Dino the Dinosaur. (standard:science fiction, 9477 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jul 21 2020	Views/Reads: 1406/998	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A real dinosaur is found in Death Valley.

An amateur geologist drove his Humvee through Death Valley.  He was
looking for signs, such as a dome in the flat landscape that could 
signify oil or precious metals.  He had been out for days in the hot 
sun.  Of course, his air-conditioned vehicle helped a lot.  The rear of 
the specially modified metal steed was filled with geological gear as 
well as a large supply of precious water.  A heavy enclosed trailer 
trundled behind his vehicle. 

Homer had already made a fortune by finding a lucrative silver deposit
in California, done the time-honored way with pick and shovel while 
leading a donkey.  Selling it to a major corporation gave him enough 
money to ply his hobby in more comfort.  The first thing he did with 
the windfall was to get rid of a recalcitrant donkey and set himself up 
with modern equipment.  He was still hellbent on finding that mountain 
of gold.  Besides, he'd never known any other life. 

Occasionally, the old man would stop and, setting up his equipment, send
sonic impulses down into dry soil.  If lucky, he would find them 
reflecting off a subterranean object.  When that happened, and if it 
was close to the surface, he would dig.  That task done by a 
gasoline-powered contraption built into the trailer behind his Hummer. 
A shovel strapped to the back of the trailer gathered rust. 

Usually it was found to be a rock, once an old boot and metal bucket,
and another time a rusted canteen from some long-ago traveler.  The 
sweaty prospector would then get back into a cool vehicle, take a long 
drink of ice water, and continue his quest.  To the old man, it was a 
slow and comfortable ending to a hardworking life. 

On this last occasion, a find happened to not only be near the surface,
but also it was late evening. Being a little cooler, the digging wasn't 
too uncomfortable as he moved sand and loose soil aside.  He dug 
alongside the object, not directly over it.  That way, avoiding any 
damage if it happened to be valuable. 

After resting a couple of times, Homer had driven down about three-feet.
 Figuring that was far enough, he began scraping dirt off the side of 
his hole with a shovel attachment.  It didn't take long to expose what 
seemed like a leathery pouch.  It appeared to be full of something, so 
he dug it out of a sandy grave. 

The object did, indeed, seem like it was made of leather, but with no
buttons, zippers, or other opening-device evident.  Homer couldn't see 
any seams, either.  The strange object  was two and a half feet around, 
and tightly packed.  Not knowing what it was, or if it were valuable, 
he didn't want to cut it open.  For all he knew, that would ruin its 
value -- whatever it was. 

He placed it carefully into the rear of the Hummer and retrieved his
sleeping bag.  With the engine and air-conditioner off, the interior of 
the vehicle was already hot.  However,the desert was downright cold at 
night.  By morning, he had almost forgotten about the strange find.  
Homer stepped into the vehicle, turned on the engine and AC, and 
continued his work. 

If he had bothered to check on the object, the modern prospector would
have been astounded. 

After Homer had been traveling for a few hours, and the back end of the
vehicle had artificially cooled off for that time, there was a hint of 
motion in the object. 

A stirring began, as though something was moving around inside it,
activated by the cool atmosphere inside the vehicle.  The thing would 
shake and the leathery covering quiver awhile, and then quiet again.  
This happened off and on all day, until the vehicle was turned off for 
the night. 

The next day was a repeat of the first.  Midway through the third day, a
beak pierced the covering, emitting a blast of foul-smelling liquid.  
The stink rapidly permeated the vehicle, causing Homer to slam on his 
brakes and open the windows. 

"God damn, what the hell's that?"  Fearing something might be wrong with
the vehicle, he stopped and shut off the engine.  Homer got out and 


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