No Time For Dinosaurs Read online

  “Me neither,” said Teresa. “Why? Does it matter?”

  “Well, your little raptor there seems frightened of the storm.”

  “So? I’m frightened of it, too. What of it?”

  “Wouldn’t you think it….”

  “She!” said Teresa leaning down and petting the animal.

  “She…should be used to it if this happens a lot. It was thundering yesterday when we arrived in the capsule.”

  “Like I said, so?”

  “This must not be something…normal. Maybe something’s going on. We really don’t know very much about this time period.”

  “What time period? You mean you know what time we went back to?”

  “Not exactly. Millions of years, if there are large dinosaurs here. More than sixty million anyway.”

  “Sixty million! What makes you say that?”

  Sonja answered. “Because the dinosaurs became extinct about sixty million years ago.”

  “Oh? How did they become extinct?”

  Kyle replied, “From a comet that hit the earth near Mexico. At least that’s what most scientists think.”

  Sonja asked with a little nervousness in her voice, “Do you think that is what is happening? I mean…this storm?”

  “Nah. What are the chances of arriving right when the comet is going to hit. Heh, heh, heh.” Kyle said, but there was uncertainty in his answer. He wanted to believe that wasn’t possible. He also wanted to believe that time travel was impossible, but here they were.

  They all sat down in the back of the lean-to and Kyle replaced the branches over the entrance. The thunder grew louder and louder. Priti was shaking all over, just like the three children.

  Chapter Nine

  The sound of a hundred violins filled the laboratory growing louder and louder, higher and higher. The doctors watched from outside the room through a window. The green gel began to move. Slowly at first. Then it increased in speed as it swirled like a miniature tornado.

  As the violins reached their peak, the gel turned clear like water and then it pulsated with all of the colors of the rainbow. Then it was gone.

  Dr. Bashan looked at his friend. “Well? Now what?”

  “Now we wait.”

  Dr. Donavan went into the chamber area to stare into the shimmering void left by the capsule. He hoped they were right and it would return as quickly as it had the last time. They had set everything exactly the same as before. He saw no reason it wouldn’t arrive back in time at the precise moment and place the children had gone. He expected them to get back on and return safely. As much as he was convinced that would happen, he was anxious—more anxious than he had ever been in his life. To his knowledge, no one had ever gone back in time before. He wondered if he had changed the future with time travel. Time travel was such a conundrum, a conflicting compilation of theories and ideas. Science fiction. That was what most people thought of time travel. That was before his discovery. MY discovery. Will my greatest feat, perhaps the greatest discovery in science kill my own children?

  There was nothing he could do but wait.

  ***

  The storm raged furiously all that night and into the next day. Kyle wondered if it would ever stop. The girls grew used to the deafening thunder and almost constant flashes of lightning and managed to rest a little.

  A break in the storm came later the following day. With the sudden quiet, the girls immediately fell asleep, but Kyle couldn’t shut his eyes. It was nighttime. He watched as dark clouds dotted the face of the moon like shadows crossing an angry giant.

  Seeing the moon made him feel good. It was something he recognized and it looked the same now as it would in the future with the exception of its color—red. Probably the result of gases in the upper atmosphere that were different, thought Kyle. The strange color cast eerie hues of red and orange across the alien landscape. Even though the storm was noisy, there was almost no rain. There was just the ever-present rolling fog soaking his shirt through to his skin.

  As Kyle watched the clouds cross the path of the moon, all of the sudden the raptor jumped up and began sniffing the air. The little creature nervously paced back and forth with jerky head movements. Agitated. Frightened. Then, without warning, it bolted out of the lean-to and ran across the open field squealing like an injured pig.

  That concerned Kyle. He knew animals could sense things before people. He wondered what it was that scared the creature so badly. Then he saw something moving just beyond the trees where the capsule had been. A cracking sound like branches breaking and snapping jolted him to alertness. Something big moved through the trees and bramble nearby. He recognized the shape from the movies. Tyrannosaurus rex!

