Following is the original story of Messummer, that I wrote in 9th grade, when I was still learning about geologic time. At this point, I was still trying to figure out how to write a dinosaur story. This was what I got... A piece of crap, but the birthplace of one of my most favorite stories.
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Prologue
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I was born into the world as a reptile but not exactly a dinosaur. My name is Messummer, and my brothers and sisters died before they could hatch. Therefore, I am an only child. I live in the Valley of Green with my mother, and I am two years old. I am a Pteranodon, and I live in the Cretaceous Period. Pteranodons are actually a pretty wicked species! We grow to be about six feet tall at the hips with a wingspan ranging from twenty-five to thirty- three long, and the adult Pteranodon weighs about fifty-five pounds. All Pteranodons also have a crest on the tops of their heads, a short tail, and no teeth. We are carnivores, and we eat mostly fish. Since I’m only two, I am still growing, so I haven’t reached my adult height yet. My wingspan is sixteen feet, so it’s still growing along with me. Although, I have to admit, I am one of the best flyers in the Valley of Green! I learned when I was very young, and I’ve practiced every single day. I’m even more skilled than my mother, Laurasia. Well, Mum doesn’t really fly that much anymore since the death of my father who died when I was six weeks old. No one knows the cause of his death; we just know that he flew to the outskirts of the valley and never returned. Some dinosaurs claim that a Tyrannosaurs Rex ate him. Others say that either the Earth swallowed him during an earthquake or a volcanic eruption incinerated him. The mystery remains. I’ll admit though that I sometimes wish I did know my father, but I doubt I ever will, even when I die.
***
Dinosaurs in the Valley of Green live in peace. We are safe from, brace yourself: continental drift, Tyrannosaurus Rex, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Our Earth is actually a very fragile place, and it’s nothing like the Earth that the trilobites and tetrapods lived in during the Cambrian and Devonian Periods. It’s safer, yes, but it’s still quite dangerous. All dinosaurs here in the valley feel that our world is perfect and that nothing will go wrong; although, we spoke too soon. What the Valley of Green didn’t know, was that the reign of the dinosaurs was nearing an end, and only the luckiest organisms, would survive the coming mass extinction.
Mom and I live at the top of the tallest, oldest rock tower in the entire valley. Mum told me that the rocks we live on date back to the Ordovician Period, so they are very old. I personally really like the tower we live on only because from way up here, we can see the entire valley. The view is absolutely gorgeous! There are many other rock towers that surround ours, but they’re not as big. All towers in this valley surround a river with rushing water and arches. The river flows down a long way until it finally empties out into the watering hole where most dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and reptiles come to drink. Usually, I am the first one to wake up in the nest, but today, I overslept. When I finally woke up, the sun had already drifted halfway across the sky. Our nest is located inside the tower in a large, cool cave. Most Pteranodons sleep and hatch their young in caves like this. Up here, we don’t have to worry about Gallimimus robbing our eggs, so it’s one of the safest place to hatch young’uns. It took a while for sleep to leave me, but when it did I stared out the mouth of the cave to the beautiful day. The sky was blue, and other Pteranodons were out on their midday flight.
I twisted my neck to find Mum grooming her wings, and I cleared my throat saying, “Ahem, hello, Mom.” Standing, I brought my wings in front of my breast, and my claws gripped the rocky surface of the cave. I hobbled over to Mother, and she looked up from grooming herself.
She said, “Oh, Messummer, you’re finally up. That’s the latest you’ve ever slept.”
I stopped in front of her and chuckled, lowering my head. “Well, Mum, Nutmeg and I had a series of intense races yesterday that took us to the watering hole and beyond, so I was pretty wiped out last night.”
Nutmeg’s the name of my best friend. She’s not a Pteranodon; she’s an Ankylosaurus. She lives down in the valley near the watering hole with her mother, and we’ve known each other since we were tiny.
In our cave, there was a moment a silence between Mother and me, but then she asked, “Say, Messummer, did you know that the Great Flying Race is today?”
I gasped. “What?!” I shouted, and the cave shook. “It is?!”
The Great Flying Race is a tradition in the Valley of Green. Every nine months, Pteranodons and other Pterosaurs participate in an enormous flying race to see who shall be crowned Flying Champion for the next nine months. I’ve never done it before, but I’ve always wanted to. In fact, Mum promised me that when I was old enough, she would let me race, and I think I’m old enough.
Excitement bubbling inside of me, I brought my paws together and started to beg. “Mom, can I please participate? I think I’m old enough now.” I wobbled and put my paws back on the ground to keep balance. Mom looked like she was thinking. The thing about her is that because I was the only hatchling to survive, she’s a little overprotective, and it’s difficult to convince her to let me participate in certain activities, such as the Great Flying Race.
