by David Alric
‘It’s OK,’ Richard said. ‘It’s alarming but these creatures will do anything she tells them.’ They watched open-mouthed as Lucy, in complete silence, communed with the great cat.
‘Greetings to thee with the fangs that put all others to shame!’ said Lucy.
‘Greetings, O Promised One. My kin spoke of thy return but this is sooner than any of us thought. Many of those who served thee many moons ago are still here and will be greatly honoured to see thee once again.’
‘Thank you,’ said Lucy, ‘and I shall speak further to thee anon. I now leave in the thunderquill for a short time and, for the moment, ask only that while I am away you protect my kin and the arborikin who serve me.’
‘It shall be so,’ replied the sabre-tooth, ‘as it was with the others.’
At the time Lucy thought that ‘the others’ referred to by the cat were Helen and Julian, whom she had left under the protection of the animals on her previous adventure while she and Richard had gone for help. She would have been horrified if she had known that the sabre-tooth was referring to the villains who had now been living in the valley for three months. The animals had simply assumed that Lucy’s instructions applied to any humans coming into the valley and had left the villains unmolested.
She turned and spoke to the monkeys. ‘I fly once again in the thunderquill and desire that one of you accompanies me. We shall return before sunsleep. I think it best …’ She paused, for fear of insulting Queenie. She would rather take one of the younger, more active monkeys, just in case there was a problem with the plane but the monkey was ahead of her and interrupted:
‘… it is best if Clio goes with thee, O Promised One; I am getting old and Sophie is with Kai. Henceforth, we will stay and serve thy kin until the thunderquill returns. If needs be, I can talk to the greatfang in the common tongue.’2
‘Let’s go, while we’ve still got a few hours of daylight,’ said Julian impatiently. He was worried about the flight but immediately felt slightly ashamed when Lucy explained that she had been ensuring the safety of the others and apologized for his impatience. The three of them then got back into the plane. Michelle, as always, was clinging to Lucy’s shoulder, and Clio hopped in behind them, now looking forward to another magical trip high above her native canopy. Before setting off Richard coiled three ropes by the sliding door. They were slender and immensely strong, being made of woven polyamide, and each had a grappling hook at one end. Richard and Clive had discussed at length the best method for scaling the central escarpment into the neighbouring valley. They had decided that the best strategy was to drop a rope from the plane so that its grapples would secure it to the top of the ridge, with the rope extending down into their ‘home’ valley. The two climbers would use the rope to scale the steep cliff and then lower rope ladders on either side of the escarpment so that the entire party could move freely between the valleys.
As the plane took off Richard felt a pang of apprehension. They only had three grappling hooks, and if he couldn’t get one to catch securely on the cliff top he couldn’t bear the thought of Clive’s expression when he had to confess he had failed. Lucy saw his expression and squeezed his arm.
‘It’ll be OK, Dad. You can do it.’
He was grateful for her encouragement but knew that he still faced a serious challenge that could affect the entire success of the mission.
After taking off, Julian flew to the edge of the valley and then turned to fly right across the middle, parallel to the central escarpment so that Richard could identify the lowest point along the ridge. Like Richard he faced a technical challenge unlike any he had met before in his limited flying experience. He and Richard had practised their technique along cliff tops in England but this seemed very different. He had to fly slowly and as low as possible alongside the ridge while Richard and Lucy examined the terrain.
The top of the ridge consisted of sharp, jagged serrations thrusting up to the sky. For most of its length it would be impossible for anything to pass along it and it was now readily apparent why nothing had been able to survive an attempt to get on to it at the edge of the crater from the surrounding jungle.
‘That’s the place!’ Richard exclaimed, pointing to the cliff. He couldn’t believe their good luck. They were flying past a major geological fault in the ridge about half a mile long where a rock slippage had resulted in the crest plunging down to a wider ridge within about two hundred feet of the valley floor. He and Clive had discussed at length how high a cliff they might have to climb, and to have now found a point at which the precipice was far less than half the height of the main ridge was an unexpected bonus. Julian turned the plane in a wide circle and then positioned it to fly transversely from one valley to the other across the gap in the summit.
Richard slid back the door. He was immediately taken aback by the rushing wind and the speed with which they crossed the ridge, even though Julian was flying as slowly as he dared without putting the plane at risk. Richard threw down the first rope and was dismayed to see it disappear behind him in a flash, spiralling down at least a hundred yards away from the escarpment. He suddenly realized that he faced an almost impossible task.
‘Can you fly along the cliff instead of across it?’ he shouted to Julian over the roar of the engine and the rushing wind through the open door. ‘The bit I’m aiming at will be further down but the timing won’t be so critical.’
Julian nodded. He flew to the end of the valley and then turned the plane for a run along the top of the cliff. As they flew over the gap in the crest Richard made a second attempt. His throw was perfect but, by the greatest ill-fortune, the hook bounced off a very smooth piece of rock and disappeared from view into the valley below.
‘We’re not going to be able to do this,’ he said to Lucy in despair. ‘There’s only one rope left.’
