2021 FCHS Undefined

tree, staying in its cover as he followed the
carnivore. It walked down to a river nearby, wading
in until all he could see was its head and sail.
He’d had a theory about the Spinosaurus, that
even though it was a carnivore, it only hunted fish,
and the sail on its back helped it stay balanced and
afloat while swimming. Though not many other
scientists agreed, here was the living proof right in
front of him. He was almost giddy with excitement,
watching the dinosaur climb out of the water on the
other side of the river until only up to its knees was
submerged. The dinosaur lowered its head, sticking
its snout into the water and closing its eyes, standing
so still it almost seemed like a statue.
Harley moved a bit closer, kneeling down by the
shore to watch the Spinosaurus prove his theory
right. This was how they hunted. The end of their
snouts could feel vibrations, almost like a dolphin's
echolocation, so they could locate where the fish
were without seeing under the water, and the nostrils
were higher up on the snout so it could keep it
underwater and still breathe.
Just as he thought, the Spinosaurus’s eyes
suddenly snapped open and it snatched a fish from
the water so fast he would’ve missed it if he blinked.
It lifted the fish and threw it onto the shore, placing
its foot on it so it couldn’t move, and ripping into it.
They were pretty greedy, and picky eaters, so the
Spinosaurus left the fish when it wasn’t even halfeaten,
and walked back into the river to catch
another.
Harley smiled, deciding he could stay here and
watch the Spinosaurus hunt for hours when he heard
a soft chirping sound from the bush behind him. He
scrambled to his feet and away from the little green
dinosaur that hopped out, tilting its head to look at
Harley. It hopped forward and snapped at a fly
before stopping to look Harley up and down again.
He thought it was pretty cute, judging that its head
only came up to his knee. But then it turned and
chirped at the bush, and three more of them jumped
out in a chorus of chirping.
“Compsognathus,” Harley said to himself,
realizing just how much danger he was in. Despite
how cute and small they seemed, there were way
more of them still waiting in that bush, and if they
decided he looked like lunch, they would all
ambush him at once.
He had to get out of there.
He kicked up dirt at the four in front of him and
took off into the thicket, jumping over tree roots and
pushing aside giant leaves. He stopped in a small
clearing, gasping for air and looking frantically for
an escape. What he saw on the other side of the
clearing almost made him collapse in relief. The red
mahogany door sat idly beside a tree, the door wide
open as he’d left it. He made a mad dash across the
clearing, stumbling through the doorway and
slamming the door shut. He stood there for a
moment, trying to catch his breath and calm his
mind. He still didn’t feel safe with the door being
the only thing between him and the dinosaurs, so he
stepped back and closed his eyes, hoping it would
disappear as it had before.
When he opened his eyes, the door was gone,
leaving no trace that it had ever been there. Harley
sighed in relief, relaxing back against the wall. But
just as he turned to walk down the hallway, he heard
a chirping sound coming from the living room, and
he stopped dead in his tracks.
A dinosaur had come through the doorway.
Carlee Cable '21
19