  ***

  The weeks turned into months; the months to years. The heartbroken parents consoled each other. No one blamed the doctors. An accident, they said. They had no choice but to get on with their lives. Still, the funeral was a difficult thing for everyone. The loss of a child is one of the greatest pains anyone can know. No one could accept that the children were gone forever.

  Dr. Donavan couldn’t understand why the capsule hadn’t returned. They had been so careful about sending it back to where the children had gone. He was upset for not going back in time himself.

  He and Dr. Bashan tried to raise the money to build another capsule with contributions from the community. Few people believed it worked. Those who did help felt sorry for the family. Vaporized in that “contraption.”

  The Homeland Security agency banned the doctors’ work after examining the videotape. They concluded that the kids transported to another dimension and they were lost forever. No argument or scientific evidence presented by the doctors prevented the agency from banning research into time travel for everyone. They felt it was an area of science far too dangerous for humankind.

  After some time, the families returned to their lives and moved on. Dr. Bashan went back to India with his wife and became a university professor. Dr. Donavan was a little more stubborn and kept his laboratory open for research in quantum physics lecturing from time to time. He let his students use the facility to study the universe and the very tiny particles that made up everything.

  He taught the students about the little strings of energy inside the particles that make up the neutrons and electrons of every single atom in the universe. He told them that one day they would be able to vibrate the strings and move about in the universe like never before. Most of the students thought he was simply a mad scientist, but since he allowed them to use his elaborate laboratory for their experiments free—they listened to him.

  Doctor Donavan, however, had not given up hope. Locked in the vault where the capsule had been was the distortion field. It still shimmered as it had done so many years ago on that fateful day—a day when three young children had gone inside and taken a trip into eternity. Before Dr. Donavan sealed the lab, he tried one last time to remove the tiny pink shoestring sitting on the floor, half in and half out of the distortion field. As long as it was there, he thought, there was always hope his precious children would return. That little piece of shoestring was his only link to sanity—a memorial to his beloved children—and a thread to the past.

  Chapter Ten

  Kyle tapped the girls on the shoulder, held up his hand and placed a finger on his lips. “Shhhh. There’s something outside. Be very quiet.”

  Scared, Teresa asked in a whisper, “What is it?”

  “Now don’t freak out, but I think it’s a T-Rex.”

  Both girls inhaled sharply. Sonja said, “A T-Rex? What are we going to do? Where is Priti?”

  “Your creature double-feature ran off like the chicken hawk she—it is. It left us here on our own.”

  The ground shook from the approaching beast; it appeared to be sniffing the ground.

  “We need to leave the lean-to. It’s heading this way. I think it smells us.”

  “Maybe it is friendly like Priti?” said Sonja somewhat hopeful.

  “And if
not? Do you want to see if it eats us first? I don’t think I want to find out the hard way. Ya know, if it eats us, that’s it. We don’t get to change our minds. We can only be eaten once. So—”

  “Okay!” said Teresa. “We get it. What should we do?”

  “Okay, here’s the plan. We lift up the back of the lean-to and crawl—”

  “Crawl? Like…on the ground?” interrupted Teresa.

  “Do you want to stay here?”

  Teresa shook her head.

  Kyle continued. “Okay. We crawl out the back. Very, very, quietly. We can’t make any noise. Follow me down to the clump of big trees I saw earlier over by the place where we first saw your pet. Okay?”

  “Then what?” Asked Sonja.

  “Then we hide behind them.”

  “Oh. Good plan. I think we should stay here.”

  They heard the sound of distant thunder again. Streaks of orange flashed across the horizon.

  “Hey, maybe it’s afraid of the thunder? Like Priti,” said Teresa.

  “Well, let’s just get away from here before it picks up our scent.”

  Kyle reached over to pull back the first branch when a loud, deep grumbling roar shook the lean-to.

