by Alan Nayes
“Morning, Miss Wilcroft,” Spinner said, smiling bigger than usual.
“Hello.” Miss Wilcroft never smiled. She was always very formal and stern. “But if I may correct you, it’s afternoon.”
Spinner checked his watch. It was only 11:45, still morning. But stranger still, his watch was working fine.
“What time is it?” he asked.
Miss Wilcroft pointed to the large wall clock. “It’s precisely 2:39 PM.” Noticing Spinner’s puzzled expression, she asked, “Something wrong?”
“No, it was just that … ah. My watch, I guess it stopped for a while.” Seeing the actual time, Spinner realized he’d been in Underland for over three hours.
Miss Wilcroft didn’t seem interested. “Now what can we do for you today, young fellow?”
“I’d like to see the Mayor.”
“The Mayor? Do you have an appointment?”
Spinner shook his head and smiled even wider.
It didn’t help.
“I’m sorry, Spinner, but the Mayor’s tied up on town council business.”
“Even better! I’ll see the whole town council then.”
Miss Wilcroft cleared her throat. This was obviously an unusual request. “May I ask what type of business you have with the Mayor?”
Spinner leaned closer. “It’s real important,” he whispered.
“I see,” she whispered back.
Spinner nodded. “I just made an awesome discovery that will literally…” Spinner searched for the right words. “Blow you away,” he finished proudly.
Miss Wilcroft sat back in her chair, looking very unimpressed. “Why don’t I let the Mayor know you came by and sometime next week you can speak with him?” She stood up, a certain finality about her posture. “Good day.”
Feeling helpless, Spinner watched as she started toward the double wooden doors of the council chamber. “Miss Wilcroft!” he blurted out. “It’s really very important.”
The old secretary tried to look patient. “I understand, young fellow, but—”
“No, you don’t understand, not really—” Spinner almost yelled, catching himself in the nick of time. He gulped. He’d never talked back to an adult like that before.
Miss Wilcroft’s lips pursed.
“I’m sorry.” Spinner stepped toward her desk. “But, you see, I just gotta see the Mayor. I gotta,” he begged.
“Now, Spinner.” Miss Wilcroft crossed her arms across her chest like a security guard. “There are many official duties the Mayor must attend to. He just doesn’t have time to see you.” She paused before driving home the sword. “I think I should call your parents.”
Spinner was losing the battle, and he knew it. He could only watch as Miss Wilcroft turned back toward the council-room doors. Then the idea hit him. He hadn’t lost yet. He swung his knapsack to the floor and opened it. “Miss Wilcroft,” he called out.
She stopped once more. Obviously, her patience was wearing very thin.
Spinner reached inside his pack and pulled out the cave pearl. “Look!” He held it up, catching some stray sunlight through a window.
The impact was immediate. The ray of light bent upward like a prism, straight into Miss Wilcroft’s face. The cave pearl’s magnificent green glow produced just the effect Spinner was looking for.
Miss Wilcroft’s eyes grew wide. She opened her mouth to speak but her lips just quivered. For a moment Spinner worried. What if she had a heart attack? Finally, she seemed to gain control and stepped closer.
Spinner held the pearl out. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And there’s hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. Perhaps millions!”
Miss Wilcroft slowly removed her glasses, never taking her eyes off the cave pearl, as if hypnotized by its beauty. She said only four words: “I’ll get the Mayor.”
Spinner sat at the head of a long mahogany table, his knapsack in his lap. Along one side sat the four town council members. There was Mr. Butler, the pharmacist, and Mr. Jenkins, the school’s football coach. He didn’t remember the name of the older lady with the black wig, but he thought she ran Maramac’s bank. Then there was Mr. Mortenstein. The science teacher was a squat, round man with lots of gray hair, but only growing from the sides and back of his wide head. In some ways he always reminded Spinner of a tortoise, but he respected Mr. Mortenstein’s appreciation of science, which included a vast knowledge of Echo Valley’s local plants and animals, as well as some interest in geology.
