Chapter 8
Battle against a dinosaur
Cold, scared and alone, Jack continued to wander through the darkness. The smell of smoke filled his lungs, forcing him to cough persistently. With limited vision he stumbled over rocks and fallen branches, sustaining cuts and bruises to his knees and arms. Worried the Order of Five were after him, he attempted to keep a fast pace but it was too difficult in the dark.
Eventually, tired and out of breath, Jack slowed to a brisk walk. His thoughts drifted to his Grandad. An overwhelming sense of guilt caused his stomach to wrench in pain.
‘How could I have left him?!’ He cried out before coughing profusely. Amongst the noise of the fire in the distance, the forest was teeming with life. Earlier in the night, when Jack and his Grandad had first entered the forest, Jack would have been terrified by such noises. Unable to see what had caused them in the dark, but knowing that something was there for sure. Instead, Jack now ignored them. He pulled the book of legends from his back pocket. Jack shouted ‘This is all your fault! I should have let them have you so Grandad could be free.’ Tears dropped onto the worn brown cover of the book, flowing steadily from Jacks sore red eyes. As he wept, he knew he had done what his Grandad had wanted. As hard as it was to come to terms with, Jack knew his Grandad would be proud of him.
Whilst Jack sat with his eyes closed, a calm warm feeling began to sweep across his face. Tears still clinging to his skin, the warmth spread across his entire body. Squinting Jack opened his eyes, the sun had finally emerged above the dense black smog. Beams of light breaking through the tree tops, radiated across the scorched landscape. The great inferno had been injected with a new source of energy and began to pick up pace, roaring through the forest.
Sitting in the warmth, Jack knew he had to act quickly to escape from the fire. But he had also come to another realisation. One that would change the course of his life forever. Jack ‘the dreamer’ as his mum used to call him, was going to rescue his Grandad, find the pieces of the star, defeat Kazael and save the world. ‘Ok’ He thought to himself, ‘maybe I am still dreaming, thinking I can save the world. Mum and Dad would say I am. But Grandad believes in me and I’m going to prove to him that his faith in me was right. I’ll make him proud.’ Opening the book of legends, Jack began to study the map. He suspected Kazael and the Order of Five would have taken Grandad to find the star in the caves. But he knew that once they discovered Grandad no longer had the book, they would have no need for him. He had to save Grandad before they killed him.
With no time to waste, and the fire raging close behind. Jack wiped the tears from his face, leaving a large smudge of black soot across his cheek and set off on his adventure. This time he was alone.
‘Who’s there?’ Jack spun around to find only the trees behind him.
Again he heard a shuffle in the bushes. ‘Show yourself.’ He yelled.
After twenty minutes of walking Jack had begun to feel like he was being followed. Every few steps he took, a sudden rustling sound would emerge, camouflaged amongst the desolate forest. Jack had grown anxious. Had Kazael found out the truth from Grandad? Had he discovered that Jack now had the book of legends and disposed of Grandad? What if the Order of Five were about to ambush him? With all of these thoughts running through his mind, Jack began to run, desperate to escape the forest.
‘Cough – Cough’ Jack came to a halt. His lungs were still filled with black smoke. Wheezing he fought to take a breath.
‘Drum Drum – Drum Drum – Drum Drum.’
Jack could hear the sound of a drum beat. But again he could not find where it was coming from. Inhaling a large nervous breath, Jack heard it again.
‘Drum Drum – Drum Drum – Drum Drum.’
He dare not move. The sound was getting louder.
‘Drum Drum – Drum Drum – Drum Drum.’
Spinning on the spot, Jack became dizzy as he searched for where the noise was emanating from. Then he noticed them. To the right, nestled amongst the roots of a tree were four very large eggs. Walking over to them, he knelt down for a closer look. White but covered with ash and dirt the eggs had not yet hatched. Curious, Jack thought of what animal may be inside. Were they snakes eggs? No. Way too big he told himself. Maybe an eagles? No. They would be up high in a nest, he reasoned. Perhaps they had been but had fallen? No. They would have smashed, he concluded. Jack noticed a few foot prints in the dirt. Only they were awfully strange. Like dinosaurs feet, the animal who created them had three large toes. One in the middle and two angled out from the sides. What if Jack had stumbled across the eggs of a dinosaur and these prints were from a real fully grown prehistoric monster. Maybe even a T.Rex. Had Jack just made the greatest discovery ever known to man?
