***
Chase picked up one of the carrots they had gathered from the garden and crunched a bite. Kit was standing at the back door of the kitchen watching the parasaurolophus family eat a fresh bale of hay.
“Your garden grows some good veggies, Kit,” he said. “Sweetest carrot I ever tasted.”
“We’ve got plenty of fertilizer, with six hundred head of cattle.”
He crunched slower, thinking maybe the carrot needed another washing. Kit went to the stove and adjusted the flame under the pot of boiling potatoes. He asked her, “What will you do when this is all over?”
She turned and looked at him dubiously. “You mean if I survive?”
“Sure. Assuming we find a way out of this, what’ll you do? You said you wanted to study paleontology at Bozeman. Sounds like a good career choice, all things considered. Ought to be quite a demand for people who know their dinosaurs.”
“I suppose so,” she replied. “I’m afraid to think about the future.”
“Things look pretty grim right now, I’ll admit. But take wolves as an example. They were wiped out around here but now they’re making a comeback. Things can change.”
“It’s not the same. This time dinosaurs are making the comeback and people are disappearing.”
“Still,” he said. “Yesterday those parasaurolophuses were fossils. Today they’re animals you’re feeding hay to. It’s getting hard to tell the difference between paleontology and wildlife biology. Your interests and mine might… come together someday.”
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. She gave him a thin smile, the best he had seen in a while. Then a thought struck her and she turned toward the living room door. “Hey, what’s up with Doctor O?”
“I don’t know,” said Chase. “Still studying our… guest, I suppose.”
Kit went into the living room and he followed—and they both froze.
Dr. Ogilvey sat on the fireplace hearth with one of Kit’s school textbooks open on his lap. The creature was standing right over him!
Chase’s first thought was to shout a warning but the words froze in his throat. The animal’s fangs were just inches from Ogilvey’s head. There was no way the old man could react in time to get away. Then Chase saw something even more astonishing. Ogilvey, oblivious to danger, pointed to a picture in the book and looked straight into the creature’s face.
“That’s a tree,” he said. Then, moving his finger on the book, “That’s the sky.”
“Doctor O!” Kit barely squeaked. “What are you doing?”
The paleontologist turned and gazed blankly at their concerned faces. “Just teaching him some of our words.”
The creature regarded them calmly and Ogilvey jerked a thumb at it. “He catches on very quickly.”
The captive reached out its manacled hands, pointed a claw at the picture and did its best to mimic Ogilvey’s words.
“Treeee,” it repeated. “Skaaeee.”
“Very good,” Ogilvey responded. “Tree. Sky.”
“But, but,” Kit gasped, “are you sure it’s safe to get so close?”
Ogilvey glanced from her to the beast and back. “No, but he certainly seems friendly enough. His name is Gar.” Setting the book on the hearth, Ogilvey stood and made formal introductions. “Gar, meet Kit.” He indicated by a gesture that the latter name belonged to her. The creature bobbed its head and made its best effort to repeat her name.
“Kee-ta.”
Kit hesitated a moment, flabbergasted, and then replied, “Gar. Pleased to meet you.”
Ogilvey smiled congenially at the creature. “And that’s Chase, standing behind her.”
“Chay-suh,” said Gar, head-bobbing at him.
Chase bobbed back reflexively. Then, feeling awkward at his apish replay of the creature’s movement, he stammered, “Uh… Hello, Gar.”