‘Yes, we are, Dad, and it’s not your last chance. We could never find those lost ropes down there but the animals will easily find them for us and we can come out for another go if necessary. Now, go on, have another go.’
Richard had forgotten about their animal helpers and, much relieved by Lucy’s reassurance that this wasn’t his last and only chance, he relaxed and concentrated completely on the job in hand.
Julian swung the plane round again at the end of the valleys and commenced another run along the ridge that separated them. He flew even more slowly than before and prayed that the plane would remain under control.
Richard waited until they once again reached the place where the crest fell away, breathed a fervent prayer, and flung the final grapnel out of the plane, its attached coil of rope starting to stream out behind it like the tail of a kite. As the plane sped on he and Lucy looked back and saw the hook bounce once, twice and then, unbelievably, catch tight on a rough stony outcrop. As Julian turned the plane back once again, they could see the rope unfurling itself to the floor of their valley.
Julian grinned and gave them both the thumbs-up sign as Richard hauled the door shut and shut out the noise of the rushing wind.
‘Brilliant, Dad!’ Lucy exclaimed, ‘– and Julian,’ she added quickly, for the success of the manoeuvre had undoubtedly depended as much on the skill of the pilot as on the throwing of the rope.
‘And for my next trick,’ said Julian, ‘we’ll have a quick look for a dinosaur before flying home for the large supper I hope they’ve got ready for us.’ And so saying he banked steeply and flew straight out across the unknown territory that Lucy called the Valley of the Ancients. To their intense disappointment, however, banks of mist were now rolling across the valley and its floor was becoming rapidly obscured from view. As they tried to peer down, the gathering gloom made the strange valley seem ever more mysterious – as if it were determined forever to protect its ancient secrets from the prying eyes of an alien species.
‘I’m sorry but we’ve got to get out of here – fast,’ said Julian, a worried frown on his face. ‘If this gets any worse I may lose my bearings and the compass is go
ing crazy.’ As he spoke he pointed to the instrument panel where the compass needle was spinning jerkily, first one way and then the other. But Richard was looking past him out of the windscreen.
‘Good God!’ he exclaimed, ‘another plane – and it’s coming straight for us!’
Julian spun round and gripped the controls as he looked ahead at the dark shape that had emerged from the swirling mists. ‘Planes don’t flap their wings, Richard,’ he said grimly, as he put the plane into a steep climb. It’s a giant pterodactyl and …’ as he spoke the creature also changed course to meet them ‘… it’s attacking us!’
Julian wrenched at the controls to bank away but, with astonishing aerobatic ability for such a large creature, the giant reptile twisted to keep them on target. It flew straight at the front of the plane, its prodigious beak poised like a lance to strike through the windscreen which it obviously took to be the face of a rival invading its territory. It did not, of course, see the rapidly spinning blades of the propeller and there was a juddering crash as the creature was turned into mincemeat, the windscreen becoming instantly opaque as it became covered in gore and pulverized remains. The windscreen wipers were useless, their mechanisms clogged with skin and guts.
Julian had retained a mental image of his last clear view of the landscape; a savannah-like plain stretching back towards the heavily forested base of the central escarpment. He realized instantly that he couldn’t make it over the escarpment and attempt a blind landing back in their own valley. The engine was racing but he knew that this was only because the propeller blades must be shattered and that the engine was meeting no resistance. He had no power. All he could do was to try and glide down to a savannah landing. He fought to keep the little plane steady as some of the pterodactyl’s blended remains gradually slid off the starboard wing into the slipstream. Then they were down, bouncing and bumping along the uneven plain. The terrified passengers waited for the final fatal crash into a rock or tree but it never came. The plane gradually slowed in its jarring progress across the ground and then, after a tremendous final jolt that skewed the plane steeply to port, it came to rest amidst a crackling of branches and twigs in what seemed to be a giant springy bush.
1 Author’s note: not a true tiger. See Animal Anthology.
2 Author’s note: the common tongue is an ancient and primitive language which all animals understand, even though each species also has its own particular language or dialect.
10
Walking on Eggshells
The motor had finally cut out and after some creaks and twangs as the plane settled, there was silence apart from a steady hissing from a broken hose in the engine.
The whole incident had lasted no more than a few moments but they all felt as if they had lived through a lifetime of terror. None of them could really believe they were still alive and unharmed.
Julian released his hands from the controls. They had been clenched so tightly that they were white and bloodless and as he turned to his white-faced passengers there were beads of sweat on his brow. ‘Sorry about that, folks,’ he said. ‘A bit of a cock-up by crater air traffic control!’
Richard spoke – with some difficulty for his mouth was still dry with fear.
‘This is becoming a bit of a habit,’ he eventually croaked. ‘There’s something about me and small planes and jungles. I have a distinct sense of déjà vu about all this.’The others remembered that his previous trip to the crater had also ended with a crash in the jungle.
‘It’s going to take a lot ever to get me into one of these things again,’ he continued. ‘I’ve walked back to civilization once before through the jungle and I think I’m prepared to do it again.’