She simply told me, “I’m not sure, Messummer,” and I had to beg harder.
“Please, Mother? I’ll make you proud. Nutmeg even told me that she would like to see me race in the Great Flying Race, and I don’t want to break her heart.”
Mother sighed and tiptoed over to me. She examined me up and down, and I waited for her answer. She tickled me under the wing with her beak, and I chuckled, lifting my wing high above my head.
It hit the ceiling of the cave, and lowering it, I said, “Mom, stop sniffing me! Well, can I fly in the Great Flying Race or not?”
Mother took a step back and was silent for a few minutes. Then she said, “Well, if you really want to do it, then I’ll let you.”
“Yahoo!” I yelled, and I jumped with excitement. “All aboard the victory volcano! Thank you, Mother! I’ll head down to the watering hole right now!” The race always starts at the watering hole, and it ends at the den of two Triceratops. I couldn’t wait to fly down into the valley and spread the news to Nutmeg! She would be blown away! Hurrying to the edge of the cave’s mouth, I found myself peering down to the river, but before I could open my wings and let myself drop, Mom called to me.
“Messummer. Be sure not to do anything too risky, and I’ll be down there soon to watch.”
I thanked her one last time and opened my massive wings. I allowed the wind to massage them and peeked back to see Mother waving goodbye to me. Smiling, I marched forward and stepped off the edge of the cliff.
I free-fell in the direction of the river, and my cave grew smaller and smaller. Just before I could hit the water, I caught myself, and before long, I glided on the air currents. Below me was the river, and behind me was the rock tower that Mother and I live on. I started to flap my wings, and I saw my reflection in the surface of the water. I roared at it and twirled in midair, dodging other rocks and towers. Ah, flying is such a beautiful gift. I passed a meadow that was considered the “Resting Spot” for life. Basically, it means that it it’s the graveyard of all organisms in the Valley of Green. We call it the Glowbeak Meadow because most of the creatures that are buried there are either Pterosaurs or birds. There are very few dinosaurs and mammals. After passing the meadow, I saw that I was flying towards my favorite arch! It hovered over the river and was about 300 ft. tall. I have always loved flying through arches, especially this one.
Whenever I see an arch, I wonder to myself, “Hm, what if it’s a portal? What if, when I fly through it I find myself in the Silurian Period?” The Silurian Period is defined as the third period of the Paleozoic Era, after the Ordovician, and it was a time when the first land plants and monstrous insects appeared. I’ve always had an urge to learn about the first insects and land plants, so why not travel to the Silurian Period? However, I was so into my daydream that I didn’t realize that I had avoided the arch and was now flying over a thousand feet above it. The thing that really made me snap out of my doze was a cloud. I flew into one and was knocked off balance due to the wind behind it. Quickly regaining it, I saw that I had stumbled into a blanket of clouds, and my portal was still all the way down there. I shouted, “Oh no!” after realizing my mistake, “My portal!” I prepared to stoop, but another cloud threw me back. Closing my eyes, I flapped my wings harder and tried to get out of the blanket, but it was difficult. The air currents kept pulling me back towards the clouds. I was just about to fly out when all of sudden, a third cloud hammered me and knocked me out of the sky. I started to fall, and I screeched, twisting and turning as I fell closer and closer to the ground. My fall at least took me out of the blanket of clouds, but then, I saw that gravity was pulling me towards another rock tower. Shouting, I flapped my wings so that I wouldn’t crash, but they weren’t listening to me. I flapped harder and closed my eyes, hoping. I dodged the tower right at the last second, and soon, I was flying normally. I sighed and opened my eyes, shaking out my head. Whew, that was a close call. I followed the river, and I could tell that I was getting closer and closer to the watering hole. No, no, let me take that back. I was getting closer and closer to the starting line of the Great Flying Race!
I’ve made it! I’m here! Wow, this place sure is busy. I had been flying for at least a half hour now, and my wings were beginning to ache. I was now floating over the watering hole, and dinosaurs were everywhere! Most were here for the race, but others, such as that Triceratops over there, are here for just a drink. The valley’s water comes from the four large waterfalls that surround the watering hole, and we are under the tops of many trees. I searched for Nutmeg but didn’t see her. Where was she? Well, guess I have to go down and survey the area. I began to descend towards the ground and held out my legs. When I landed, I immediately put my paws on the ground to keep balance.
I twisted my head in every direction and called for my friend. “Nutmeg, Nutmeg, where are you?” That’s odd, I was sure she’d be down here. I marched forward with my paws still digging into the soil, but I stopped when I saw the participants of the flying race.