  “RUN!” shouted Kyle as he threw back the branches and ran across the field to the trees. The girls didn’t hesitate. They screamed and chased after Kyle. Lightning streaked from the sky and hit the ground just outside the lean-to. Kyle saw the T-Rex standing right over the lean-to. It looked up and roared at the sky with its tiny little front arms and enormous head and mouth full of long, sharp teeth. Kyle thought it was more confused than angry as it sulked off down the hill toward the valley. In the process, however, it stepped on their lean-to and flattened it like a pancake.

  The storm came in quickly and was much more intense than before. The air was alive with electricity. Bolts of lightning struck the ground everywhere.

  “We should get out from under this tree,” observed Sonja. “It might be hit by lightning.”

  Teresa and Kyle both agreed, but it meant leaving the capsule.

  “I guess we can come back here when the storm passes,” said Kyle. “I know this is going to sound like a crazy idea, but I think we should follow the T-Rex.”

  “You seem to have a lot of crazy ideas. Isn’t that how we wound up here in the first place? Hey, where’s my sneaker? I lost it when we ran out of the tent.”

  “I saw your shoestring,” replied Kyle. “It’s over by where the capsule was.”

  “And you didn’t get it? Some brother!”

  “I tried, but I couldn’t.”

  “You just didn’t want to. You’re so mean to me.”

  “No, really. That wasn’t it. You know I’d take credit for that if it were true. I mean I reached down for it, but only half of it was showing. The other half…disappeared into the area where the capsule had been. When I tried to pick it up and pull on it, my fingers went right through the strings. Like I said. It’s like it wasn’t there.”

  “You’re not teasing me, are you?”

  “Not this time. I know it must mean something, but I don’t know what. Any ideas?”

  “Well, I’d like to know where my sneaker is before we leave the area. I can’t walk around here with one shoe on and one shoe off, can I?”

  “Okay. Let’s go over to the lean-to, what’s left of it, and see if we can find it.”

  The three children rushed over to the flattened lean-to and looked through the brush. Sonja found the shoe. It was undamaged. Teresa put it on and Kyle grabbed a piece of root to tie it shut. They walked down to the valley hoping the lightning wouldn’t hit down there—and they hoped the T-Rex had moved on.

  They didn’t see her, but Priti was following close behind them.

  They found a clump of bushes and crawled under them into a small clearing in the center after making sure there wasn’t anything residing inside. A cluster of hanging branches with thick leaves protected it. No rain fell from the storm, but the air smelled somewhat cleaner now. The dampness was still heavy and they couldn’t see a thing when they looked out through the brush.

  A rustling sound caused them to jump back inside the protection of the brush.

  “What was that?” asked Sonja. “You think the T-Rex is back?”

  “It doesn’t sound big. But it could be anything.”

  “Like a Velociraptor?” asked Teresa with concern in her voice.

  “Shhh,” said Kyle.

  A head suddenly popped through the brush and the girls screamed. Kyle jumped behind the girls. It was a second before they realized it was Priti and she was cooing at Teresa.

  “Priti! Where have you been?” she asked as the creature stumbled through the brush and plopped down near her and Sonja. Priti hissed at Kyle who cautiously peeked out from behind his sister.

  “She doesn’t seem to like you. And you thought she had bad taste!”

  “That…thing has a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. It must be a meat-eater. A carnivore. Like the T-Rex. It’ll probably grow up to be fifteen feet tall and eat the two of you some day.”

  “Well, I hope we are not here long enough to find out!” exclaimed Sonja. “By the way, should we not we get back up to the top of the hill and wait for the capsule?”

  “I guess so.” Kyle seemed reluctant.

  “What’s the problem?” asked Teresa.

  “I just don’t want to run into anything. I’m sure there are a lot more dinosaurs out there that we haven’t seen yet. Like the thing that screeched over head?”

  “What do you think it was?”

