It's Not a Dinosaur!

by Stacy McAnulty

  “You don’t run for no reason, Frank Mudd. What’s going on?” Her stinky breath is in my face.

  “I swear, I didn’t see anything,” I say. “But Peanut whined like he did on the boat. He knows there’s something out there.”

  “Cool,” Sam says. “Let’s go find it.”

  “Okay.” I unzip my sleeping bag. Peanut stands and stretches.

  “Really?” she asks. “I thought you’d say, ‘It’s against the rules to explore the river at night.’ ”

  “Now that you put it that way,” I say, “it probably isn’t a good idea.”

  “Too late.” Sam grabs my arm and drags me out of the tent. Peanut follows us. Dad snores on.

  We have a flashlight, and the moon is full. It’s pretty easy to see.

  “Wait here,” Sam says. She walks behind the tent and comes back with a fishing pole and a big net.

  “Where did you get those?” I ask.

  “I borrowed them from the River Monster shop,” Sam answers.

  “Does Bart know you borrowed his stuff?” I ask.

  “Maybe,” Sam says.

  Sam and I walk down to the riverbank. Peanut trots along. He’s not on a leash. I may have to use the net on him.

  “A Nothosaurus is too big to catch on a fishing pole. It probably weighs more than you and me and Dad all together,” I say.

  “Whatever.” Sam casts the fishing line into the river.

  Sam doesn’t catch anything on her first try or second or ninth. I sit down on the ground. Peanut climbs into my lap. We’re both tired.

  “Sam, maybe it’s time to give up. I think we need—”

  “I got something!” Sam yells. “And it’s huge.”

  “Help me!” Sam yells.

  I grab the fishing pole, and we pull. The rod bends like a rainbow. I worry it might break.

  Peanut stands on the edge of the river. He stares at the dark water.

  “Don’t let go,” Sam says.

  I hold tight, and Sam reels in the line. My hands hurt. Could we really have caught a Nothosaurus?

  Nope. A big fish jumps out of the water. Sam reels in more line. Together we pull the fish to the shore.

  “I thought I’d caught a dinosaur,” Sam says. The fish flops around on the ground.

  “A Nothosaurus would break the pole or drag us into the river,” I say. “And it’s not a dinosaur.”

  Sam bends down over the fish. Peanut sniffs it.

  “Do you think Gram could make him into fish sticks?” she asks, pointing.

  “Probably not,” I say. “I don’t like fish anyway.”

  Sam carefully pulls the hook out of the fish’s mouth.

  “It’s your lucky day, fish. Back you go,” Sam says. She picks it up behind the gills and throws it over the river.

  But right before the fish hits the water, a huge mouth pops up and swallows it whole.

  “I guess it wasn’t the fish’s lucky day,” I say.

  Peanut growls at the water.

  “Was that the Notho?” Sam asks.

  “I didn’t get a good look. But I don’t know what else it could be,” I say.

  Sam picks up the fishing pole. “We need to catch more fish and feed our new friend.”

  I should probably get Dad. But I don’t know for sure yet what ate our fish. So I stay with Sam. A few minutes later, she’s caught another fish. This one is smaller, and she doesn’t need my help.

  “Your turn,” she says. She gives me the small fish.

  Instead of throwing it into the river, I place it right on the edge. The fish flops, trying to get back in the water. Peanut moves closer to it.

  “No, buddy,” I say. “I don’t want you to be mistaken for a snack.” I grab Peanut.

  The fish makes it into the water. But he’s unlucky too. A large creature swims up behind him and swallows him.

  The creature quickly turns back toward the deeper water. But not before I get a look at it. It’s the size of a canoe, with a skinny snout and a long neck. The tail is thin, not like a fish or dolphin.

  “That was awesome,” Sam says. Then she’s fishing again.

  I keep my eyes on the water, waiting to see the creature. Peanut helps me look.

  It takes Sam a bunch of tries to catch the third fish. It’s small too. She takes it off the hook and leaves it on the shore.

  “We should probably back up,” I say.

  We take a giant step away from the shore. The fish wiggles in the dirt. Peanut whines and makes his clicking sound. I know what’s coming.