There were a total of five participants, and all of them were either Pteranodons or Quetzalcoatlus (Kett-zal-coe-at-luss). They stretched out their wings to prepare, and then, I realized that I was the youngest Pterosaur participant there. The rest were adults, and they hovered over me like Brachiosauruses. I was a mammal compared to them.
I found my own little space to warm up in, and all the Pterosaurs around me were snickering, especially the Quetzalcoatluses. There was one Pteranodon that wasn’t laughing; she actually looked like she enjoyed my presence. To loosen up my body, I stretched out my wings, and that was when I was approached by a Quetzalcoatlus.
He laughed and said, “You can’t be serious right? Who sends a little Pteranodon to race in the Great Flying Race? This is a man’s job, sister!”
I slightly glared, but I kept my cool and continued to stretch.
He continued to tease me, “You can’t even fly on those scrawny wings! I can’t wait to watch you stumble into a volcano during the race.”
“That’s enough, Gondwana,” a sudden voice said from out of nowhere. Gondwana and I turned, and I saw that we were facing the commentator of the race. He was a Pteranodon, and he said to Gondwana, “Let’s allow her to warm up. Be gone with you.”
“Easy, Fargo,” Gondwana said and started to traverse forward with his paws on the ground, “It’s a big race today, and somebody has to win.” He leaned to me and whispered into my ear, “Get ready to lose, sister.”
Then he left me, and I sighed. Afterwards, I turned to see Fargo staring at me and said, “Oh, thank you, sir. I was getting sick of him.”
“No problem,” he said, “But, young Pteranodon, the age requirement for this race is three. It’s too difficult for a Pterosaur as young as you.”
I had to find a way to convince him that I could do this race!
I told him, “Sir, I’m two years old. My name is Messummer, and I’m a skilled flyer. I fly great distances every day since my cave is far away. Sir, please, I can do this.” He looked into my eyes, and for the second time, I turned on the “baby” face.
He asked me, “Do you not even realize what you’re getting yourself into, Messummer? The Great Flying Race is treacherous. It’s not suitable for a small Pteranodon.”
I rocked my head up and down to tell him that I understood, “I do, sir, and I’m ready. Just give me a chance, and if I break a wing, then I won’t come back until I’m five. Please, sir.”
I’m guessing that he saw the desperation in my eyes because he said, “Hm, well, young Messummer…,” He cut off and spent a couple of minutes studying me like I was his pray. Then he said, “I guess it’s suitable for you. So…,” I could feel a smile creeping on my face, and Fargo nodded. Then he pointed at me and finished with, “The youngster’s in!” There were cheers, and Gondwana laughed meanly. I ignored him and noticed that a crowd was starting to gather around us.
I started to feel a ball of apprehension in my stomach as a zephyr blew my fur.
It wasn’t long until Fargo yelled, “Pterosaurs, take your positions!”
Wait, it’s already time?! I wasn’t expecting this! Mom’s not even here, and I have no idea where Nutmeg is. The other Pterosaurs gathered at the starting line, and I carefully joined them. This is it. I turned my head to find the female Pteranodon smiling at me. Together, all of us peered forward to the trees with our paws on the ground and waited. Exciting cheers arose from the audience, and I shook my tail. Come on, Messummer, show them what you’re made of. Win this race for Nutmeg and my parents.
Fargo was heard again, and he spoke in a rather hoarse voice, “On your marks…get set…,” Here, all of us opened our enormous wings, and I had to duck under my neighbor’s wing. Then Fargo yelled, “GO!!” and roared into the atmosphere. Immediately, the Pterosaurs took off all at once, and I stared. Gowanda was first, and he prepared for flight, but other Pterosaurs got their wings caught up in his, and they all fell with a thump. Only a few managed to avoid the fall, and I was one of those few. This gave me a chance.
I sprinted forward and flapped my wings, giving the cry of the Pteranodon, “Roooarrrr!” I lifted into the sky, and officially, the Great Flying Race had begun!
The first obstacle of the race are the Closed Woods, and they’re located at the end of the watering hole. The wood is called this because the trees are really close to each other, and they make you feel like they’re closing in on you. The whole point of this obstacle is to test Pterosaurs and see if they’re claustrophobic. If one is, most likely they will go on strike and get caught up in the vines that swing from the tree branches because they can’t stand the tight space. I’m not claustrophobic, so I was zooming by the trees and vines without much difficulty. Gondwana was right on my tail, and he was desperate to win this race like me. My eye caught two trees in front of me with a narrow space between them, but I could easily fly in between the trees because of my small size. Now Gondwana…well…good luck. I folded my wings to my sides and passed through the two trees like a grain of sand. Once on the other side, I opened them back up and stopped to watch Gondwana. He tried to mimic me, but his beak ended up stabbing the branch, and soon, he was stuck to the trunk.
