Chapter One ~ Yum YumYum

Just when it seemed the poor baby Ankylosaurus was doomed to die there came a tremendous roar from the jungle. Crashing through the prehistoric trees came the huge mother Ankylosaurus.

Ten year old Tommy Barker looked around on the floor where his toy dinosaurs were scattered. Where was his mother Ankylosaurus? He thought for a moment and remembered seeing it on his desk just before his mother had asked him to clean his room. There were now only two places it could be; under his bed or in his closet.

Tommy crawled over to his bed and poking his head under, various objects began to take shape in the dim darkness. First a sock, then a pack of bubble gum, a couple of action figures, some building blocks and an assortment of trading cards... but no mother Ankylosaurus.

“Hum,” said Tommy getting to his feet and walking to his closet. As he opened the closet door something brushed against the top of his head. Tommy looked up and was startled to see some large green leaves sticking out from the closet. Why was there a plant in his closet? Tommy knew he hadn’t put it there, so who did? Maybe, someone from his family put it there. His father was at work so that left his mother and his brother. “Hum,” said Tommy again. He would just have to find them and ask. Tommy left his room and headed for the backyard.

“Mom! Mom!” Yelled Tommy as he ran across the lawn towards his mother.

“What is it?” asked Mrs. Barker.

“Did you put a plant in my closet?” asked Tommy.

Mrs. Barker looked rather surprised. “No, I didn’t,” she replied. “Why?”

“Well,” said Tommy. “There’s a plant in my closet and I thought you might have put it there.”

Mrs. Barker smiled. She knew her son had a vivid imagination. He was probably pretending there was a jungle in his closet. “Well, just don’t let it grow all over the house,” she said and went back to weeding the garden.

Tommy was still puzzled. As he walked back into the house, he decided to find his older brother Jason and ask him. Jason was two years older than Tommy. Hiding plants in your closet was just the kind of thing a brother would do. It was probably some kind of carnivorous plant that would devour him when he went to hang up his clothes! Tommy found Jason in the garage fixing his bike.

Jason looked up and saw his little brother walking towards him. “What can I do for you Squirt?” he said.

For as long as Tommy could remember Jason had always called him Squirt. It wasn’t that Tommy was small for his age, it was just that he wasn’t as tall as Jason and he never let him forget it. Other than the age and height difference both boys had the same short wavy brown hair and big blue eyes. Tommy was a bright and curious child who loved to use his imagination whenever possible. Jason, on the other hand, was a little more serious, but always looked out for his little brother. Tommy dreamed of the day when he would be bigger than Jason and could call him Squirt!

“Did you put a carnivorous plant in my closet?” asked Tommy, eyeing Jason with suspicion.

Jason gave Tommy his ‘Are you crazy!’ look. 𠇍id I what?” said Jason.

Tommy sighed impatiently and repeated the question. “I said, did you put a carnivorous plant in my closet?”

Jason burst out laughing. “Yeah, course I did!” he giggled. 𠇊nd your underwear drawer is full of poisonous snakes!” Jason laughed louder. He was still laughing when Tommy left the garage.

So it wasn’t Jason either. But the question still remained... who put the plant in his closet? Tommy went up to his room and opened the closet door again. The leaves were still there. He backed away and thought for a moment. Well, he wasn’t about to let his room be turned into a green house. He would have to get rid of it himself. Tommy reached into the closet and felt around for the light switch but it wasn’t there. Huh, he thought, that’s funny. He walked to his desk and found his flashlight. Something very strange was going on here. Tommy went back to his closet and stepped inside.

It was very dark. Tommy switched on the flashlight and shone it around him. Where were his clothes and his toys? Everything was gone! The only thing in his closet now was a bunch of plants with big leaves. Tommy pointed the flashlight at what he thought was the closet floor but found the carpet was gone too. It had been replaced with dirt. This was very curious indeed. Pointing the light straight ahead Tommy could see a dark empty space stretched out before him. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked cautiously onward. Tommy didn’t remember the inside of his closet being so big.

Up ahead, light filtered through some of the plants. Tommy stopped and looked behind him. He could see his room through the open closet door. The space in-between seemed unusually dark and far away. Fear began to kick its way into Tommy’s head and he was beginning to wonder if he should just go back and tell his Mom. Unfortunately he had a reputation for being quite the daydreamer and it wasn’t as if anyone was going to believe him. Besides he was always pretending to find adventure and now here it was and he didn’t even have to leave his room. Gathering up his courage, Tommy continued on into the darkness.

For a brief moment he thought he could hear noises, but wasn’t sure. After several more steps Tommy found he couldn’t go on any further. In front of him was a wall of large plants. Eager to see what was beyond, Tommy pushed them aside and stepped out in the great unknown.