  The creature crawls out of the river on its four webbed feet. Its big eyes glow in the moonlight. It swallows the fish whole. Then it stares at us.

  “Is it a Nothosaurus?” Sam whispers.

  I nod.

  “Is it going to eat us?” she asks.

  I shrug.

  “I think it’s still hungry,” Sam says. “I’m going to get more fish.”

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  Sam walks farther down the bank and throws the line into the river.

  “Let me know if it’s going to attack,” Sam says.

  The Nothosaurus isn’t ready to attack. It lies down on the shore. It stretches its long neck and rubs its head on the ground. I move closer with my flashlight.

  Its skin is dark purple. I notice scars on its front feet and along its back. Most animals that live in the wild have scars because they don’t go to the vet for medicine or stitches. Its neck and tail are long and thin. And there’s a small fin down the tail. That makes the Notho a good swimmer.

  Peanut wiggles to get out of my arms. I set him down. He walks around the Nothosaurus but doesn’t get too close.

  “Got one!” Sam yells.

  The Notho lifts its head. A moment later, Sam tosses the fish in our direction. The Notho catches it in midair.

  “Hey, girl, did you skip dinner or something?” I ask the Notho. I don’t really know if she’s a girl. It’s a guess.

  I give her a small pat on the back. She lets me rub her slimy skin. She feels like a stingray. I petted one once at the aquarium.

  I think I’ve made a new friend, until I hear Dad yell.

  “Frank!”

  The Notho snaps at my hand but doesn’t actually bite me. And then she splashes back into the river.

  Peanut splashes into the water after the Nothosaurus. I run into the river and grab his tail. Dad follows me and pulls us both out.

  “What are you doing?” Dad asks. His face is white.

  “We found the Nothosaurus,” Sam says proudly. “She likes fish.”

  “That’s not safe. It almost bit off your arm, Frank,” Dad says.

  “She was just scared,” I say.

  “She?” Dad says. He scratches his beard. “How did you get her to come out of the water?”

  “We fed her a snack,” Sam says. “Fresh fish.”

  “Do you think she would like more?” Dad asks.

  “Definitely,” Sam says. She catches another fish. Sam’s really good at fishing. Not that I’d tell her that.

  We put the fish on the shore. And we wait. The Nothosaurus doesn’t come for her meal. We wait some more. Finally, Sam picks up the fish and drops it into the water. It swims away without getting gobbled up.

  “Maybe the Notho is full,” I say.

  “Or maybe she doesn’t like grown-ups,” Sam says. “No offense, Uncle Brian.”

  We go back to our tent. My body is tired, especially my eyes. They don’t want to stay open. But my brain is wide-awake. I just met a Nothosaurus, a prehistoric animal that’s been living in the wilds of Wyoming for at least twenty years.

  But somehow I fall asleep.

  The next thing I know, the sun is up, and someone is yelling good morning.

  “What time is it?” I ask.

  “Too early,” Sam says. She covers her head with a pillow.

  I follow Dad out of the tent. Bart waves at us.

  “Good morning, campers. I brought you breakfast,” Bart
says. He holds up a paper bag from the Burger Barn.

  Sam flies out of the tent. “Did someone say breakfast?”

  Bart laughs. “I got a few breakfast sandwiches. Didn’t know what you’d like.”

  “As long as it’s not fish,” Sam says. “I’m sick of fish.”

  “Did you catch fish for dinner?” Bart asks.

  “No,” Sam says. “We caught fish for the Noth—”

  I elbow Sam in her side. “Shh.”

  “For the river monster?” Bart asks. “You saw the monster?”

  “No, we caught fish for The Nothing.” Sam pushes me forward. “That’s what Frank calls his invisible friend. The Nothing.”

  Bart turns to Dad. “What’s going on?” His eyebrows make an angry V.

  “The kids may have seen the Nothosaurus.” Dad shrugs. I don’t know why he keeps telling Bart all our secrets.

  “Really? You kids just lured it in with fresh fish?” Bart asks. I expected him to be angry. He’s not.

  “Well, I did most of the fishing,” Sam says. “The Notho likes me.”