Spinner fidgeted with the strap on his knapsack. No one said a word. It seemed everybody was in a hurry to get back to town business, and they were not impressed by this impromptu meeting.
The door opened and Spinner’s parents entered, followed by the Mayor.
“Hello, Spinner,” the Mayor boomed, as he smoothed down his snow-white hair and walked to the head of the table opposite Spinner. “Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not.” It was only a small lie. Spinner glanced over at his mother. Could she tell he was lying? Her pretty face was placid, expectant, and wore just a touch of concern. She smiled at him in reassurance.
“Spinner, is everything okay?” she asked, worry lacing her words.
Spinner nodded. “Sure, Mom. Everything’s cool.”
The Mayor motioned for Spinner’s parents to take a seat and sat at the head of the table. He looked first at Mr. and Mrs. McPherson, followed by the four council members, and last of all, at Spinner. “Now, young man. What is it that you have to tell us on this fine day?”
“Well, sir,” Spinner started, avoiding his parents’ eyes. “I guess I’d like to begin by showing you this.” He opened his knapsack and pulled out the cave pearl. In an instant, its soft green glow bathed the room. The hush that followed was so heavy it descended on the room like a fog.
Spinner could see the veins bulge in his father’s muscular neck as Mr. McPherson swallowed with a gulp. His mother’s mouth hung open, a perfect “O” of pink lipstick.
Spinner carefully handed the cave pearl to the closest adult, Mr. Butler. The pharmacist caressed it as if it were the cure for cancer. He then handed it to Mr. Jenkins. Around the table it went.
No one spoke but Spinner. “It’s called a cave pearl. And there’s more of those where it came from. Many, many more.”
Spinner suddenly recalled, somewhat nervously, Reglan’s reaction to the cave pearl once they left Underland. He hoped it wouldn’t cause any sudden memory changes in anyone else. He wanted to be the one to break the news. Underland was his story to reveal. However, since no one else at the table had been to Underland, he doubted the pearl would have the same effect. If they had no knowledge of Underland in the first place, there would be nothing to remember, he thought. He was right.
Spinner told them how he discovered Underland after Otter took off after some strange tracks. He also told them about the saurids and Scroffle. He enjoyed watching Mr. Mortenstein’s eyebrows shoot upward when he mentioned Archaeopteryx, Smilodon fatalis and the young hominid.
He described the majestic stalactites and stalagmites that seemed to grow like trees and, of course, the numerous sparkling pools surrounded by piles of cave pearls. He purposely left out the part about communicating with the Underlanders; he was sure it was some sort of mental telepathy. And he thought it best, especially with his parents listening, not to give too much vivid detail about their narrow escape in the Wild. He also chose not to mention the saurid egg in his pack. If he showed them the egg now, they could claim it was just a painted chicken egg, or that he had lifted it from some other wild bird’s nest. No. He had a terrarium in his room with a hot light and heating pad; he would incubate the egg himself. Once it hatched, he would show them a living, breathing baby dinosaur! He ended with: “So you see, it’s the most important discovery of this century!” Spinner almost added “of all time,” but he saw his father’s brow furrow at his last statement, and he didn’t want to boast too much.
When he finished, no one said a word. Not even his parents. They all
just nodded, looked at each other, and then turned their eyes back to the cave pearl, which now rested in the science teacher’s hands.
Mr. Mortenstein brought the cave pearl up close to one eye. “Uh-huh.” He squinted at it with the other eye. “Hm-hmm.” He nodded again and set it on the table. “The structure appears similar to that of a diamond.” He looked up. “I’ll need some time in the lab to really examine it closely.”
The Mayor nodded. He reached one big hand across the table toward the crystal, but just as his thick fingers were about to clasp it, the cave pearl began to roll. It rolled down the center of the table, stopping in front of Spinner. Reglan’s words came back to him “possess their own energy”, making him wonder. Were cave pearls attracted to other Underlanders nearby? Maybe like magnets? The saurid egg was the closest thing.
Shrugging, Spinner scooped it up and dropped it into his pack. The green glow vanished. “So whaddaya think everyone?”