With his heart beating rapidly, out of fear and excitement, Jack placed his hand gently on one of the eggs.
‘Drum Drum – Drum Drum – Drum Drum.’
Jack quickly pulled his hand from the egg as he heard the drumming sound again. Is that the noise a dinosaur really makes? He thought to himself. How do the scientists know what noise they make when they have never seen a real live dinosaur? Then he realised. What if it is a T.Rex and It’s coming back to protect its babies? Panicking, Jack moved away from the eggs, when suddenly the creature appeared.
It certainly wasn’t a T.Rex or any other kind of dinosaur for that matter. With long skinny legs, and large three toed feet. The animal had a body full of thick brown and grey feathers, with a long slim blue neck. Its head was small but with a large sharp black beak.
Staring at the creature, Jack could hear the sound again. It was emanating from the creatures throat.
Jack now knew it was not a dinosaur, but it was majestic nonetheless. He remembered watching an animal documentary on television once that had been about this very creature. They had called it the emu. Jack also remembered a sequence describing how powerful and quick they were.
Out of curiosity the emu had been following Jack through the forest. Perhaps trying to find food. As Jack nervously watched the large bird, he slowly began taking steps backwards to distance himself from the eggs.
The emu continued to watch Jacks every step as it moved to guard the eggs.
It was only then, that Jack realised the fire was beckoning ever closer. He knew that the emu would have no way of saving its eggs and he had to help. Risking the wrath of the emu he moved in. The large emu, towered over Jack as he lent down to pick up the eggs. Clenching his teeth and closing his eyes he expected the emu to attack him as he gently cradled the eggs into his arms.
However as Jack opened his eyes again, he found the emu not attacking him but instead sitting down in front of him. It was then that Jack realised what the emu had wanted. It had been following Jack through the woods, trying to guide him to its nest. The emu needed help to rescue its babies and had sought out Jack for help.
As the emu sat on the floor waiting, Jack climbed onto its back. Still clutching the four eggs, Jack was nestled amongst the soft feathers covering the emus body. Within seconds Jack was being whisked through the forest on the back of the emu. The long slim legs of the emu propelled them forwards, running at great speeds through the harsh landscape. Jack pulled his legs in tight to the side of the emu, as this was his only way of holding on. Cradling the eggs close to his chest, Jack took great care not to let any fall but also not to crush them.
The smell of burnt wood still hung in the air, reminding Jack of the night he sat around the bonfire with Grandad. Memories of his Grandad began to flood his mind. Like a film reel, images flicked through his mind one after the other. His Grandads smile. The time they built a garden wall together or when they made a coffee table from wood and tiles. Jack could even hear his cheery voice in his head. The way he used to say toodaloo instead of goodbye. Jack always loved how chirpy his Grandad was and thought how young he seemed compared to other kids grandparents.
Not once did Jack begin to think he wouldn’t see his Grandad again. He was determined to find him and rescue him and he would not give up until he had.
With his thoughts lost in his head, Jack had barely realised that they were no longer running amongst the trees. Instead, miraculously, the emu had taken them to a small river bed. As the emu inched them closer to the edge of the water, Jack leapt off of its back and placed the eggs on the floor. He had managed to keep all of them safe.
Desperate for water Jack fell to his knees and lay his body forwards. With his chest pressed against the ground he submerged his head in the murky brown water. Even though it looked very similar to the water he had drunk the day before at the inn, he could not resist. Gulping it down ferociously, Jack was physically drained. The water turned black with the soot and dirt from Jacks face.
‘SMASH!’
