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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