‘Well, nobody’s going to fly in this plane again,’ said Julian. ‘I’m afraid it’s a complete write-off. It would be cheaper to buy a new one than to attempt to get this one out and repair …’ His voice tailed off. In the danger and the excitement of the crash his sole concern had been their immediate survival, but now the full implications of their plight began to dawn on him. ‘… Which brings me to the next question,’ he continued grimly. ‘How on earth are we going to get home without a plane?’
‘And even more urgent than that,’ said Lucy, as Michelle emerged from hiding in her lap and resumed her usual position, ‘is how on earth we’re going to get back to the others? Remember, the rope you dropped is on the other side of the escarpment; it was intended to help us get into this crater from that side – not out of it from this side.’
They all fell silent again as they contemplated their situation. Not only were they now deprived of their means of returning to civilization but they were separated from the rest of the group by a formidable escarpment.
‘Where’s the radio?’ said Julian. ‘Let’s at least tell the others what’s happened.’
Richard retrieved the radio from his rucksack. It was, fortunately, undamaged but when he tried to communicate with the others there was no response.
‘I’m just not sending or receiving any signals,’ he said angrily. ‘What the hell’s the matter with it?’
There was a pause as Julian cast his mind back to his own experience with the radio on their previous visit to the crater.
‘I think I told you,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘that our pilot couldn’t get the radio to work because we were too near the cliff for decent reception. You know how your mobile phone doesn’t work sometimes near tall buildings. Our pilot lost his life because he was trying to find a spot away from the cliff where he could establish a successful radio transmission.’ Richard nodded in agreement.
‘We-ell,’ Julian continued slowly, ‘We never actually got the radio back so we were never able to see if it did work further away from the cliff. Even if we’d had the radio we couldn’t leave the safety of the cliff because of the danger from animals. It never crossed my mind that there would be any problem on this trip because I assumed, with Lucy’s power over the animals, that we could walk freely anywhere in the crater to get good reception. I’m now beginning to think that the problem wasn’t just our proximity to the cliff. It seems to have been caused by something that affects the whole crater. There must be something funny about the metallic ores in the rocks which makes them interfere with electromagnetic impulses.’
‘Could that be why the compass was going funny?’ asked Lucy.
‘Of course!’ Julian exclaimed. ‘Clever girl. That’s exactly what was going on.’ He paused and frowned. ‘And I’m afraid it confirms my suspicion that the radio will be useless wherever we try to use it.’
There was a tense silence as they all absorbed the full implications of this remark. It was eventually broken by Richard.
‘What the hell are we going to do? We’re trapped.’
‘It seems pretty clear to me what we have to do.’ Julian and Richard turned to look at Lucy. She spoke once again with a tone of authority.
‘The first thing to do is to find out if I can speak to dinosaurs. If I can we’re relatively safe – at least for the time being. If I can’t, we’ve got a problem – a serious problem. Then we’ve got to get in touch with the others, though quite how I haven’t yet worked out. Thank goodness we brought Clio with us; she’s probably going to be our best chance of communication.’
Richard and Julian had both forgotten the monkey and now looked at her. She had just recovered from the shock of the crash and crept out from behind Lucy’s seat. When she saw everyone looking she became embarrassed and crept back again. Lucy laughed and spoke to her kindly.
‘Do not hide, O little one. We speak only in your praise and are glad you are here to help us in our quest. The thunderquill has died in this place and we talk now of how to escape without it. Soon I will tell you of our plans.’
The monkey appeared comforted by her words and came out of hiding once again.
The plane was tilted at a steep angle but the door, fortunately, was uppermost. Before opening it Lucy peeped out of the window. The sky was clearing of mi
st and visibility at ground level was normal.
‘Wow!’ she exclaimed. No wonder we had a soft landing!’
The others pressed against the windows.
‘Oh no,’ Richard groaned as he looked down. ‘How can we possibly have been so unlucky!’
Julian looked and his face, just recovering its colour after the crash, went pale again.
‘My God,’ he whispered eventually. ‘I’m so sorry. I thought a trip over the valley would be interesting and look at us now. I’ve not only crashed the plane but landed in a bloody dinosaur’s nest!’
They all stared down in stunned silence at the clutch of giant eggs surrounding the plane. The silence was eventually broken by another groan from Richard.
‘Well, here’s the really bad news; it wasn’t going to take long, but I’m afraid Mum is already on the way.’ He pointed to a nearby copse and, sure enough, an enormous shape was looming in the thicket. As it emerged into the open its size was truly awe-inspiring. It was as high as a six-storey building and as long as three buses.
Julian gazed at the monster. His mouth fell open. His expression was a curious mixture of profound terror and professional fascination. ‘Good heavens,’ he said. ‘A real … live … Argentinosaurus!’
‘And what’s that?’ asked Richard, ‘– apart from being something that’s awfully big.’
‘Well, to start with, it’s a herbivore – though with something so large, that doesn’t seem much of a consolation. On current evidence it was – is – probably the largest and heaviest animal ever to have lived on land. It weighs over a hundred tons.’
‘So, out of all the creatures on earth whose home we could choose to wreck,’ said Richard bitterly, ‘we went and picked the biggest one that ever existed in the history of the planet. Trust us!’