Water crashed into the air around Jack, soaking the rest of his body. The emu, who had also been drinking from the water began to hiss loudly. Jack threw his body back on to the dry land. With his legs sprawled out in front of him, he was now sitting upright using his hands on the floor to lift his body away from the monster. It had burst out of the water, its large sharp teeth were inches from Jacks head, as he narrowly avoided being eaten. Thick battle worn leather skin covered its body. With blood and scars adding to its mean appearance. This time it really was like a dinosaur.
‘HEEEEEEEEEELP – SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!’ Jack shouted at the top of his lungs, thankfully now slightly clearer away from the smoke
The beast had risen out of the water, like a monster of the deep. It moved quickly onto the land, with four short legs the monster could run as good as it could swim. With adrenaline powering through his veins, Jack kept moving backwards, still without time to stand. The belly of the beast was low to the ground, and its long body was enough to swallow Jack whole. Even its head was bigger than Jack. Like a dog chasing a cat, the creature persisted. The predator had chosen its prey and Jack was it. Jack was now staring down the jaws of death and had only one option.
Clouds of red dust puffed into the air, as Jack rolled his body to the side. Within a split second he had avoided being bitten and had rolled around to the side of the creature. Launching to his feet, he knew he only had one attempt to subdue the beast. Knowing that it would not only eat him, but the emu eggs as well. He couldn’t let that happen.
‘Aaarrrghh.’ Jack jumped onto the back of the crocodile. The powerful animal began shaking and shuffling its body, attempting to throw Jack off. Its huge heavy tail whipped back and forth, crashing against the ground so hard Jack could see the emu eggs bounce in the air. Dust and gravel flew everywhere as Jack battled to tire the crocodile out.
‘SNAP.’ The crocodile smashed its teeth together as it tried to attack Jack.
With his body aching from his previous dangerous encounters and with a lack of sleep, Jack struggled to maintain his grip on the animal. He knew the crocodile would be strong but he did not realise exactly how powerful they were. This one had surely won many battles in the past.
Eventually the crocodile came to a halt. Apparently admitting defeat, it rested its large head on the ground. Jack did not believe he had succeeded and was confused at why the animal had stopped moving. After a few minutes of clinging to the motionless crocodile he sat up and with a smile said ‘I did it! I actually did it!’
Edging himself down the long tail of the crocodile Jack, nervously moved away. In the blink of an eye the crocodile had spun around and with its jaws wide open attacked Jack.
‘Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!’ Jack cried as the crocodile bit down. Expecting pain he clenched his fists and shut his eyes. His whole body froze with fear whilst the crocodile clenched its jaws together. Jack was trapped in the jaws of death. After a few seconds he realised he felt no pain, perhaps he had gone into shock and the adrenaline had numbed his nerves.
‘Let him go!’
Jack heard a voice. Opening his eyes he could see three men running towards him. Attempting to call them he opened his mouth but no words came out. He tried again but even the muscles in his throat were frozen.
‘Let that boy down!’ One of the men shouted as he jumped onto the crocodiles back. Swiftly followed by the other two men. Straddling the large beast the three men attempted to overpower it.
‘I’ll cover its eyes. Bill, you try and prise its mouth open. John, you grab its tail and try to control it.’ The man sitting at the front said. ‘Got it?’
‘Yeah Chris. Go for it.’ Bill replied as he jumped off of the crocodile and headed for its mouth from the front.
‘Let’s do it.’ John replied, trying to hold down the force of the crocodiles tail.
Chris sat forwards and wrapped his arms across the eyes of the crocodile. As he did this Bill began wrenching its jaws apart. ‘As soon as I got them open a little bit kid, you need to roll out. Ready?’ Bill said to Jack, who still did not reply.
‘Now, kid, now!’ Bill had the jaws open ever so slightly. Jack did as instructed and rolled clear from the monster that had nearly eaten him.
‘Bill. You help John pull it by the tail back over to the water.’ Chris said as he kept the crocodile from watching what was happening.
Jack lay in the dirt, still in shock at nearly dying. His eyes transfixed upon the three aboriginal heroes in front of him. True bush warriors, they wrestled the large crocodile back to the water. When they released it, the crocodile simply walked into the muddy water and slowly disappeared into the murkiness. Instantly camouflaged again, awaiting its next victim. Luckily, this time it wouldn’t be Jack.
