//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Shape Of The Skeleton // Story: Friendship is Magic: Jurassic Park // by Triple B Studios //------------------------------// Daniel Cooper watched the doctor lowering the plastic flap of the oxygen tent around his son as he slept. Daniel sat beside the bed, close to his son. His son’s younger brother sitting on the other side, and his wife seated next to their son, holding baby Jessica. They all watched with bated breath, waiting for a sign that their boy would be alright. It had been an hour since the attack, but there was no movement from their little boy yet. He can still remember when it happened; he drove the Buick Riviera through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve, on the west coast of Costa Rica. It was a beautiful morning in July, and the road before him was spectacular: hugging the edge of a cliff, overlooking the jungle and the blue Pacific. According to the guidebooks that he read, Cabo Blanco was unspoiled wilderness, almost a paradise. But it couldn’t be further from the truth. Cooper, a twenty-eight-year-old billionaire from Florida, had come to Costa Rica with his wife and two sons for a two-week vacation. The trip had been his idea; he remembered talking to his friends about the wonderful beach of Costa Rica, and how good it would be for his kids. They were going to enjoy a relaxing, fun, family weekend in one of the most beautiful places on earth. His wife Diane Madison, despite being in her forties, was a beautiful woman. Hell, she’d been gorgeous at thirty or so. She was tall, thin, with long legs and arms. Her dark hair hung down past her shoulders, cascading down her back. There were laugh lines around her eyes, and Cooper knew they came from smiling at her handsome husband. Diane, who was a former model turned surgeon, now ran one of the largest hospitals in San Francisco. They owned the hospital together, but Cooper had recently bought the entire hospital staff after Diane retired. And she’d taken great pride in managing the hospital with him. The way the doctors joked around the hospital staff was very much like the way the nurses joked around her; Diane had taught them well. She’d even made some new ones join the hospital staff. That was a feat. He was proud of her accomplishments. When Daniel and his family arrived at the deserted beach, he was so sure of himself. He thought their vacation was going to go off without a hitch. He had brought a fridge full of food, water bottles, tents, coolers, towels, sunscreen, sleeping bags, umbrellas… everything he could think of. He’d gone with his father, who had traveled often with the same group of friends during his years in the military. So he’d thought it would all work out just fine. But that was until he heard his son screaming. When Daniel and Diane had first reached their son Jake, he was screaming hysterically. Jimmy was screaming worryingly for his brother. Both his whole left arm and right leg were bloody, covered with a profusion of small bites, each the size of a thumbprint. And there were flecks of sticky foam on his arm, like a foamy saliva. But that wasn’t what still left a lump in his throat. Daniel remembered his eyes meeting his son’s attackers, those creatures—those things—it was something Daniel had never seen before. It was small, fast, and reminded him of a lizard. There were six of the creatures in total. All six of them shared the same appearance: each of them stood up on its hind legs, balancing on its thick tail. They were almost a foot tall, dark green with brown stripes along their backs. Its tiny front legs ended in little lizard fingers that wiggled in the air. The last thing Daniel remembered of those creatures was seeing them cocking their heads and looking deep into his eyes. Hearing them making multiple chirps in unison before vanishing into the forest. Everything after that became a blur. His son’s wounds began to redden and swell almost immediately. The frantic drive back to civilization, the four-wheel-drive Buick slipping and sliding up the muddy track into the hills, while his son screamed in fear and pain, and his wounds grew more bloated and red. He will never forget that. Long before they reached the park boundaries, the swelling had spread to his neck, and then Diane panicked when Jake began to have trouble breathing… The pain of the memory was still fresh in his mind. He didn’t realize he’d been clenching his fists until he saw Diane glance at him questioningly. “Are you alright?” She asked in an exhausted whisper. He nodded, forcing a smile that he hoped looked believable. She nodded back, not saying anything more. “Is my brother gonna be alright?” Jimmy asked, staring through the plastic oxygen tent. “Yes,” Dr. Cruz answered. “I’ve given him enough doses of steroids, and his breathing is much easier. The edema in both his arm and leg is greatly reduced. I suspect he just needs more rest and time.” Daniel was about to ask but then Dr. Cruz raised his hand. “Now before you ask, no. We have no identification yet,” the doctor said flatly. His face remained calm. “If we do, this wouldn’t happen to Jake. Nor would it happen to those before him.” A brow arched on Diane’s forehead. “You mean this happened before?” “Yes,” Dr. Cruz replied. He sighed and leaned forward towards his clipboard. “It happened to a little girl, I believe her name was Tina. She was attacked by the same green lizard that attacked