  “Maybe a Pterosaur? If they’re anything like I read about, they make the T-Rex seem tame. I guess we should go. Just keep your heads low and listen carefully for any sounds.”

  “We’ll have Priti to warn us if there’s anything coming,” remarked Teresa proudly.

  “That’s true. If we’re in danger she’ll run off like a chicken Mac nugget!”

  Priti hissed at Kyle again, but then put her head back in Teresa’s lap.

  “Come on. Let’s go,” ordered Kyle. He was beginning to warm to his commander status, the leader of an army of two, not counting him.

  They walked low to the ground while Priti darted about like a small dog jumping up and down begging to have someone play with her. It ran over to Kyle, grabbed his pant leg, and pulled making growling sounds.

  “Hey, what’s with this thing?”

  “She just wants to play,” said Sonja. “Maybe she is warming up to you after all. Maybe…she likes you!”

  “Not a chance,” said Teresa. “Who would like my brother? No one sane. Maybe a crazy person.”

  “I think he is very, very smart. Someday, he will be famous scientist,” replied Sonja with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Only if someday is sixty-five million years from now. What are we going to do if the capsule doesn’t come back? We could be stuck here forever! There are no malls here! I don’t even have a hairbrush. Moreover, where’s the toilet paper? I need toilet paper! I miss my Mom.” Teresa was on the verge of tears.

  Sonja put her arm around her and tried to console her. “I miss my Mom, too. And I miss my mataar paneer. It’s my favorite Indian food. In fact, I miss food! We have not eaten anything. I just realized it!”

  Kyle added, “You’re right. We’ve been so busy trying to stay alive, we forgot to eat. What are we going to eat?”

  Talking about food perked Teresa. She quickly forgot about her sadness. “I saw some berries near the lean-tos. Priti was eating them. Do you think that means they’re safe?”

  I guess there’s only one way to find out. Teresa, you get to try them. You're our guinea pig.”

  “Not! I volunteer you to try them first.”

  “I will try them,” volunteered Sonja. “I do not mind. If Priti can eat them, I am sure they will not be poisonous.”

  “Well, let’s just get there first.”

  No sooner had Kyle said that, than they heard a screech from overhea
d and a large shadow passed over them again.

  ***

  The children sat down next to the berry tree and passed around the berries they picked. They looked a little like giant raspberries, but were the size of apples. Sonja thought they tasted more like strawberries, but Kyle insisted they were too sour to be strawberries.

  Priti sat next to Kyle and nibbled on the leaves from the berry bush.

  “Priti has a new friend,” said Sonja.

  “Yeah. I’m a little jealous. Why does she like you all the sudden?”

  “I guess because I’m the alpha male. She knows who's in charge.”

  “Oh brother! The alpha male. Head chicken in the pecking order maybe.”

  “Hey, I got us this far. Don’t I get a little credit?”

  “You mean like getting us stuck here in the first place?”

  Before Teresa even finished her sentence, the ground began to shake violently. Kyle tried to stand, but fell back over and landed hard on the ground. Priti took off running across the field falling and flopping all over the place while squealing loudly. They heard animals roaring and screeching from the valley below. The earth moved in waves as if the ground had suddenly turned into ocean. It lasted a few minutes and then stopped abruptly.

  Chapter Twelve

  “What was that?” asked Teresa.

  “I think it was an earthquake.”

  “Is it over?” asked Sonja.

  Kyle stood up again on somewhat shaky legs and looked around. “Probably not. Look over there. See? In the distance beyond the valley?” Kyle pointed toward the horizon. A cone shaped mountain was spewing out thick black smoke. Right at its top—its apex—they could see a glowing red and yellow fire spitting rocks out in all directions.

  “Are we in danger staying here?” Asked Sonja.

  “I don’t think so. At least not yet. I sure hope our dads send the capsule back soon. I don’t like this place.”

  “I second that,” said Teresa.