‘Are you alright mate?’ John said to Jack as he held his hand out to help him up.
Jack still did not speak but grabbed hold of Johns hand and allowed him to pull him from the gravel. The three brave men were all wearing similar clothing. Each wore tired looking jeans, with rips in the legs. Chris had on a faded green vest. Bill and John also wore vests but theirs were navy blue and white respectively. John was carrying a long wooden pole, which was slightly shorter than Jack.
‘You’re alright kid.’ Bill said as he dusted himself down. ‘That was a close one mind. He nearly had ya. You’re lucky we were around, otherwise you would have been its dinner.’ Bill remarked.
‘Leave him alone Bill. He’s had a bit of a shock. How you feeling now mate? Let’s have a look at ya.’ Chris was sympathetic to Jacks plight. Looking at Jacks side, Chris could see three large tears in Jacks t-shirt, where the crocodiles teeth had torn it apart. Jack had noticed them as well and it had made him quite queasy. He then gently lifted his t-shirt up, nervous about what horrific injury he may have sustained.
‘See, you’re alright. It didn’t get ya.’ Chris said cheerfully, reminding Jack of his Grandad.
‘Yeah it didn’t even leave a scratch.’ Bill laughed.
Miraculously Jack had narrowly avoided his flesh being gouged by the large teeth. All he had to show for his ordeal was a badly ripped t-shirt. The first thought that went through his head was that his mum would kill him for ruining his t-shirt, forgetting that he had run away from home and he was more likely to be in trouble for that. Then he thought how cool it would be to show his mates that he had been attacked by a crocodile, not that any of them would believe him.
‘G’day mate. I’m Chris. This is John and this is Bill. What’s your name?’ Chris introduced themselves.
‘I – I’m Jack. I’m from England.’ Jack found the courage to speak.
‘Well hello Jack.’ Chris said.
‘England! What are you doing all alone in the outback of Australia? Where’s your parents?’ John was startled by Jacks response.
Jack was reluctant to tell them his real reason for being in Australia. ‘I was on holiday with my family but I got lost.’
Chris gave Jack a strange look. A look that told Jack, he did not believe what he was hear
ing. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong young Jack. But wasn’t that you we saw running through the woods on the back of an emu?’ Chris looked over at the emu beside the river, guarding its eggs from anymore predators.
Jack didn’t answer.
‘You see, we were trying to save the animals in the forest from the bush fire. When suddenly we saw an emu sprint past. Now this normally wouldn’t be very strange but it was being ridden by a boy. Out of curiosity we followed its tracks, which led us here.’ Chris explained.
‘Lucky we tracked it, or you would be in the stomach of that crocodile right now!’ Bill remarked.
‘So you see, are you going to tell us the truth about what you are doing here? Emus don’t generally let humans ride them you know. They have to really trust a person.’ Chris asked Jack again to explain why he was there.
‘I didn’t mean to harm the emu sir.’ Jack said. ‘I kept hearing noises in the woods. Then I found the eggs and the emu appeared. It wanted my help to save its eggs, so I held them whilst it run us to safety.’
‘Don’t be silly now. We’re not stupid. As if an emu would know to ask you for help!’ Bill snidely remarked.
‘It did sir. I don’t know how, but it did.’ Jack knew they wouldn’t believe him.
‘You see Jack. To the aboriginal people, emus are very special creatures. There is an old aboriginal legend that the sun was created by throwing an emu egg into the sky. Also if you look at the night time sky you can see an emu amongst the stars. It is a creature of great mystique. We find it hard to fathom that this great creature would allow a young boy from England to ride it. A man has to have a special connection with the animal to do such a thing.’ Chris explained. His story reminding Jack of the stories Grandad would tell.
After hearing this story Jack felt a bond with the aboriginal men. He realised these were the men Grandad had said would help them. They were the tribe who had protected the star for thousands of years. Feeling he could trust them, Jack told his story. Just as Grandad had said he would, Jack now had his own adventures to tell.