin stepped forward with the jacket and helped Giles back into it.