Bright light pierced his eyes and he quickly clamped his hands over them. Slowly spreading apart his fingers Tommy saw the most extraordinary thing... a forest! There was a forest inside his bedroom closet! Tommy lowered his hands. He was surrounded by tall trees and a variety of incredible plants. Some of the plants looked like ferns he’d seen on a school trip to the Botanical Gardens. Only these ferns were much bigger, nearly the size of a car! The other plants had unusual and colorful flowers. Everything was so exotic. Tommy wandered into a small clearing not far from the closet. The trees around him were much like the ones in his backyard. The ground was covered with dark brown dirt and patches of stubby grass. The air was warm and fragrant. Tommy was so awed by what he saw that he hadn’t even thought about what he could hear. There were unusual sounds all around him.

Tommy found a fallen log and sat down. He still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Was this place really inside his closet? Perhaps he was imagining the whole thing. Then he got an idea. Tommy pulled a leaf off a plant near him and put it in his pocket. Evidence he thought. If he went back to his room and the leaf was still there then that would prove this wasn’t his imagination.

Across the clearing a clump of bushes began to shake and a small creature jumped out landing nimbly on the ground. Startled, Tommy fell backwards off the log. Scrambling to his knees, he slowly peered into the clearing. The creature didn’t notice him as it wandered closer . It was about the size of a large turkey with a long tail, two short arms and four clawed fingers on each hand. It stood on thin hind legs with three clawed toes on each foot and was light green with dark stripes running across its back. A small head with beady little eyes and a narrow snout sat upon a long thin neck. Even from where he was hiding, Tommy could see it had sharp teeth. The creature's skin looked kind of scaly like a reptile, and Tommy wondered if he had seen this thing somewhere before. Without warning the reptile's head shot up into the air and tilted to one side. It appeared to be listening to something. Tommy crouched down further behind the log and hoped it wasn’t him it could hear. Just then another clump of bushes began to shake. The reptile noticed this as well and watched with great interest. A little mouse like creature darted out from under one of the bushes. The reptile quickly leaped into the air and pounced on the mouse. The mouse let out a squeak of terror as it was forcibly pinned to the ground. The mouse continued to squeak frantically but the reptile took care of that with one swift bite. It settled down to eat its meal.

Tommy watched with mixed feelings of amazement and horror. He’d never seen anything like this. Then he remembered where he had seen this creature before... in his Dinosaur Encyclopedia! Was this thing a real live dinosaur? Impossible! But there it was right in front of him! Tommy was having trouble remembering its name. As he racked his brain, the dinosaur finished its meal and scurried off into the surrounding bush. Tommy slowly stood up. Excitement raced through his body making his knees wobble. If that really was a dinosaur then there might be other dinosaurs! This could be the find of the century! Tommy jumped over the log, ran back through the plants, and into his room, slamming the closet door behind him. Screeching to a halt, Tommy turned around and opened the door again. The plants were still there but he would have to hurry. He had no idea how long this fantastic world would remain in his closet!

Tommy went straight for his book shelf and rummaged through until he found his Dinosaur Encyclopedia. He eagerly scanned each page for a picture of the dinosaur he had just seen and there it was! Its name was Compsognathus. Tommy sat on the edge of his bed completely stunned. Was this really what he saw? How could it be? The book said this dinosaur died out almost 200 million years ago. Then Tommy remembered the leaf in his pocket. He reached in. When he opened his hand there in his palm was a slightly rumpled leaf.

“Yes!” Tommy exclaimed, punching the air in triumph. It was real!

Retrieving the backpack from behind his bedroom door, Tommy shoved his encyclopedia and his camera into it. After all, there was no point going on such an adventure if he wasn’t going to come back with pictures. Then in went his flashlight, his sunglasses, and all his left over Easter candy. Tommy stood in the middle of his room trying to think of anything else he would need when in walked Jason.

“So do you still have carnivorous plants in your closet or is it tigers now?” Jason snickered.

“Neither,” said Tommy. “It’s dinosaurs.”

Jason shook his head in bewilderment at how strange his brother was, then walked over to the closet. He opened the door and several large green leaves hit him in the face.

“Hey you weren’t kidding!” he said pushing the leaves aside. “What are you doing?”

Tommy was zipping up his pack. “I’m going to explore my closet,” he said, slipping it on his back.

“Oh really,” said Jason. Exploring a closet didn’t sound like much fun to him.

“You can come if you want too,” said Tommy as he walked to the closet.

Jason shook his head. “No thanks Squirt.”

“Okay,” said Tommy. 𠇋ut you don’t know what you’re missing.” Tommy stepped into his closet and disappeared.

