The Colossal Fossil Fiasco

by Michelle Houts

  Since Dad has a meeting tonight and he can’t cook like usual, Mom brings home pizza for dinner. Sometimes, people think it’s funny that my dad does all the cooking, but I’m glad he does. Mom doesn’t even like to cook!

  Thomas roars into the room with a T. rex in his hand.

  “Dinos love pizza!” he shouts, climbing into a chair and setting the T. rex next to the pizza box.

  “Dig in,” Mom says. “Pizza’s getting cold.”

  “Speaking of digging,” I say, “where are we ever going to find fossils? Our trip to the park was a big failure.”

  “Well, it sounds like you just answered your own question,” Mom says in her professor voice. “Most fossils are hidden deep in the ground until the earth gets disturbed for some reason.”

  “So we need to go digging?” Cora asks.

  Why didn’t I think of that? We only looked at rocks on top of the ground at the park. But wouldn’t the park manager be unhappy if we went digging in the city park? Suddenly, I have an idea.

  “Maybe we need to go someplace where the ground has already been dug up!”

  Cora’s eyes light up, and we both say it. “The stone quarry!”

  Mom smiles. “You’re on the right track, but there are several problems.”

  Cora and I groan at the same time.

  “Well, beside that fact that stone quarries are dangerous places for two young scientists to be roaming around, I’m afraid you’re not going to find many, if any, fossils at the Granite City Quarry.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Because our stone quarry is filled with granite,” Mom says. “That’s why our town is called Granite City.”

  “But why can’t we find fossils in granite?” I want to know.

  Mom explains. “Because there are many kinds of rock. Some rocks are harder—like granite—and some are softer. Granite is igneous rock, the marble on the bathroom counter is metamorphic rock, and most fossils are found in softer, sedimentary rock.”

  “Well, where are we going to find that kind of rock?” Cora asks.

  Mom thinks for a minute. “I know.”

  She gets up from the table and pulls her phone out of her purse. She punches a few buttons and puts it to her ear. Cora and I both reach for another piece of pizza.

  “Who is she calling?” Cora giggles.

  “I have no idea,” I say. My mom knows a lot of people.

  After a short conversation and a lot of “okay” and “all right, then” and “thank you,” Mom hangs up the phone.

  “It’s all settled! We’re going fossil hunting on the banks of the Nine-Mile Creek this Saturday!”

  “I’m going, too!” says the T. rex in front of Thomas’s face.

  Not if I have anything to say about it.

  Chapter Ten

  Dig, Dip, Look, Plunk!

  On Saturday morning, the sun is shining brightly, and I’m awake and ready to go before Mom is even out of her fuzzy robe and slippers.

  “It’s going to be a nice late-autumn day,” Mom says, finishing her coffee. “I’ll be ready in a jiffy!”

  Thomas tromps down the stairs in his brachiosaurus pajamas. He’s still yawning and his hair looks like a dinosaur licked his head while he was asleep.

  “Where are you going?” Thomas yawns.

  “Fossil hunting,” I tell him. “With Cora.”

  “I’m going with you!” Suddenly, Thomas is wide awake. “I can be ready in a jippy, too!”

  “Mom!” I protest. “Thomas isn’t really going with us, is he?”

  “Sorry, Lucy,” Mom says. “Your dad’s using big leaf-blowing equipment this morning, and there’s no safe place for Thomas when Dad’s working.”

  “Ugh. Well, he better stay out of the way,” I moan.

  “Look at it this way, Lucy.” Mom smiles. “At least he can’t scare the fossils away.”

  I’m not so sure about that.

  The Nine-Mile Creek is really just a stream that runs through town, out across Farmer Dan’s pasture, through the woods and then under the highway. After that, I don’t know where the Nine-Mile goes.

  Last summer, Mom and Thomas watched a big digger scrape out the banks of the creek. Thomas was amazed at how the big machine could chomp into the dirt and pull the edges of the creek away.

  We start out walking along the high bank, but pretty soon I figure out that the water’s only up to my ankles, so I start sloshing right down the middle of the creek bed. Cora tiptoes down the muddy bank to join me.

