Up ahead, Kyle saw a billowing white cloud going up from the ground. The sound was coming from somewhere in the midst of the cloud. As he got closer, he could see movement. He heard the splash of water and…a low whistle.
When Kyle arrived at the edge of the cloud, he realized it was water vapor and that it was quite warm. He bent down to the edge and stuck his hand down into the water. It was well below the surface of the ground. The water was warm—like the ocean off the Florida Keys where he and his sister had swam with the dolphins the year before on one of his family’s rare vacations.
Kyle began to pull his hand back out when something reached up, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the water.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Dr. Bashan and Dr. Donavan looked at one another as they sat in the office of the laboratory and tried to figure out why there was a severed leg of a T-rex sitting in the capsule.
“It must have stepped into the capsule as it started to leave, Paul.”
“Then why is the leg burned? What could possibly account for that?”
Dr. Donavan scratched his chin in puzzlement. “Maybe there was a fire where the capsule landed? Maybe the capsule started the fire. I don’t know. Have you looked over the data again?”
“Over and over again. It doesn’t make any sense. And where did the camera go?”
The phone rang and Dr. Bashan picked it up. “It is for you. Your wife. She sounds very upset.”
Dr. Donavan took the phone and listened for a few seconds. “I’ll be right there.” He looked at Dr. Bashan with a blank expression. “My son is missing.”
***
Kyle fought and struggled to get to the surface. He held his breath frantically kicking and struggling against the grip on his arm. Whatever had him in its grip was extraordinarily strong. He felt his face submerge in what felt like sand and squeezed his eyes shut. Kyle was an excellent swimmer and could traverse the length of the Olympic-sized swimming pool at the club his parents belonged to underwater. However, the panic he now felt was using up his oxygen quickly. Just as he thought his lungs were about to explode, he was yanked out of the sandy slosh and dumped onto hard ground and rocks.
He gulped air for several seconds before looking to see what new evil his current predicament had in store. To his utter shock and amazement, he looked up at an enormous creature the size of a school bus. It was his old friend from the pond that saved his life the last time he was here. She had survived the catastrophe above by hiding in caves below the surface of the ground. Several smaller animals undulated over to him and began whistling as they cocked their heads in curiosity.
“So…this is where you tried to take me before? What are you anyway?”
Kyle stood up and wiped the sand from his face. He couldn’t quite figure out why the water hadn’t spilled back into the cave. Then it dawned on him. “There’s light in here!”
Kyle looked around in astonishment at the glowing green and white rocks. He knew from science class that some materials are luminescent—they have the ability to emit light due to their chemical make-up. He remembered it had something to do with electromagnetic radiation and wondered if it was harmful. He concluded it wasn’t since the animals seemed to be doing quite well.
“I know you guys are trying to help me, but I have to get back to the surface before the capsule comes back.” He pointed up and looked at the creatures as if they could understand him. The response was more whistles.
“Why am I talking to you? You don’t have the foggiest idea what I’m saying.”
Kyle looked more closely at the unusual creatures. He hadn’t gotten a really good look at them when he encountered them in the pond the last time he was here. Of course, they wouldn’t have remembered him either. At least he didn’t think they did.
The largest one was well over forty feet long. The neck was slightly elongate and the front legs resembled flippers—not too different from a sea lion—only much larger. The head was slender; almost horse-like. In fact, Kyle remembered how frightened he was the last time when he first encountered these creatures until he realized that the mouth was very tiny. They reminded him of a sea horse.
The rear flippers were similar to the front only not quite as long. There were three distinct humps on the animals back and the skin appeared coarse—like a shark’s skin. It had scales similar to a shark, but so did some of the land dinosaurs. A long, thick tail moved like a giant anaconda behind the creature. Kyle had never seen anything like these animals before in any book on dinosaurs he had read. He was sure they were a species no one knew anything about. He found that exciting.
The smaller animals approached him and acted as if they were sniffing to see what he smelled like. Apparently, they weren’t completely aquatic since they had a nose, thought Kyle.
He reached out and touched the closest of three animals on the snout. The animal responded by trying to suck on his hand. He felt a distinct suction on the palm of his hand. It was surprisingly strong.
“What do you eat?” Kyle said aloud. The creature responded by whistling.
Kyle whistled back and the smaller animals jumped away and began making squealing sounds. The larger creature Kyle assumed was the mother became alarmed and moved between Kyle and the little ones.
She leaned down close to Kyle’s face with her smiling mouth and soft yellow eyes. The black slit in the middle was quite large with the absence of strong light in the cave. She whistled once. A short, deep, bass sound. Kyle whistled softly trying to imitate her.
She reared back and cocked her head as if surprised. Then she leaned down again and whistled a little louder. Kyle repeated it. This time the creature turned her head and whistled to the smaller ones. Her children. They responded by whistling together softly and it sounded harmonious.
“That’s so pretty,” said Kyle.
A rumbling shook the ground for a few seconds and then stopped. The mother whistled loudly in short bursts and the little animals scurried down the cave. The mother whistled at Kyle. He felt as if he was supposed to understand, but his mind was on getting back to the capsule. The only way he knew to do that was back the way they came in. He shuddered at the thought.