A minute went by. Jason went over and stood in the closet doorway. That’s strange, he thought. He was sure Tommy would be standing right in front of him.

“Tommy,” he called out. No response. “Hey, Tommy. Where are you?” Still no response. After a minute or two Jason saw a light coming towards him. It was Tommy.

“Where were you?” asked Jason puzzled.

Tommy shone the flashlight around and explained about the plants. Jason didn’t believe what he was hearing but agreed to tag along anyway. This he had to see for himself. After closing the door behind them, the two boys disappeared into the darkness.

They walked along for what seemed to Jason to be a pretty long time for just a closet. He was beginning to wonder if Tommy’s imagination wasn’t contagious and hoped it wasn’t fatal as well.

Tommy stopped as they neared the wall of plants. �ore we go any further,” he said. “You’d better cover your eyes. The light ahead is pretty bright.”

Jason sighed and closed his eyes. I guess this is part of what makes an imaginary world so exciting, he thought, we’re probably going to end up in the garage. Tommy took him by the arm and they continued on.

Jason felt something brush against him, then a warm breeze on his face.

“You can open your eyes now,” said Tommy. Jason did.

Bright light scorched his eyes and he quickly shut them. Jason slowly opened his eyes again and was surprised to see that they weren’t in the garage at all but in some kind of forest. Jason was completely baffled by what he saw. How was this possible? There just couldn’t be a forest inside Tommy’s closet, could there? He looked over at Tommy, who was wearing sunglasses.

“This...,” said Jason. “This is totally amazing! Where did it come from?”

Tommy shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said taking off the sunglasses. 𠇋ut I saw this here earlier.” He pulled out his book and showed Jason. Jason read the blurb next to the picture of the Compsognathus. “What are you going to do now?” he asked.

Tommy grinned. 𠇎xplore! What’d you think! Just imagine the different kinds of dinosaurs there must be here! I’m going to be the first to see them all!” He rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Jason’s eyes widened. 𠇊re you crazy!” he gasped. “Your book says the dinosaur you saw is carnivorous. I’m not gonna be lunch for any dinosaur. I still have to fix my bike!” Jason paced up and down the clearing waving his arms around and yelling. “We’re going home right now and when Dad gets home we’re going to tell him everything!”

Tommy shook his head. 𠇏orget it,” he said. “I’m staying until I get a picture of a real live dinosaur.” He crossed his arms and stared defiantly at his older brother.

Jason continued to protest and Tommy would have listened if his attention weren’t diverted by something he saw out of the corner of his eye. Jason soon realized Tommy wasn’t listening to him and turned to see what he was finding so fascinating. Up in the sky a dark object was speeding towards them. Before they knew what was happening, a huge bird descended upon them. Unfolding its huge clawed feet, the bird made a grab for the boys. They tried to run but the great beast was much too fast. Tommy and Jason let out screams of terror as the giant prehistoric bird soared into the clear blue sky with them firmly in its grasp.

After several heart stopping moments Tommy stopped struggling and opened his eyes. The height they were at was dizzying! They must have been thousands of feet in the air. In the distance he could see a mountain range and below a huge green valley and a river that cut through the land. At one end of the valley was a waterfall and at the other end the river had punched a hole right through the valley wall and flowed off into the distance. Fighting the fierce wind Tommy raised his head and looked up at his huge captor. The bird’s body was covered with short brown fur and instead of feathers the wings were huge pieces of tightly stretched skin. Its wingspan was well over the length of a school bus. Tommy tried to remember what prehistoric creature this was, maybe a Quetzalcoatlus or the Pteranodon, but he wasn’t sure. He looked over at his brother. Jason’s eyes were tightly shut. Tommy called out to him but a great rush of air grabbed his words and whipped them away. There was no way Jason was going to hear him. The flying dinosaur unexpectedly changed its flight path, gliding down close to the ground. Without warning the bird relaxed its grip and let the boys go. Tommy and Jason fell screaming towards the ground below. They landed with an unexpected loud splash, plunging deep into the dark murky river water. After a few moments the water's surface ceased to ripple and once again flowed quietly along.

Jason broke through the rivers tranquil surface and looked around wildly for any sign of Tommy, but could find none. Panic gripped Jason’s entire body. Just as he was beginning to think his brother was lost forever, the water near him began to bubble, and Tommy’s head popped up. He was struggling for air and flailing around. Jason swam towards Tommy and grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Jason knew their only chance was to swim for the shore. He dare not think about the creatures that might be swimming around beneath them.

After what seemed like hours rather than minutes, the boys reached the shore and collapsed on the muddy bank.

“What was that thing?” wheezed Jason.

“I think it was...gasp... a Quetzalcoatlus or... gasp... a Pteranodon but I’m not sure.” said Tommy. He dragged himself up to his knees.