  “I was hoping I wouldn’t get my purple boots dirty,” she fusses.

  “You won’t if you walk in the creek,” I say.

  “Keep your eyes on the banks for evidence of life from the Paleozoic Era,” Mom says.

  “Pay-lee-o what?” Cora asks.

  “Many fossils found in this area are from a time called the Paleozoic Era,” Mom explains. “That was around 300 to 500 million years ago.”

  “Whoa! I want to find a Paleozoic fossil!” I say.

  “I found one!” Thomas shouts. He’s holding an ordinary rock from the creek.

  “Mom,” I beg. “Please tell Thomas to stay out of the way.”

  “He’ll stay right beside me,” she promises. “You two go on ahead.”

  “Let’s go!” I say, and Cora and I run through the shallow water, making big splashes with our boots.

  Mom was right. The rain has washed away the dirt from the sides that were scraped away last summer, and rocks of all sizes are poking out of the creek bank. We stop to inspect every last pebble.

  Before long, I’ve got a system. Dig out the rock with my fingers, dip it in water to clean it off, turn it over to look for fossils, and then chuck it over my shoulder into the creek if I don’t see anything interesting. The bigger ones land with a plunk!

  On we go. Dig, dip, look, plunk! Dig, dip, look, plunk!

  Cora’s the first to find a fossil treasure.

  “Look at this!” she cries after a dip.

  I stop digging and go to see what she’s discovered. Mom catches up and looks over our shoulders.

  “See these lines?” Cora squeals. “I think it’s a plant!”

  Sure enough, the small rock she’s holding has a row of lines going one direction and a row of lines going the other direction.

  “Like a fern,” Mom agrees.

  “Oooh! I found a fossil! I found a fossil!” Cora is jumping up and down. Muddy water splashes everywhere and she doesn’t even care!

  Now, I’m really determined to find something. I start digging, dipping, looking, and plunking faster. I try not to skip a single rock. I don’t want the one I skip to be the one that has best fossil ever in it.

  Mom finds something that looks like a tiny worm fossil, but she says she can’t be sure. We add it to the plastic bag that’s holding Cora’s fern fossil for safe-keeping.

  And then, I see it.

  It looks like a branch sticking out of the mud. I walk over to inspect it, and I can see it isn’t made of wood. It’s hard as a rock.

  I start to do my dig, dip, look thing, but all I can do is dig. Dig. Dig more.

  “Hey, Mom!”

  Cora and Mom help me dig the rock out of the mud. It’s as long as my arm and it’s broken off on both ends. I dip it in the water to clean it off, and then we all just stare at it for a minute.

  “Plunk it.” Cora sighs. “I don’t see any fossils on it.”

  Mom looks at me. Her eyes are all excited, and she laughs. “I don’t think we want to plunk this, Cora. You can’t see any fossils on it, because—I think—the whole thing is a fossil.”

  I stare at the find I’m holding. “Is it a bone?”

  “Maybe,” Mom says. “I honestly don’t know, but I think it’s worth showing to someone.”

  “It’s a T. rex bone,” Thomas says with confidence.

  “How do you know?” Cora asks.

  Thomas shrugs. “I just know.”

  “Miss Flippo will know,” I say.

&n
bsp; My long bone-fossil-thing is too big to fit in the little plastic bag, so I carry it under my arm as we walk back toward the car along the other side of the creek. Along the way, we find two more rocks that look like snails might have left behind fossil clues for us. Mom adds those to the bag, and by the time we get back to where we started, we’re wet, muddy, and very curious.

  I can’t wait to hear what Room 2-C will say about our fossil-hunting finds!

  Chapter Eleven

  A Colossal Fossil Fib

  On Monday, I don’t ride the bus to school, because Mr. McHenry might not like it if I bring a long chunk of rock on the bus. Instead, Dad drops me off. We get there early because Dad’s always early for everything.

  “It’s okay,” I tell Dad. “I can stop by the school library and see if Mrs. Alvarez needs any help.”

  I take my fossil to Room 2-C. It’s weird in there with the lights out. I tiptoe past Mr. Bones.