The Mayor cleared his throat. “Well, that’s quite a story to say the least.” He looked directly at Mr. McPherson instead of at Spinner. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything quite like it.”
Mr. McPherson gently squeezed his wife’s hand and turned to his son. “Spinner, would you mind if your Mom and I had a few words with the Mayor and the council members?”
“Sure, Dad. Go ahead.” Spinner closed his pack and waited.
His parents waited, his mother nervously fluffing her wavy brunette hair.
The Mayor cleared his throat.
Spinner got the message. “Oh, I’ll just be outside.”
Spinner shut the door behind him. Hushed words floated out from under the door, but he couldn’t make out what was being said. He recognized his mom’s voice, then his dad’s, followed by the Mayor’s deep baritone and Mr. Mortenstein’s monotonous droning. He glanced over toward Miss Wilcroft’s desk. It was vacant. Strolling over, he took a seat behind her desk. Once he got home, he’d Google reptile eggs and figure out how long it would take to hatch the saurid egg. It would only be an estimation, of course. He’d research alligators and crocodiles, and maybe even iguanas as examples. It couldn’t be too hard to incubate a reptile egg; zoos did it all the time. He opened his pack and stole a quick look at the saurid egg, recalling how impressed Reglan had been with the nest. Just like a future veterinarian. Sitting alone in the cold, silent building he began to realize how much he missed her and Otter. They should be here to enjoy his victory. He hoped they were okay.
He opened his pack a second time, this time removing the egg and carefully weighing it in the palms of his hands. Its shell no longer appeared as vivid. Its former luster now just a drab shade of green. All the blue had faded. How long will it take to hatch? he wondered. Weeks? Months? He really had no idea. He bent low, placing his ear close to the shell. “You okay in there, little guy?”
What if it didn’t hatch? What then? Would the unborn saurid end up in Mr. Mortenstein’s science lab, embalmed in formaldehyde and kept in a glass jar on a shelf for everybody to gawk at?
Suddenly, he found himself wondering if he’d done the right thing in telling the town council about Underland. Why was he starting to feel funny inside?
Spinner glanced at the closed doors of the council chamber. What were they saying in there? It didn’t seem right that he was being kept in the dark about decisions concerning his discovery.
Spinner swung back toward the closed chamber doors. He was tempted to march back inside, meeting or no meeting. Instead, something on Miss Wilcroft’s desk caught his eye.
A red button flashed from under the speaker on her desk phone. Spinner didn’t have to guess what that button was for. He glanced around; Miss Wilcroft was nowhere to be seen. Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached over and pressed the button.
A voice crackled from the speaker. It was Mr. Mortenstein’s. “Has your son ever invented a story of this magnitude before?”
Spinner tensed. Did he just say invented?
Mrs. McPherson answered, “Spinner’s always had a healthy imagination.”
The Mayor chuckled. “Your son should write fiction.”
Fiction. Spinner stared at the speaker in disbelief. They don’t believe me. They think I’m making this whole thing up!
“His story’s impressive, especially if there are more of those crystals lying around,” the Mayor said, his voice calm. “At this point, I think the best course of action would be to play along with Spinner. Then we’ll take a crew out there, do some experimental digging and make plans to mine the entire area.”
Spinner leaped to his feet. Mining! Are they crazy? What about Ebo and Kali? And Scroffle and Aghh, the young hominid who had saved their lives!
Mrs. McPherson sounded worried. “One thing concerns me: what about those animals Spinner mentioned?”
Mr. Mortenstein chuckled. “Rest assured, many of the animals your son imagined have been dead for more than fifty million years. I guess he wanted them to be alive so bad that he just made them up. I’m sorry.” The science teacher quickly added, “Right now, the best thing to do is to keep the crystal in a safe place. I’ll take care of it.”
“Yeah, right.” Spinner felt his face flush hot with anger. His finger shot out and pressed the button to OFF. “I’ll show ’em.”
CHAPTER 17
* * *
Less than four minutes after Reglan started out on her own, seeds of doubt and fear began to grow in her mind. As she crept through the clearing, she couldn’t help but worry how the Underlanders might react to her return.