“What did it want with us?” asked Jason.

“It probably thought we were food and was taking us back to its nest to feed to its young.” said Tommy.

“What!” exclaimed Jason. It made him sick to think he’d almost become prehistoric bird food. “Why’d it drop us then?”

“I don’t know,” replied Tommy. “Maybe it was trying to crack us open... you know, to get at our guts,” he added.

Jason made a face and got to his knees. “What do we do now?” he moaned. “We’re miles away from your closet!”

Tommy surveyed their surroundings. “I think I know which way to go to get home,” he said pointing off to their left. “I saw a valley over that way. I’m pretty sure my closet is on the other side.”

“You mean you had you eyes open!” said Jason with horror.

“It wasn’t that bad,” said Tommy.

“Oh yeah,” grumbled Jason. “ A piece of cake!”

The boys got to their feet and began the long walk home.

They’d only gone a few feet when the water beside them began to churn and surge up into the air. A huge dinosaur heaved itself out of the water and onto the muddy shore. Tommy and Jason stumbled backwards. The dinosaur let out a tremendous bellow then stretched it massive body out to bask in the sun. This incredible creature was about fifteen feet long with a fat, black body and four stubby legs. Two large eyes sat on top of a wide flat head with a wide toothy mouth. Its tail was long and fat. Tommy and Jason were heaped on the muddy ground frozen with fear. The dinosaur was blocking their passage along the riverbank! The dinosaur turned its large head towards them.

“What is that?” whispered Jason.

“I don’t know,” whispered Tommy.

“Well,” hissed Jason. “It’s blocking our way!” Jason had long since decided that this was not shaping up to be a good day for him.

“I can see that!” Tommy hissed back. He just loved when Jason pointed out the obvious.

The dinosaur shifted its huge hulking body closer to the boys and stretched out its fat stubby neck. It took in a deep breath then exhaled through its large nostrils. Hot, wet dinosaur breath shot out of its nose. The boys coughed and choked as the foul dinosaur snort flowed over them.

Jason waved his hand in front of his face. “Oh gross!” he exclaimed. “I think it needs a breath mint!”

Jason’s last comment had just given Tommy an idea.

“Jason,” he said quietly. “Open my backpack and hand me the candy.”

“What?” said Jason, totally amazed at his brothers obvious lack of concern for his well being. “Tommy this is hardly the time for a snack!”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to eat it!” he hissed.

The boys carefully untangled themselves and slowly stood up. The strange amphibious dinosaur regarded them as if they were nothing more than a boring TV show. Jason slowly unzipped the pack, reached in, and grabbed the candy. He placed it in Tommy’s waiting hands.

“Wait!’ whispered Jason excitedly.

“What?” whispered Tommy

Jason took back the bag of jellybeans. “Not these,” he said. “They’re my favorite.” He stuffed the bag into his pocket.

Tommy sighed, making a mental note to punch his brother later. Tommy opened a bag of chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. The dinosaur was starting to take a little more interest in them. It let out another bellowing cry. Tommy threw a chocolate egg at it. The dinosaur stopped bellowing and sniffed the egg, pushing it around with its snout. A fat pink tongue darted out of the dinosaur's mouth and lapped up the treat along with a great deal of mud. Saliva mixed with mud ran down its neck.

“Mmm,” said Jason with disgust. “Yum, yum.”

Realizing that food was near, the dinosaur turned its full attention on the boys and their bag of goodies. It took a few steps towards them.

“Tommy!’ groaned Jason. 𠇍o something! Give it the rest before it decides it wants us instead!”

Tommy swallowed hard. 𠇍on’t worry,” he said. “I have a plan.” His voice was shaky and unsure.

He threw the dinosaur another egg. It gobbled up the delightful treat. Tommy waved the bag in front of the huge reptile.

“You like these, do ya boy?” The dinosaur snapped at the bag with its drooling jaws.

“Agggggh!” screamed Jason. “Give it to him!”

Tommy shook with fear all the way down to his sneakers. “Jason,” he said. “When I say run... run. Okay?” Jason nodded.

The dinosaur was becoming increasingly agitated and was making its’ move towards them when Tommy tossed the chocolate eggs into the air. The dinosaur whipped its large head to the side and followed the eggs through the air as they landed with little splashes in the river. The dinosaur swung its body around and dove into the water.

“Run!” shouted Tommy.

The boys scrambled up the muddy bank and raced through the trees lining it. They could still hear the dinosaur thrashing in the water, and bellowing with anger as it tried to find it's lost meal. Tommy and Jason broke through the trees and were quite surprised when they came out onto a path... a well-used path. Without giving it a moments thought, they ran up the trail and out of sight.