  “Don’t mind me, Mr. B.,” I say. He doesn’t move a muscle. Of course, he doesn’t have any muscles to move.

  After I hang up my coat and backpack, I put all my specimens on the counter in the Science Lab. I can’t wait for Miss Flippo to see the big one we found at the creek on Saturday.

  The lights are on in the library, so I offer to help Mrs. Alvarez put books back on the shelves. She’s usually very picky about books being in the right place, but she knows that my Aunt Darian works at the public library, so she trusts Cora and me. We talk about how November in Granite City can be cold and snowy like the other day, or warm and sunny like today is supposed to be. There’s always something wonderful about Mrs. Alvarez’s library. Everything is in order and I like the way the books smell.

  Soon, I hear the screech of bus brakes and see a hundred kids walking into school.

  “Gotta go meet my cousin Cora,” I say, darting out into the hallway. It’s hard to walk toward the front doors with everyone else on their way to their classrooms. But I want to be right inside when Cora gets off her bus so that we can tell Miss Flippo about our fossil adventures together.

  When Cora’s bus pulls up, lots of kids get off, but not one with a pink tutu or purple sparkly tights. When her bus pulls away, I give up and head to Room 2-C. The room is buzzing with kids, taking off coats and talking to each other.

  I stop dead in my tracks, when I see who Miss Flippo is talking to.

  Stewart Swinefest is holding my newly-found fossil.

  Miss Flippo has an enormous smile on her face as she listens to Stewart.

  “I found it yesterday,” I hear him say. “Right in my backyard!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Staying on the Handle

  How dare Stewart Swinefest tell a lie like that!

  I march right up to Miss Flippo’s desk.

  “Lucy, you’ll be excited to see what Stewart found,” she says.

  Stewart grins.

  “He didn’t find it,” I tell her. I stay calm. Dad would tell me that nothing good comes from “flying off the handle.” When he says that, I imagine a witch on her broom on a really windy day working hard just to stay seated on her broom handle.

  “He didn’t?” Miss Flippo asks.

  Before I can explain, Stewart jumps in. “Yes, I did. In my yard. Yesterday.”

  Just to make himself sound more believable, he adds, “I did.” I start to get worried because Stewart looks really sincere.

  Miss Flippo looks at me.

  “I found it. Saturday. I went walking on the Nine-Mile Creek.”

  Stewart holds the long fossil rock even tighter. I’m glad it’s too hard to break, the way he’s squeezing.

  “Stewart,” Miss Flippo says. “Tell me the truth.”

  But Stewart Swinefest stands his ground. “I did. I told you. I found it in my backyard yesterday.”

  I feel myself flying off the handle. How could he? How could just lie like that?

  “He’s lying,” I say. “I was here early and I put it in the Science Lab, and he took it!”

  Miss Flippo’s forehead is all wrinkled up. “This is very concerning,” she says. “Someone is not telling the truth, and you both know that honesty is something I expect, always.”

  Stewart nods, and I feel tears coming to my eyes. Then, it hits me. I spin around.

  “Cora!” I call out. I’m not using my quiet voice, but I don’t care. Where is Cora? She was there with me on Saturday. She’ll tell Miss Flippo.

  “Cora!”

  “Lucy,” Miss Flippo says. “Cora’s mother called her in sick today. Cora’s not here.”

  Cora’s sick? Ugh. Now there’s no one who can prove I’m telling the truth.

  The bell rings, but no one moves. Everyone is waiting to see how Miss Flippo’s going resolve this big problem. I’m waiting to see how Miss Flippo’s going to resolve this big problem!

  Finally, she reaches out and takes the fossil—my fossil—from Stewart’s hands. “I’ll tell you what,” she says. “I’m going to keep this for a little while, until we can solve the issue of who found it and who owns it now. You may both sit down.”

  Stewart runs to his desk. I walk to mine. It’s going to be a long Monday without Cora.

  After dinner, Mom calls Aunt Darian. Cora’s got strep throat, and she’ll miss at least two more days of school. Mom tells Aunt Darian to call if they need anything, then she hangs up the phone.