The mother repeated the same warning sound, reached behind Kyle, and gave him a shove. Kyle rejected the idea. Now he knew what she wanted. She wanted him to follow her.
“I can’t,” he pleaded. “I have to go…”
She whistled again only this time it was a piecing whistle that hurt his ears. Her eyes had turned dark like she was angry. The sandy water where they had emerged from began to boil with a popping sound. Kyle felt the heat. The earth rumbled again and the mother reached behind and shoved Kyle again.
“Okay! Okay! I can take a hint.” Frightened out of his wits, Kyle realized he wasn’t going to get back to the surface the way he came in. In fact, he might never get back to the surface at all. So, he allowed the creature to lead him down an enormous tunnel lit by the luminescent chemicals. It was going deeper and deeper away from the surface.
***
Teresa and Sonja sat in the lounge at the laboratory waiting for their parents to return.
“What on earth is going on, Teresa?” asked Sonja.
“It’s Kyle. He’s missing.”
“Do you think he went back in the capsule?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s going to get himself killed! We almost died the last time. Did you tell your parents about it?”
“Oh, absolutely not! We promised to never tell anyone. I would never break my promise.”
“That’s good. Neither would I. But if Kyle went back, we may not have any choice in the matter. Do you think he went back to get Priti?”
Sonja thought for a moment. “Maybe. That might be nice if he brought her back. He would be a hero. He is very smart. He will figure out how to get home.”
“I don’t have as much confidence as you. You’re in love with Kyle.”
“I am not! I just think he is…very smar
t. What is wrong with that?”
“Sure. Okay. You’re in denial, as my parents like to say. What if he does bring Priti back? Do you think they’ll want to experiment on her? You know, like study her?”
Sonja’s eyes got wide. “Oh, I hope not. They would not cut her up, would they?”
“Oh no! No! No! We can’t let that happen.”
“What can we do, then?”
Teresa got up and started walking back and forth. Then she stopped. “We have to tell them, Sonja. Maybe they can stop Kyle from bringing Priti back.”
***
Down the great dinosaurs went with Kyle following close behind. The ground continued to rumble and he heard rocks falling behind him. These creatures had somehow managed to save his life again, but he wondered if he would ever see his parents.
Kyle tripped over a rock and fell to the ground banging his knee. The mother stopped, turned around and looked at Kyle. She whistled softly.
Kyle tried to get up, but his knee was already beginning to swell. The earth shook violently beneath him as he sat there. He thought the gentle animal would run off, but she stayed and waited patiently.
“Go on without me,” said Kyle half-heartedly. He had heard someone say that in a movie before and thought it was the brave thing to do. He said it, but he didn’t feel so brave.
The mother lowered herself close to the ground and whistled again. Kyle wondered, could she want me to climb up on her back? He pulled himself up and thought he might as well take the chance. If left by himself he would surely die.
Kyle limped over to the tail that trailed behind the creature and crawled up to the first lump. Rocks began to fall all around them. One hit the mother in the head and she screeched and began to move very swiftly through the tunnel.
Kyle held on with all his strength as he jostled up and down occasionally ducking when the top of the tunnel narrowed. The light from the walls seemed to be getting brighter. After a few minutes of relative quiet, a loud crashing sound behind them scared Kyle. He looked back and his eyes became wide with fear. The tunnel was collapsing behind them.
Faster and faster the great beast ran. Deeper and deeper into the earth they went. Drops of water hit Kyle in the face and the sound of splashing water could be heard from below where the creature’s feet slapped the ground.
Suddenly, they came into an enormous cavern. The height was taller than the Astrodome. The ceiling sparkled with the luminescent rocks in a variety of colors: blue, green, red and white. Enormous stalactites hung down from the roof like gigantic icicles. However, the most striking feature of the cave wasn’t the ceiling. Filling almost the entire cavern was a huge lake that glowed—a brilliant green color as if it were on fire. In the water, the three smaller creatures were swimming with several other animals. Farther out, Kyle saw even more of the aquatic dinosaurs.
Kyle lowered himself to the ground and gently put weight on his swollen knee. It felt better and he limped over to the pool as the mother watched. Kyle could see clear to the bottom. It was filled with the same kind of rocks as the ceiling. He had never seen anything like it before in his life.
He reached down, picked up a handful of water, and cautiously stuck his tongue out to taste it. Salt water!
The ground shook again and a loud explosion threw Kyle into the water with a splash. The tunnel had completely collapsed.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dr. Donavan and Dr. Bashan sat in silence after listening to the girls tell the story of their foray into the past. No one had retained any knowledge of what had taken place after Kyle brought Priti into the future; it was as if that had never happened. The paradox was no longer a threat as long as Kyle didn’t bring Priti back again—or anything else for that matter. But they also didn’t know that Kyle had no intention of bringing Priti back.
“We have to stop Kyle from bringing the dinosaur back,” said Dr. Bashan. “But how do we do that?”
“We would have to launch the capsule again according to the girls.” They both shook their heads. “Maybe we can place a note in the capsule.”
