We raced along the high wooden fence, searching for a way through to the other side.
“Here!” I shouted to Ashley.
Someone had dug a deep hole underneath the fence. I fell to my knees and worked my way underneath.
I pulled myself out on the other side. Then I turned to help Ashley. But she didn’t need any help.
My skinny cousin slid underneath like a silver eel.
We dusted off our suits, then dashed through the trees toward the large wooden structure that loomed up ahead.
It was The Beast.
It had to be The Beast.
What else could it be?
Ashley cried out, “No!” and crumpled to her knees.
“No! No! No!”
It wasn’t The Beast.
We were staring at an old barn, half-torn down.
I threw myself down beside Ashley on the grass. For a long time we lay there in gloomy silence, staring up at the blue sky.
We didn’t say anything. We didn’t need to say anything.
We both knew what we had to do.
We had to get up and go back to the carnival, back to our prison.
What choice did we have?
20
“I want you to see for yourself how brilliant I am,” Captain Time boasted. He feverishly worked the controls of his time machine.
Ashley and I stood behind him, watching him work. It had been three days since we made our trip through the park in search of The Beast.
The Captain had been furious with us. But he had forgiven us once again. This morning he had pulled us out of the second show to watch him bring someone else back from the future.
I felt a little excited.
Maybe he would bring someone we knew. Maybe someone with food!
By now I was starved. All I could think of was hot dogs and root beer and ice cream and popcorn balls and candy apples.
Even Ashley was beginning to miss food. The night before, we were so hungry, we actually ate the peanuts the kids in the audience threw at us.
Talk about desperate! I figure that’s about as low as you can get.
That’s how bad things were getting.
“Ah-hah!” the Captain cried as the machine began to shake and shudder and glow bright red. “Let’s see who the lucky person from the future is today!”
We watched as the capsule began to rock heavily from side to side, thumping and grinding against the floor.
“Wha—What’s happening?” Ashley asked uneasily, beginning to back away.
The machine rocked violently now, back and forth, slamming hard against the floor.
Something very big and very strong was working its way out.
“What’s wrong?” I shouted over the pounding racket.
Captain Time cleared his throat nervously. “No problem, I’m sure,” he explained. “Don’t be so fearful, children.”
The rocking stopped. The machine fell completely still.
The three of us waited and watched in silence, but nothing happened.
The Captain seemed relieved. “See? I told you. No problem. Now, stand away.”
With a grand sweep of one arm, he waved us back. With the other he reached out and opened the hatch.
A long black beak jutted out from the time machine.
The beak swung hard. It caught the Captain on the side of the head. Pecked him in the temple. I could see a bloody gash on the Captain’s forehead.
The Captain staggered back and fell sprawling to the ground. He didn’t move.
With a fierce cry a great black reptile head rose from the time machine. Its jaws opened wide. The jaws were lined with razor-sharp teeth.
Enormous black claws scrabbled at the sides as it struggled to get out.
It pulled free one vast black leathery wing, then another. It looked as if it were hatching from the huge metal egg of the capsule.
For a few moments it perched on the top of the capsule, staring down at the stunned captain. Then it opened its long beak in a deafening shriek.
Ashley screamed. “James! It’s a pterodactyl!”
The creature turned its glowing green eyes in our direction. Letting out another fearful screech, it flapped its great black wings once.
With a loud snap of its jaws, it hopped to the floor. Its neck shot forward as it moved toward us.
“Run, James!” Ashley shouted.
I couldn’t move.
Ashley shook me. “Run!” she screamed right into my ear before she herself ran for cover. “Run for your life!”
But I couldn’t move. I was frozen in fear.
I stared in horror as the fierce prehistoric creature flapped toward me, snapping its deadly teeth.
21
Finally I forced myself to move.
I backed up, glancing around frantically for something to defend myself with.
A wooden chair! I picked it up. I lifted it over my head—and heaved it at the pterodactyl.
The monster caught it in one claw. Its yellow-green eyes examined the chair with curiosity.
Meanwhile, I examined its talons.
Each one was the size of a carving knife.
I swallowed hard. I had a bitter taste in my mouth as I imagined those claws digging into my skin.
It snapped its beak over the chair, crushing it. With a horrible crunching sound, it instantly reduced the chair to kindling. When it had finished chewing it up, it tossed aside the last few splinters and returned its attention to me.
A faint moan rose up from the floor.
The Captain sat up, holding his head. When he saw the monster, he let out a strangled cry. “No!”
I watched in horror as the pterodactyl heaved itself into the air. Its leathery wings flapped hard, blasting me with cold, foul-smelling gusts of wind.
There it remained, hovering overhead, fanning me. I backed against the wall and waited for the worst to happen.
But its green eyes weren’t on me. They were fixed hungrily on the Captain.
The Captain cried out in fear as the monster swooped down. It pronged him in its razor talons, lifting him high.