  “This is great.” Bart claps his hands together. “Then you can help me catch it.”

  “What? No!” I say, and look to Dad for help.

  “No one is going to catch the Nothosaurus,” Dad says. “She doesn’t belong to anyone. She’s a wild animal.”

  Peanut steps out of the tent. He stretches and yawns.

  “And that’s not a wild animal?” Bart points at Peanut.

  I jump in front of him. Peanut is not wild. And he’s mine.

  “He’s only a baby. He can’t live in the wild.” Sam puts her hands on her hips.

  “We don’t want to cause any trouble,” Dad says.

  “Are those my fishing poles?” Bart asks. He spots the gear we used last night.

  “We needed to borrow them,” Sam explains.

  “Sam,” Dad says. “You took those without asking?”

  She shrugs and gives him a big smile. “I was going to bring them back.”

  “We didn’t think anyone would mind,” I say. Not that taking the poles was my idea.

  “I think it’s time you went home,” Bart says.

  “This is DECoW property,” I say. “We are home.”

  “Just stay away from my river and my monster,” Bart growls.

  It’s not his river and it’s not his monster, but I don’t correct him. Grown-ups don’t like to be corrected by kids. Maybe they don’t like to be corrected by other grown-ups either. I don’t know for sure.

  “We won’t bother you again,” Dad says. “Sorry for any trouble.” Dad hands Bart the fishing gear.

  “Thanks for breakfast,” Sam says as Bart walks away.

  “No worries,” Bart says. “I know exactly how you’re going to repay me.”

  Sam and I sit on the edge of the river. I wish we were leaving today, but we need to give Gram and PopPop more time to get things ready at DECoW.

  It’s too hot to do anything but dip our feet in the water. Peanut munches on the low branches of a cottonwood tree.

  “I’m bored,” Sam says. We both want to see the Nothosaurus again. I use the binoculars to scan the river. Without fish, the Notho probably won’t stop by for lunch.

  I give Sam a turn with the binoculars.

  “Uh-oh,” she says a minute later. “Someone’s coming.”

  I take the binoculars and look. The Monster Catcher motors up the river. Bart is not alone. Every seat in the boat is taken. Six people with cameras are coming our way.

  “Good thing the Nothosaurus isn’t here,” Sam says.

  I nod. But then a thought hits my brain.

  “They’re not here for the Nothosaurus. They came to see Peanut.” I grab my dinosaur and dive into the tent. Sam is right behind me. Dad joins us and zips the tent closed.

  “Can we go back to Gram and PopPop’s house now?” I ask.

  “There will be even more people at DECoW,” Dad reminds me. “The whole world wants to meet Peanut.”

  “We can’t stay here,” I say.

  Bart calls to us with his megaphone. “Frank Mudd, bring out the dinosaur. The people want to see him.”

  We wait inside the tent for ten minutes. Bart and his visitors stay in the boat and keep calling for the dinosaur.

  Peanut stares at me like I should know what to do. I shrug because I don’t have a good plan.

  “They’re not leaving,” I say.

  “I’ll talk to them,” Sam says. “I’m almost famous. I’m used to dealing with fans.”

  “You were in a commercial like a hundred years ago,” I shoot back.

  Sam doesn’t reply. Instead, she slips out of the tent.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” I hear Sam say, “who would like an autograph?”

  “Oh boy,” Dad says. “I’d better take care of this.”

  Dad crawls out of the tent. But before he gets it closed, Peanut darts through the small opening. I grab for him and miss.

  “Noooo!” I yell. The zipper gets stuck, and I can’t get out. I pull. I yank. I twist. Finally, I tumble out into the dirt. Dad helps me up.

  Sam is holding Peanut. They’re only a few feet from the water. Everyone in the boat is taking pictures except for a teenager.

  “It’s not a real dinosaur!” the teenager shouts. Then he pulls out an apple and throws it at Peanut.

  Thwump! The apple hits Peanut on his horn.

  Peanut cries out and leaps from Sam’s arms. I run toward him. But something beats me there.

  The Nothosaurus glides out of the river. She stares at Peanut with her head high in the air. She growls at the people. It’s a warning.

