The dinosaur hunter

The Peninsula News Fellowship of Australian Writers Literary competition winner in the fiction category is Kerry Kaalin of Woy Woy.

Alex loved dinosaurs. By the time he started school, he had a range of books, jigsaw puzzles and construction kits far beyond his age ability. He needed help with them all. However he also had other dinosaur treasures that gave him hours of fun.

"I'm going to be a dinosaur hunter when I grow up!" he would proudly announce to relatives.

This dinosaur hunting, translated, meant finding old cat, bird or animal bones once buried and then rediscovered in the backyard.

Alex was five and a half when he very nearly became a dinosaur hunter.

It was a beautiful autumn day, the drought continuing in NSW.

The sky was always blue; the sun so hot that the Easter eggs melted from the heat.

Alex was ready.

It was still hot enough to wear T-shirts and shorts, but his Mum always insisted, on shoes and socks. Of course, he wore a sun-hat.

That was the deal on the Peninsula.

Alex lived near the creek in Umina Beach. Bena Rd to be exact.

Kahiba Creek began at the back of McEvoy Oval, and found its way down to the beach.

Alex had never traversed its entire length alone.

He was after all only five! But with mum and dad, Luke, Tala and Nicky, they had completed the journey a number of times.

From his house, it was not far to the creek.

But, to date, he had neither been allowed to explore alone, nor had he desired too.

However something about today was different.

Alex felt it! Was it because Mum had given him three Weet-bix for breakfast instead of two this morning? Or was it because Luke had allowed him to use his prized magnifying glass? Or was it that little book that Tala had read to him earlier this morning, about the baby dinosaur that wandered into a creek?

But his imagination had been caught! As if a trap had been set ready for him, and he had been baited good and proper! Destiny awaited him and he was powerless to challenge it. He was only five!

While Mum was busy shouting at Luke to get out of his pyjamas and stop playing on the Gameboy, Alex slipped out of the back door, running and hiding behind the garage.

After assuring himself he had not been seen, he busied himself piling up old tyres and bits of wood, until his tower-like structure maintained its own balance as well as Alex's weight.

He climbed to the top of the fence.

Checking to see if he had been discovered, and to gain courage, he lingered, then jumped.

Alex felt proud.

"I did it," he thought to himself. "I was a little scared - but not too much. This'll be great."

He continued congratulating himself as he pushed his way through the long grass.

His fear of snakes, once very pronounced in his life, was now forgotten.

Not once did it occur to Alex that there might be any living thing hiding in the long grass.

Alex could see ahead the dip in the ground that held the creek.

Drought there may be, but water was always present in the creek.

Seawater would often make its way up the creek - against all probabilities.

Alex carefully climbed down the pebbly, rather than rocky bank.

The water was barely moving.

Puddles of green water were scattered around the main stream.

But Alex knew he wouldn't find his treasure here.

He would have to travel down the stream to where the water was plentiful. And he did.

After 20 minutes of walking and stumbling, he thought he had found it! He was alone. For the first time, fear began to creep over the borders of his mind.

"I heard a sound. There's something here." To find a baby dinosaur was his intent. But it was only now that he realised a baby dinosaur would have a mother nearby!

Alex quickly studied his environment. There were no giant lizards in the vicinity. He relaxed, and looked back to where the noise had come from. There was long, tall, bullrush like reeds ahead. But then he saw it. He was sure he'd seen it!

A tail. Thick. Scaly. Greyish colour.

He stood very, very still. Another splash.

And this time definitely a swish of that thick, scaly, greyish thing that looked just like a dinosaur tail. Alex took another step closer and closer.

He could see no body, and could only wonder what kind of dinosaur this could be.

The tail started swishing in his direction. It was moving backwards. What to do?

"I might scare it. Perhaps I should hide. But I want to see it!"

The thought came to Alex that he might share some food with it, to entice it to come out of the water. That's what had happened in the book that Tala had read to him.

He quickly but quietly as he could, removed an LCM bar that he had sneaked out of the cupboard, and kept in his backpack.

Forgetting about the paper wrapping, he laid it on a pebbly beach type area near him and began to back away.

There was a bush where he could hide behind him.

As he turned his head towards the bush, there was a loud splash.

It scared him but drew him at the same time, and Alex still walking towards the bush, turned to see an enormous mouth opening up behind him.

"Ahhhh," he cried and jumped ahead into the bush.

After reassuring himself he looked back to the creek. There was nothing there. Even the L.C.M. bar was gone.

"I found it! I found the dinosaur. The baby dinosaur. What big teeth!" he shouted, jumping up and down. "I found it!"

But realisation intruded abruptly. There was no one to tell. "I must go and tell Luke!"

Alex raced back to his house the way he had come.

When he realised he could not get back over the fence he headed to the front door and rang the doorbell.

When mum answered the door Alex said "Hi" and rushed past her into Luke's room.

"I found it. I found it." He shouted. "A baby dinosaur. Just like in Tala's book. Come and see!"

Luke was stunned. Mum was astounded. Tala was unbelieving. "Let's go and look." Responded all three. "OK. Follow me." Alex commanded.

Mum hurriedly locked the front door.

With the key in one hand and Nicky in the other, they marched behind Luke and Tala, who marched behind Alex.

He was enjoying every minute of his illustrious title as "the dinosaur hunter".

As they neared the spot where Alex's discovery had crowned all his other achievements, they heard voices. Men's voices. A woman's voice. In the reeds where the baby dinosaur lived!

Alex's whole family rushed nearer to see the Park Rangers carrying a large object with a swishing tail, up out of the creek, and heading towards the Rangers jeep.

A man saw them and called out.

"It's all right, don't be alarmed. It's a baby freshwater croc. Stolen from the Reptile Park. No harm done. Very unwell. Someone's been hiding it here in the creek thinking it was freshwater, but, in this drought, it's all ocean water."

Alex was deflated instantly. Tears began to fill his eyes. A crocodile! Not a dinosaur.

Luke laughed.

"Sorry Alex, looks like you're just another crocodile hunter, after all."

Kerry Kaalin, September 1