I laughed and turned away yelling, “So long, sucker!” Yes, I was in first place!
When I got out of the Closed Woods, the next obstacle course was known as Molted Geysers. It’s called this because the geysers are really old (they date back to the time of Rodinia, the first supercontinent on Earth), and they’re starting to break apart. These geysers are pretty active though despite their old age, and that’s what makes this obstacle a challenge. Unless you want to get incinerated, be extra careful around these rocks. I got through this obstacle by watching the eruption patterns, and I flew through them when they were quiet. Gondwana actually managed to free himself from the tree trunk, and he was right behind me. He tried mimicking me, but that didn’t work out so well. A geyser erupted – he went flying 1000 ft. up in the air and fell back down toasted. I kind of felt bad, but at the same time, I was glad that he was gone. I didn’t like him, but now that he’s out of my way, I can win this race! This race is in my paws now!
I flapped my wings and shot forward like an Archaeopteryx (ahr-kee-op-tuh-riks), the earliest known bird from the Jurassic Period, the period before the Cretaceous Period, my period. I flew for another ten minutes on a hot rocky landscape, and then, I barely saw it! The Triceratops’ den!
I’m going to make it! I only have about six more miles to fly! This is amazing! I cheered and flew straight up, starting to dance. I was going to be the youngest Pterosaur ever to win the Great Flying Race! Stooping back down, I hovered for a few more minutes and peeked back to the Molted Geysers. I jumped when another one erupted and didn’t waste any time. I kept on flying. Progressively, the finish line was getting closer and closer, and I couldn’t help but to whoop from excitement. My happy hour was ruined though by a sudden sound that appeared to be muffled. It sounded a bit like a roar. Stopping my flight path, I hovered and carefully examined the area. Where was that sound coming from? It wasn’t coming from in front of me; it appeared to be coming from above and behind me. Suddenly, nervousness overtook my soul. Something was about to happen, but what? The sound started to grow louder, louder, and louder.
Is it another Quetzalcoatlus? Another Pteranodon? Slowly, I shifted my body so that I was facing the geysers again, and I looked up into the sky. A large object was flying towards the horizon.
It was a meteor! I should’ve known! It flew down from the atmosphere, covered in flames, and flew over me. The sky started to shake, and the sound hurt my eardrums. Now, I’ve seen meteors before because we’ve have plenty of meteor showers during our era, but I’ve never in my entire life, have seen a meteor the size of this one! It was the size of a mountain! If not, bigger! It disappeared on the horizon, and for a second, everything became peaceful again. After a few moments, I thought that maybe it was coincidence, and I was seeing things. I believed that my brain was a blur from the Molted Geysers, so I decided to fly on.
Not even ten seconds into flight, the sky screamed, and I was thrown back and out of it due to an enormous shock wave. Clouds of dust and smoke poisoned the atmosphere, and the sun disappeared behind them. I yelled as I fell out of the shaking sky and landed hard on the ground. Immediately, I stood up and tried to recover. That was when the ground started to shake, and I gasped. Looking down to my feet, the ground split open, and the geysers erupted like crazy.
I tried flying, but I had hurt my wing during my fall, and I couldn’t lift off the ground without yelling, “OW!” I jumped over splitting land and screamed as rock towers shot up and blocked my path. The geysers gave off pieces of debris, and I ducked under them, trying to get out of the earthquake. The meteor had struck Earth! More ground split open, and deep inside the Earth’s crust, I could see a river of lava! Volcanoes to my left erupted, and lava spewed out of them as more smoke invaded the sky. There was a forest to my right, and all its trees crashed to the ground. The den of the Triceratops fell on top of them, and I was right in the middle of all the chaos. I attempted to fly again, but it hurt too much. I almost fell into the lava river, but I managed to catch myself before I could fall. Fearfully, I looked around and yelled. I flapped my good wing and lifted off the ground, flying one-winged, but the sky shook too much, and I fell again. I was going to die! I just knew it! Already the two Triceratops were dead, and I was sure that many other dinosaurs were dead as well. This was the start of the K-T Mass Extinction that occurred 65 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period. All dinosaurs were going to die. The only organisms that may actually survive this phenomenon are the birds and mammals despite how small and light weighted they are. Creatures like me, we have no chance of survival. My name is Messummer, and this is the last time that I’m going to speak to you.
Rocks fell from the rock towers that the earthquake gave off, and I entered a long and uncomfortable sleep.
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