  “This is awful!” I say.

  “Well, strep throat is no fun, but Cora will get better, Lucy,” Mom says.

  I feel bad for Cora, but that’s not what’s got me so upset. I pace around the room. “You don’t understand, Mom! Stewart stole my fossil, and I’m trying really hard not to fall off my broom!”

  Mom looks confused. “You’re right on one thing, Lucy. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

  I tell her everything about getting to school early and putting the fossil on the specimen counter. I tell her about Stewart lying, and how I was counting on Cora to tell Miss Flippo the truth.

  “Now how will I prove it’s mine?” I ask. “You have to write a note, Mom. Please tell Miss Flippo about how we found the fossil.”

  Mom thinks for a long time before she answers. “Of course I’ll let Miss Flippo know about how we found the fossil at the Nine-Mile Creek.”

  Whew! I knew I could count on Mom to save the day.

  “But, let’s give Stewart a day to think about his lie. I have a hunch he’ll do the right thing if he’s given a little time.”

  I think that’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard. But I guess it won’t hurt to give Stewart a chance to be honest.

  “Okay,” I agree.

  Mom smiles. “There’s still something I don’t understand, though. What’s this about staying on your broom?”

  “Oh,” I say. “You know, I’ve been trying not to fly off the handle. I’m trying to stay on my broom like a witch in a windstorm.”

  Mom laughs out loud. “Well, you’re using that phrase the right way, Lucy, but I don’t think that it came from flying on a broom.”

  “It didn’t?” I ask. “Where did it come from?”

  “Do a little research,” Mom says. “See if you can find out.”

  Great. More homework!

  Chapter Thirteen

  Truth Be Told

  On Tuesday morning, the breakfast talk is all about pets again. It seems Thomas has been doing some research of his own.

  “We’re getting a dinosaur,” he says. “I want a stegosaurus.”

  “Dinosaurs are huge!” I say.

  “Dinosaurs are extinct,” Dad adds.

  “Yeah, that’s a problem, too,” I agree.

  But Thomas won’t back down. “We can buy air freshener if it stinks!”

  “Extinct,” I tell Thomas. “Extinct means there aren’t any more dinosaurs.”

  Thomas isn’t happy about this news. He starts to pout and pushes his peanut butter toast away.

  “Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ve figured out t
he perfect pet for our family.”

  Dad looks surprised. “Have you?”

  “Yep,” I say. “And when the time is right, I’ll let you all know.”

  At school, I speed-walk to Room 2-C. I about have a heart attack when I see that my very special fossil is not on the counter in the Science Lab. I take a peek at Miss Flippo’s desk, but just a quick one. Teachers are pretty picky about students nosing around their desks. Still, a rock that size should be easy to spot, and I don’t see it anywhere.

  “Have you seen Miss Flippo?” I ask Ming, who is hanging up her coat.

  “No, but her sweater is on the back of her chair, so I know she’s here.” I look at Miss Flippo’s chair. Ming’s right. She’s a good observer.

  Pretty soon, Miss Flippo comes in the room, and she looks even more excited about being at school than usual, and Miss Flippo is one of the most excited people I know. She claps and everyone stops what they’re doing.

  “Room 2-C! Let’s hurry to our seats. I have something to share before Mrs. James comes on with the morning announcements!”

  Stewart walks in the room just as everyone is scurrying to sit down.

  “Whoa, what’s going on?” he asks.

  “Have a seat, Stewart.” Miss Flippo beams. “You’re going to be very interested in what I have to say.”

  “Is it about my fossil?” Stewart asks.

  “My fossil,” I say.

  “My …” Stewart starts to argue, but Miss Flippo shushes him.

  When everyone is sitting, Miss Flippo says, “I have some very interesting news about the fossil that someone found over the weekend.”

  Room 2-C is very quiet.

  “Yesterday, after school, I took the fossil to one of the high school science teachers. He was so amazed by what he saw, that he immediately took it to the university. There, one of the paleontology professors examined it.”

  “Wow!”

  “Whoa!”

  Miss Flippo continues, “He believes it could be a part of a wooly mammoth’s tusk!”