One Hell Of A Storm

Chapter 9

As the weather grows darker, me and Ellie, Dad, Dr Harding and Ian are grouped around an enormous spoor of triceratops excreta that stands at least waist high and is covered with buzzing flies.

"That is one big pile of shit." Ian said, casually. I wanted to be sick. Seriously it was disgusting, it was a good thing I didn't eat that meal we had before.

Ellie has plastic gloves on the reach up to her elbows, and is just withdrawing her hand from the middle of the dung.

"You're right. There's no trace of lilac berries, that's so weird, though. She shows all the classic signs of Meliatoxicity," She got up and pulled the filthy gloves off of her.

"Every six weeks…." She mumbled to herself. She turned and walks back out into the open field a few paces, thinking to herself. I smiled, that is what she does best.

Ian watched her and looked back at the dung. "She's, uh - - tenacious."

"You have no idea." Dad replied back, obvious clear in his tone.

"You will remember to wash your hands before you eat anything?!" He shouted to her, but she won't listen when she is these modes.

He turned back to me. "You go and tell her that." I laughed and nodded.

The skies are really foreboding now, and there's a sense of growing urgency. Dad is by the animal, a short distance away from us. Ellie is near still thinking.

"Ellie, I've been thinking there's something about the periodicity doesn't had up."

As if he read her thoughts, she nodded and said, "I know."

All of a sudden comes out behind the bushes, and held one of the smooth rocks up and called out, a little timidly. "These look kind of familiar."

"Triceratops was a constant browser, and constant browsers would be constantly sick." Dad explained, not looking at Tim.

"Constantly sick." I said out loud.

"Not just every six weeks." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Dad said, putting a hand to his forehead trying to think.

"I've seen pictures of these!" Dad turned and looked at him, an annoyed expression filled his face once again.

"In your fully illustrated book." Dad just rolled his eyes, but Ellie came over and checked out the stones.

"What's that?" Ellie asked, interested to know what the little boy has to say. A light goes on in her eyes.

"Alan - - gizzard stones!" She threw Dad one of the stones. They look at each other in amazement. Ellie let me look at it, before looking right at it again. As before, when they get excited, they talk right over each other. Here we go….

"Elm that's it, it explains the periodicity, the - -"He gets cut off from Ellie of course.

"The undigested state of the berries because it's - -"

Dad grinned, "Totally incidental."

"What are you guys saying?" Tim asked confused. I decided to cut in then.

"It's simple, see. Some animals like her, don't have teeth…." Dad cut me off.

"Like birds."

"Yeah like birds. What happen is, they swallow the stones and hold them in a muscular sack in their stomachs…"

"A gizzard."

"Which is called a gizzard, and it helps them mash their food, but what happens after a while - -"

"What happens is that after a while, the stones get smooth, every six weeks, so the animal regurgitates them." Dad said taking his hat off.

"It barfs them up - -"Ellie said, laughing.

Dad nodded, "And swallows fresh ones."

I sigh inwardly this was getting boring now, I knew all of this. "And when she swallows the stones, she swallows the poison berries too. That's what makes her sick." She gave Tim an impressed grin.

"Good work Tim." She high fived him and he came to me and high five me aswell.

I smiled. "Yeah well done."

Me and Ellie looked at Dad pointedly. Tim looked up at Dad too, smiling from ear to ear. Dad pulled a face and walked away not so easily convinced. Thunder rumbled as the storm overhead is about to bust loose. From the corner of my eye I seen the lawyer jump, he was scared of more than one thing now.

"Doctors, if you please - - I have to insist we get moving." He said with a serious tone.

Ellie stood up, "Oh, you know, if it's alright, I'd like to stay with Dr Harding and finish with the trike. Is that okay?" She looked at the Doctor.

No! She can't leave me to deal with Dad and the kids alone.

"Sure. I've got a gas powered jeep. I can drop her at the visitor's centre before I make the boat with the others."

Ellie glanced at me briefly catching my angry look then looked at Dad, "I'll catch up with you. You can go with the others."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I wanna stay with her a little longer." She turned to me then as I gazed at her worriedly. She put an arm around my shoulders. "It'll be ok, babe. I promise, just give him time. Oh and try and be nice with each other."

I nodded, trying to smile. To be honest, it was better when she was with us, I always had someone to turn to after an argument with Dad. She noticed my still worried look. "Hey, I'll be back before you know it." She kissed my head, and I let go of her.

"Ok. I'll see you later, be careful too." I said, as I started to follow the others.

There is a lightning flash now, with a tooth-rattling thunder right on its heels. I ran up to the others, the lawyer jumped right into the car of course, and the scaredy cat that he was. Dad didn't even look at me while he and Ian got in the second car, guess that meant I was still with Lex and Tim and the lawyer then.

As we got back into the car, the first raindrops fall on the windshield of our car. They're big, fat drops, and they kick up little clouds of dust as they smack into the glass. It's going to be a hell of a storm.

I only hope we see something more exciting in the next day or so to come….

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

This one is a little shorter to the others, but I promise that the scene we are all waiting for will be in the next chapter. I promise!

Also thank you all to my new favourites and followers and reviewers on my other story, An Adventure To Remember.

Sarahmichellegellarfan1