“Help me!” the Captain screamed, legs kicking, arms flailing in midair. “Help me—please!”
Ashley leaped high and tried to grab one of the Captain’s legs as he kicked helplessly six feet above the ground.
I leaped, too. I grabbed hold of the Captain’s shoe. Ashley grabbed on to me. Together we hung on and tried to drag him back to the floor.
Overhead, the monster’s massive leathery wings beat, kicking up dust from the floor, making a harsh whooshing sound. The three of us were playing tug-of-war.
And the Captain was the rope.
At last our team fell into a heap, with the Captain crashing down on top of us.
“Thank you,” he gasped. “Thank you both!”
But we weren’t out of danger yet.
The creature circled above us, shrieking.
“Come on!” I shouted, yanking Ashley to her feet. “We’ve got to run for cover!”
“This way!” the Captain shouted, scrambling to his feet.
The Captain led us away from the time machine, toward the rooms, toward shelter from the shrieking monster. But the Captain was running too fast for us to keep up.
The monster was gaining on us. I felt its shadow, heavy and cold, sweep over us.
The dark shadow lengthened overhead as the bird swooped low.
Our feet pounded the concrete floor. I never ran so fast in my life. But the ground suddenly gave way. My legs were treading air.
The monster snared us both, one in each claw.
It hooked its long, sharp talons into the fabric of our suits.
Up, up into the air it hoisted us like a pair of helpless mice.
22
Ashley and I wriggled and thrashed as the creature carried us up toward the high ceiling.
Back and forth it flew. It seemed to be searching for something.
For its nest?
Or maybe a nice cragg
y cliff to set us down on and tear us apart with its razor-sharp beak.
I waited until the creature soared back down toward the floor. Then I reached over and struggled to pull Ashley’s silver suit loose from the talons.
I watched as she fell to the ground with a long scream.
Then I did the same for myself, reaching awkwardly back to work myself loose from the monster’s grip.
I heard the sound of fabric tearing. Then I fell and landed with a hard thud.
I gasped painfully for air. The wind was knocked out of me.
An unearthly shriek pierced the air. I jerked my head toward the ceiling in terror.
The monster was circling overhead like a giant black vulture, waiting to pick our bones clean.
It swooped closer and closer, snapping its beak like a set of giant, deadly pincers.
Ashley and I cowered in its shadow.
The green eyes narrowed at us greedily. It seemed to be waiting for the right moment.
It opened and closed its beak rapidly, making a nasty clacking sound.
Ashley covered her mouth.
My stomach lurched. My heart pounded.
The monster’s breath smelled sour, like rotten meat.
I covered my head with both arms in a feeble attempt to protect myself. But I knew it was useless.
The monster swooped low, coming to eat us alive.
23
Then the great bird let out a startled cry.
But despite its struggles, it flew back. Back. To my shock, it was being pulled to the time machine. It flapped and squawked. But it appeared helpless.
The door of the capsule flew open. The monster struggled as the machine sucked it in. Its talons gripped the rim of the open hatch.
Its wings beat madly, struggling against the force of time itself.
But the creature fought a losing battle. Great hunks of the beast were ripped off and sucked into the machine.
The left wing tore free and disappeared, pulled into the time machine.
Ashley howled and clapped her hand over her mouth.
I held my breath, gaping in amazement.
Seconds later the pterodactyl had disappeared. Torn to pieces. Sucked back into time.
I ran to the machine, my entire body trembling.
Ashley and I waited a minute, then got up and ran over to the time machine.
I peered inside. Empty.
Faint wisps of steam rose from the machine. It smelled like roast turkey.
Captain Time appeared, shaken and dazed. He staggered to the time machine and started to examine it.
“We saved your life,” Ashley told him, tugging his sleeve. “Now send us back home.”
He ignored her.
“Yes. Send us home!” I insisted.
Finally he stepped back and scratched his head. “I can’t,” he said softly. “The machine is broken. You’re stuck here forever.”
24
Much later that night I sprawled on the dusty couch in the Princess’s little room.
I was digesting. It was hard work.
I had actually managed to clean my plate at dinner.
Being chased by a pterodactyl can give you an appetite.
“What are we going to do?” Ashley whispered. “How can we escape?”
Before I could answer, I heard voices just outside the little room.
I got up and sneaked over to the door. Holding my breath, I listened.
“You’ve got to get rid of those kids, Captain,” a man’s voice was saying.
“You think I don’t already know that?” the Captain replied.
“I don’t care what you have to do, just do it. The authorities came around today.”
“Authorities?” the Captain repeated.
“Don’t play dumb with me. The child labor people. They were nosing around the carnival today, asking a lot of questions. Those two kids who escaped the other day? They were running around the fairgrounds, free as you please, causing quite a stir.”
“That won’t happen again,” the Captain said.