“What about the T-rex leg?” asked Dr. Bashan.
“It doesn’t matter. We don’t have any other choice. We have to send the capsule back.”
“It is settled then?”
“Yes. And, we have to leave the shoestring in the capsule as well. Odd though. It doesn’t look like a shoestring from Kyle’s sneakers. What do you make of that, Paul?”
“It almost looks like the string from your shoe.”
“Hmm. Indeed it does. How strange. How soon can we launch?”
Write your note and place it in the capsule. Oh, and include the story of the previous trip. No telling how much of the past, present or future will be remembered if he comes back.”
“When he comes back,” Sonja corrected.
“How can you be so sure?” asked her father.
“I just know,” replied Sonja.
***
Kyle treaded water as he watched in horror as his only chance of escape just disappeared. He was stuck in the past forever. Suddenly he felt very lonely. He wished he had taken someone—even his sister back with him. Then he thought about Sonja and remembered what happened in that future and shivered, but not because of the cold. In fact, he was surprised that the water was warm.
The mother dinosaur swam up to Kyle and whistled at him softly again. She moved sideways.
“You want me to crawl on again?”
She whistled again.
Kyle pulled himself up on her back and held on wondering where they were going now.
“I should give you a name. What should I call you?” He thought for a minute. Then he had an idea. “I’ll call you Nessie! You sort of look like the Loch Ness monster. Okay? Nessie?”
She whistled and began to swim after the other animals heading toward the center of the enormous underground lake. Then all the animals began to dive into the water. Kyle was afraid but quickly gulped several breaths of air before holding the last one, a trick he used when swimming underwater. If he was going to die, he decided, it would be following these creatures wherever they were going.
Down they went the water burning his eyes but he refused to shut them. The animal was extraordinarily swift and they were covering a great distance in a short period of time. It was getting darker and darker ahead. Seconds later, he couldn’t see anything at all.
Kyle was pushing the limits of his lung capacity and starting to run out of air. He fought the urge to inhale with all of his might and held on to Nessie as if she was his dearest friend in the world. Indeed, she was at that very moment.
Kyle felt Nessie suddenly change direction; it felt like she was swimming back up again. Kyle fought hard not to breathe. He looked up and thought he saw a light ahead. He was near to blacking out and prayed that they would soon surface.
When he could hold his breathe no more, they broke through with a splash and Kyle gulped the air into his lungs in great deep breaths. They were in the middle of a larger body of water and they were back on the surface again.
***
“I can not seem to get the harmonics right, David. I set the sequence the same as before, but the computer will not take the data.”
“Can you try changing the sequence and see if it will take it then? Maybe it’s just a glitch. You can reset it afterwards.”
“Yes, yes. Maybe that will work.” Dr. Bashan changed several of the instructions randomly and pressed, “Enter.”
The system started to reboot itself.
“There we go. Okay. Now shut it back down and enter the correct data,” suggested Dr. Donavan.
Dr. Bashan hit the “Exit” key but nothing happened. He hit it again and again. Then he hit the “Escape” key. Nothing.
“What’s happening?” asked Dr. Donavan.
“I do not know,” answered a panicking Dr. Bashan.
Then they heard the sound of violins—hundreds of them—in perfect harmony.
***
Everywhere Kyle looked, there was water. He was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, but he didn’t know where they were. He held onto Nessie as she began to swim away from the other animals. She seemed to know where she was going, so Kyle held tight and enjoyed the ride.
The sky was still quite dark and the Northern Lights still shimmered across the distant horizon. It was still daylight, but it was getting darker and darker. After about an hour of swimming with Kyle sitting high on the back of one of Nessie’s humps, he could see something ahead. Land!
Nessie pulled herself out and then lowered her body close to the ground so Kyle could get down. He crawled off and stood there dripping wet. Nessie lowered her face to Kyle and whistled softly. He rubbed her head gently.
“Thank you. I guess it’s up to me now. There’s nothing else to do. Goodbye—Nessie.”
Nessie whistled again, then dove back into the water, and disappeared below the surface. Kyle looked around at the barren landscape. He doubted he was anywhere near the capsule and hadn’t a clue where to look. The sun was almost below the horizon and it was getting colder. He was already wet. Then he felt the first snowflake hit him in the face and the wind picked up with a whistle far shaper than the warning cry of Nessie.
***
“Why is the capsule launching?” asked Dr. Donavan hysterically.
“I do not know! The computer, it will not respond. It has a mind of its own”
“Pull the plug! Cut the power! Do something!” screamed Dr. Donavan.
However, they knew it was too late. They watched helplessly as the capsule shimmered out of existence and disappeared into some unknown destination. Whether it went forward in time, or back they didn’t know. They didn’t even know if it went to the same location.
Dr. Donavan looked down and noticed that not even the shoestring remained. He had lost his son forever.
***
The night sky was full of bulbous clouds glowing with energy. Orange and blue flashes pulsed through the storm as the snow began to fall heavily. Kyle shivered as the temperature began to plummet. He wondered if this was the end for him.
No Time For Dinosaurs Page 16