Nearing the two huge rocks that marked the entrance, she recalled the boulder the saurids had demolished with their teeth. And the frightening Wild. Her steps faltered. At her side, Otter kept up the pace.
“It’s not too late to change my mind,” she said, more to herself than to Otter, as she circled the lone oak. She had to admit she was afraid. But she was doing what she thought was right. That has to count for something, she wanted to believe. She briefly studied the pearl once more. No doubt it was beautiful, especially the way it sparkled in the sunlight. Maybe Spinner had been right, too. What harm could come from keeping one or two? After all, Underland had plenty. Think how the other girls in school would admire its radiance. She caught Otter appraising her and she suddenly groaned. “What am I thinking?” Holding the pearl in front of her face she said, “Off to Underland with you.”
The entrance was dark and the cave looked deserted, but Reglan knew it wasn’t. She gripped the cave pearl tighter.
Before Reglan could proceed any further, a twig snapped behind her. She whirled around and then froze as she gazed into the piercing eyes of Ebo.
The small dinosaur made a movement with his tail and four more saurids instantly appeared from the cave, surrounding Reglan and Otter. Without a word, they led her back into Underland with Otter trotting along behind.
Just inside the entrance, the saber-toothed cat crouched on all fours, revealing his enormous fangs as he growled at her. Behind the great cat, the mastodon swayed, his sharp, ivory tusks hanging just inches above the ground.
First, Reglan noticed the countless pairs of eyes staring from the shadows, none of them friendly. She tried not to think of Spinner’s warning: they might kill you.
From out of nowhere, Kali leaped in front of her. Where is it? Where?
Reglan was getting used to how the Underlanders talked, as if their words flew right into her head. She opened her palm and held out the cave pearl. “I brought it back. I’m sorry.”
No! My egg!
Fear gripped Reglan. She thought of the small nest of saurid eggs. “I didn’t take your egg. I promise!”
Where is the other Two-leg?
Reglan sucked in her breath. Oh boy. “Spinner, he didn’t take…” She couldn’t finish. Did he?
Must you Two-legs destroy everything you touch? Scroffle shuffled forward and glared at her.
Kali motioned outside. We want our egg back. Where is the other Two-leg?
<
br /> Reglan swallowed before answering. “Spinner and I split up. He went home.”
Does he have our egg? Kali fixed her with an intense stare from her slitted, reptilian eyes.
Reglan’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
Do you realize what you’ve done? Ebo’s tone, even in her head, was biting.
Reglan shook her head and pulled Otter close, appreciating the dog’s warmth.
Kali hopped to within a foot of where Reglan sat.
“I’m sorry.” Reglan shrank back a little, mustering all her will to keep from crying. “I’m so sorry.”
Eons before the age of the Two-legs, there was a great storm. From the fire and heat, our cave pearls were born. They must remain in Underland. The pearls belong here!
Reglan thought she understood Kali’s warning. “Without the cave pearl, I never would’ve remembered.”
We must have our egg back before the last rays of sun leave Underland’s entrance.
“The … the warning,” Reglan stammered, suddenly recalling what they had said would happen if any Underlander were caught outside after sunset. She guessed a living egg counted. Underland would cease to exist! All the creatures would vanish—forever.
The saber-tooth cat growled.
Reglan stared at each of them in turn: the dodo bird, the great auk, the passenger pigeon, the dire wolves, the moa, the devil frog, the glyptodont, the mastodon, Archaeopteryx, Aghh and the other hominids, the saurids Ebo and Kali, and all the rest. They’d all be gone! Even the really big dinosaurs would vanish like images from a dream.
“Oh, Spinner, what have you done?” Reglan groaned to herself.
Outside, the sun sank ever lower.
CHAPTER 18
* * *
Spinner crouched low behind the granite statue of one of Maramac’s founding fathers. Across Central Square he could see the Mayor, his parents, and the other council members all looking up and down the street; even Miss Wilcroft was looking for him.