“You’re right. It won’t happen again, because you’re going to get rid of them.”
“How?” the Captain asked.
“Do whatever you have to do. You’re the brilliant scientist. Just make sure that none of them are around here by tomorrow.”
25
“Ashley—did you hear that?” I whispered.
The terrified expression on her face told me that she had heard every word.
“James, we’ve got to get away from here. We have to go anywhere as quickly as we can!”
“Right. But we need a plan,” I told her.
She threw up her hands. “I don’t care about a plan. I just wish we had something to wear other than these stupid, stinking silver suits!”
I stared hard at my cousin. “What did you just say?” I demanded.
She eyed me as if I’d just gone nuts. “I said, stupid, stinking silver suits.”
“That’s it!” I exploded.
“What’s it?” She cast me a worried look.
“Our clothes!”
“James, you’re not making any sense.”
“I’m making plenty of sense!” I shouted, then quickly lowered my voice to an excited whisper. “In fact, I’m making brilliant sense.”
Patiently, I explained to her my brainstorm. “Ashley, don’t you get it? I understand everything now. The Captain’s been lying to us. He brought that dinosaur from the past into the future.”
“So?” She stared at me, still baffled.
“So, he can send us to the future. He knows how to do it. And now I think I do, too!”
26
Ashley peered out between the curtains to make sure no one was lurking out there in the dark, listening to us.
She turned back to me and nodded. “Okay, James. How?”
“Try to remember,” I began, “back to when you first climbed out of the time capsule.”
Ashley nodded, then blushed. “He made me change right away, into this stupid silver suit,” she said. “How could I forget?”
“Exactly!” I exclaimed. “Same with me. At first I thought it was just because he wanted us in a uniform.”
She nodded eagerly, following my every word with wide blue eyes.
“But now I think it’s because the clothes we arrived in were the clothes of the future. The clothes we changed into, even though they look futuristic, are really clothes from the twenties, made out of fabric and thread from this time.”
“James,” she said impatiently. “Is this going to start making sense soon? I think I’m losing hope.”
“Hang on,” I told her. “In one of the time-travel books I read, the woman couldn’t travel back to the previous century unless she was wearing an actual dress from that century. So, if we put our own clothes back on—our clothes from the future—we’ll create a time warp. And our clothes will take us back to our own time.”
Ashley grinned. “I think I get it. Pretty neat!” she cried.
I was really excited now. “When the Captain took away my shorts and shirt and sneakers, he kept mumbling something to himself. ‘No traces! No traces!’ he said. You see, that meant he didn’t want any trace of the 1990s in sight. Because he knew those clothes could take us back to the 1990s.”
“You mean,” Ashley asked, “all we have to do is put on our real clothes—and we can go home? It sounds a little too simple to me.”
“I can’t guarantee anything,” I replied. “But sometimes the answer is simple.” At least I hoped so.
It was our last hope.
Ashley led the way down the hall. “The Captain will be back from dinner any time now,” she whispered. “It’s now or never, James.”
“You’re right,” I agreed.
No one was in sight—except for a single guard. He sat in the big room, reading the funny papers and chuckling to himself. We got down on our hands and knees and crawled past him until we were out of his sight. Then we leaped to
our feet and ran past the time machine.
I hurried to the clothes closet and tugged on the handle.
Locked.
I had forgotten, the Captain always kept it locked. The key was on a big ring he kept in his coat pocket.
We were out of luck.
I examined the door. It was pretty flimsily made. The Captain’s wooden club was hanging on a hook by the door.
I grabbed it and began to bash at the lock until the door splintered and gave way.
Ashley kept an anxious watch. “Hurry, James,” she whispered. “Let’s get our clothes and get out of here.”
Finally the lock fell off. I swung the door open and searched frantically inside.
The closet was empty.
27
We were sunk. That was our last hope.
Ashley threw her hands up in despair. “Our clothes, James!” she wailed. “Where have they taken our clothes?”
“Wait a minute!” I exclaimed. I ran my fingers over the floor. In the back I found a square panel. On one side of the square was a small metal ring.
A trapdoor!
I pried up the ring and tugged it. Nothing happened.
I braced my foot against the closet sill and tugged harder.
The door opened. The false bottom of the closet came up.
And there were our clothes, lying in a jumbled pile. Our wonderful modern clothes.
I’d never been so happy to see a maroon-and-white striped soccer jersey in my life. And my lights! My great new sneakers with the lights in the soles!
Ashley started to undo the hooks of her silver jumpsuit right then and there. I stopped her.
“Not here. Someone might come in and catch us. Let’s take our clothes back to the little room. We can change there more safely,” I suggested.
Reluctantly she agreed.
Together, we hurried back to the room, our clothes clutched to our chests.
There, with our backs turned to each other, we tore off the silver suits and climbed back into our own clothes.
When we turned around and faced each other, huge grins spread across our faces.