Friday, November 10, 2017

Flash Fiction Friday: A Modern Prehistoric

I'm back with a new story. Enjoy.

A Modern Prehistoric 

By,
Jennifer E. Miller

On an early spring day, Ron Guillroy drove to shores of Tiger Lake. It was the kind of day where the sun warmed his car, but he shivered once he stepped out.
In the center of Tiger Lake was Wall Island, an avian sanctuary, where many people enjoyed bird watching, Ron included. Tall plateaued rocks surrounded the island, like a guarded fortress Unfortunately, this meant spectators couldn’t see the direct center of the island. It was a crater, hidden from view. Visiting the island itself was prohibited, so people watched from the shore.
Ron was curious what lie in the center. He imagined all sorts of bird species nesting together in harmony, helping one another survive. A silly whimsical thought.
With the ground crunching under his feet, Ron walked to the shore’s ideal spotting area: a long peninsula jutting into the water. It was the closest point to Wall Island, which was still a few hundred feet away.
Pressing the binoculars to his face, he spied the birds on their sanctuary.
Canadian Geese waddled around as they typically do. Their rear ends wiggling back and forth and heads constantly scanning the area for food or a way to cause trouble. They let out an occasional honk.
Ron’s favorites were the pelicans. They were enormous compared to the rest of the birds that inhabited Wall Island. Thinking they were only a coastal bird of the warmer climates, not many of his friends believed pelicans lived this far north. To prove it, Ron purchased a set of binoculars equipped with a built-in digital camera. He snapped away as the large white birds tucked their heads under their wings for a nap, or leaped from the cliff, becoming airborne. He even got a few shots of one with small fish in its beak’s pouch.
Shortly, he pulled the binoculars away from his face to rest his eyes. Blinking a few times, he turned away from the island and glanced around at the scenery near him. Sometimes he saw raptors in the trees, but saw none today.
Out of the corner of his eye, something large moved, catching his attention. He looked at Wall Island and saw an enormous bird fly straight up. Then it flipped over, diving head first into the crater and disappearing from site. At first, he thought it was a pelican, as it had a long beak. But its wings were bat-like and had a pointy protrusion on the back of its head.
Whipping the binoculars back onto his eyes, Ron scanned the plateau for any signs of this bird—the largest one he’d ever seen. All he saw were the typical pelicans, geese, and gulls. None of which were bothered by this gargantuan feathered beast.
However, Ron didn’t recall seeing any feathers on this creature. Did it have a disease? With the creature nowhere to be seen, Ron pulled the binoculars down again. As he kicked a rock out of his way, the figure emerged from the crater again. It circled around the island, casting a large shadow below.
Through the binoculars, Ron saw it indeed was featherless. In fact, its skin’s appearance was leathery. With an estimated eight feet from head to talons and a ten-foot wingspan, it was unlike any bird he had even seen.
He snapped photos of the creature and then watched it with his naked eye. Ron was so entranced, he thought he heard its wings flapping.
His mind zipped through all the possibilities of what bird species this is. Was it a lesser-known species that migrated out of its regular travel path? Certainly, he didn’t know each and every species, but there wasn’t one he could think of that resembled this creature. If he didn’t know better he’d say it looked prehistoric. But dinosaurs died out thousands of years ago, everybody knew that. Ron thought of the scientific theory that dinosaurs were relatives of birds, not reptiles like previously thought. One thought came to mind: a pterodactyl. Oddly, it made sense because it resembled the shape of the pelicans.
Ron thought about the crater in the center of Wall Island. The Department of Fish and Wildlife acknowledged its existence. Research wasn’t permitted. Who knows what was down there. His whimsical thought of bird harmony was taking a nightmarish turn.
The pterodactyl glided down, landing on the top of a plateau. It folded and tucked its wings; just like a bird. It hopped from one place to the next; just like a bird. It cocked its head, as though curious, just like a bird. Ron swallowed hard as he observed and photographed the avian traits.
A curious goose, waddled up to the pterodactyl, honking away. The pterodactyl lowered its head to investigate the strange noisy intrusion. As the goose inched closer, the pterodactyl straightened itself upright, staying in one spot. Finally, the goose got too close. The pterodactyl spread its wings slightly, opened its mouth and gobbled up the goose in one swift gulp.
Terrified at the sight before him, Ron let out a yelp and took a step back. His yelp echoed across the lake to Wall Island, catching the pterodactyl’s attention. In one powerful leap, the creature was airborne off the island and heading for the shore. Ron began to retreat backwards towards his car, while watching the pterodactyl’s movement. With a thud, it landed on the edge of the peninsula.
About a hundred and fifty feet separated Ron from the beast. The pterodactyl eyed him suspiciously. It let out a cry. Its breath, nauseating.
Terrified, Ron walked slowly backward, in hopes of reaching the safety of his vehicle. The pterodactyl hopped quickly, approaching until it stood directly above Ron.
Heart pounding, Ron met the creature’s gaze, whose eyeballs were as big as his fists. He dropped his binoculars to the ground.
The last thing Ron saw was the inside of pterodactyl’s muscular throat.

Copyright 2017 by Jennifer E. Miller

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