  No one talks or moves. The Notho sniffs Peanut. She taps his head with her webbed foot. I think she wants to make sure he’s okay.

  Peanut rubs his horn against her snout.

  It feels like an hour before Peanut leaves the Nothosaurus’s side. He runs over to me, and I pick him up. He smells a bit fishy.

  The Notho looks at me and then turns to the boat. She gives an angry growl before slipping back into the water.

  The people on the boat all start talking at once. Everyone except for Bart, that is. His mouth hangs open, and his eyes are wide.

  “That was incredible,” Dad says.

  “Meh.” Sam shrugs. “You’ve seen one pre-historic creature, you’ve seen them all.” I know Sam is joking. At least she better be.

  “Are you okay, Bart?” Dad calls out.

  Bart snaps out of his trance and finally blinks. “Stay here,” he tells his passengers. Then he steps out of the boat into the knee-high water and wades over to Dad.

  “Well?” Dad says.

  “It’s more amazing than I remembered,” Bart says. “What a beautiful animal. I’ve never seen her out of the water or for so long. Wow.”

  “You aren’t going to try to catch her, are you?” Sam asks.

  “No. Not at all.” Bart smiles. Maybe he needed to see the Nothosaurus even more than we did.

  “Hey!” the teenager yells from the boat. “I want to hold the dinosaur. I want a selfie with that thing.”

  “No,” Bart says before I can. “You are officially banned from Bart’s Nothosaurus Tours forever. And no refund.”

  Bart goes back to his boat and starts the motor. We wave goodbye and watch them disappear down the river.

  “Do you think Bart will be back with more customers?” I ask.

  “I don’t know,” Dad says. “But let’s move our camp away from the river just in case. Peanut’s had enough visitors for one day.”

  “Why didn’t we bring the truck?” I ask. We’ve been walking for only five minutes, and I’m beat. Somehow our camping stuff weighs even more than it did yesterday.

  “You can’t drive a truck out here,” Dad says.

  “Duh, there are no roads,” Sam adds.

  “Then we should have taken a helicopter or something,” I say.

  Every part of me is sweaty, even under my fingernails an
d in my ears. Maybe that’s why I think I hear an engine. I look back at the river, and then at the sky. No boats. No helicopters.

  “Could a bus drive out here? Because I think I hear a bus.” I hope Dad has money for a ticket back to DECoW.

  Sam rolls her eyes.

  “Look!” I point toward the east. Or maybe it’s the west. A dust cloud trails a skinny vehicle. I pick up Peanut.

  “That’s Aaron,” Sam says.

  It’s a four-wheeler. And maybe our ride home.

  “And there’s someone else behind him,” Sam says.

  I squint to see better. Dad waves his arms above his head.

  Aaron comes to a stop in front of us. He flips back his helmet.

  “Hey,” Aaron says. “We’ve been looking for you.”

  Then the second four-wheeler pulls up. The driver takes off the dark helmet.

  “Gram?” I yell.

  “Cool,” Sam says. “I didn’t know you rode four-wheelers!”

  “There’s a first time for everything.” Gram jumps off.

  “Can you give us a ride back?” I ask. “My feet are ready to fall off.”

  “You can’t come back yet,” Gram says. “DECoW is crazy right now. People are lined up at the gate, and we aren’t even open.”

  “We can’t stay here,” I say.

  Sam jumps excitedly. “The river is full of crazy stuff like a Nothosaurus and a man named Bart who thinks Peanut is a tourist attraction.”

  “Nothosaurus?” Aaron asks. “You found another dinosaur without me?” He throws his helmet on the ground.

  “It’s not a dinosaur,” I correct. “It’s a pre-historic reptile.”

  “Close enough. We said the next dinosaur we found was mine. So this thing is mine.” Aaron crosses his arms.

  “Well, you’ve got to catch her first,” Sam says.

  “No one is catching the Notho,” Dad says. “She lives in the wild.”

  “You saw it?” Gram asks.

  Dad nods and explains the whole story. He tells her about Bart and how the Notho likes fish but not grown-ups.

  “She’s been out here all these years,” Gram says. “That’s impressive.”