your son. I have taken photographs for reference. And I have washed her arm to collect some samples of the sticky saliva—one for analysis here, a second to send to the labs in San José, and the third we kept frozen in case it is needed.” “Do you know what species it is?” Diane asked. “No I’m afraid not. I am not an expert, if I have to be honest with you. I’ve already called for Dr. Guitierrez to visit us here. He is a senior researcher at the Reserva Biológica de Carara, which is across the bay. He should be on his way right now.” A knock at the door interrupted the group conversation. A nurse popped her head inside. “Doctor, Dr. Guitierrez is here. He’s standing outside.” “Speak of the devil,” Dr. Cruz muttered under his breath. “Wait a minute,” Daniel protested, standing abruptly. “Isn’t there someone from Cabo Blanco?” He asked. “That’s where Jake was bitten.” “No there isn’t…unfortunately,” Dr. Cruz said. “Cabo Blanco has no permanent staff, and no researcher has worked there for some time. You guys are the second people to walk on that beach in several months. But I can assure you that you will find Dr. Guitierrez to be knowledgeable.” Diane kissed her unconscious son’s forehead before leaving the room with her husband. Exiting the hospital’s main doors they both turned their heads to see a bearded man wearing khaki shorts and shirt. He was standing in the shade of a tall coconut palm tree behind him. His bushy black mustache and beard contrasted sharply against the tan skin of his face. Dr. Guitierrez turned his gaze towards Daniel and Diane and approached them quickly. He extended his hand, and smiled. “Mr. Cooper, Mrs. Cooper,” he said pleasantly, with a soft southern accent. “How you doing, nice to meet you.” “You too, doctor.” Daniel shook the stranger’s warm, dry hand as he formed a small smile. Dr. Guitierrez walked with the Coopers and began explaining that he was a field biologist from Yale who had worked in Costa Rica for the last five years. Marty Guitierrez sat down with the Coopers on a bench and listened silently to Daniel’s story of what happened earlier that day. When he finished speaking, Guitierrez nodded to himself as if he had understood everything. “Hmm, the story is quite familiar I must say,” he murmured quietly, shaking his head slowly. “And you’re positive of what you saw Mr. Cooper?” Daniel nodded in response to his question. “The reason why I asked is because normally I would’ve told you that of the six thousand species of lizards in the world, no more than a dozen species walked upright. Of those species, only four were found in Latin America. And judging by the description of its coloration you gave me. The lizard could be only one of the four. I then would have said that these lizards were Basiliscus amoratus, a striped basilisk lizard, found here in Costa Rica and also in Honduras. But it appears that you’re not talking about the kind of lizard you encountered, but rather one that is possibly not from our world.” “Not from our world?” Diane asked. “What does that mean? Are they different species?” Guitierrez shrugged his shoulders. “I’m actually not entirely sure. Even now I must admit both your story and the little girl from the first incident is puzzling,” Guitierrez said. “I have been doing some checking myself, and to this day. I am not certain at all that she or your son was bitten by a basilisk.” “If not a basilisk then what?” Daniel asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he spoke. Marty Guitierrez frowned slightly and stared at the ground for a long moment before answering, looking directly into Daniel’s eyes. “Has Dr. Cruz mentioned the incident involving Tina?” Daniel paused momentarily before nodding. “He did.” “Well, to put it simply. As you know I am a field biologist from Yale and have worked in Costa Rica for the last five years now. And as I have established I know all of the six thousand species of lizards in the world, and not once have I ever seen a dozen of these species walk upright. But after the incident involving Tina I began to do some research; and the results I discovered led me to a conclusion that a part of me doesn’t want to believe but at the same time it is the only logical explanation that fits. The truth is…they weren’t lizards at all.” “Then what for God’s sake?” Diane demanded impatiently. Guitierrez turned his waist around and reached for his bag sitting next to him on the bench. Fishing out a photo from within he passed them over to Diane and Daniel. They glanced down upon seeing the image of a skeleton, standing on display in a museum. A skeleton that happened to look a lot like the creature they’ve encountered earlier. Diane gasped, and Daniel blinked at her as realization hit him. No, no! It can’t be possible. It just can’t! He felt something tighten around his stomach. It wasn’t nausea, he realized; rather, it was something else…an icy chill seeped deep into his bones. The skeleton in the photo was identical to the lizard that attacked his son. But how could that be possible? They’re supposed to be extinct! How are they here?! There was no way what he saw was real. But the more he looked at the skeleton’s three toed feet, the worse the feeling got. He looked up at Dr. Guitierrez. “My acquaintance’s friend told me that this is a Procompsognathus,” Guitierrez explained. “I’m not a dinosaur expert. It’s not part of my field. But based on what he told me is that they lived approximately 210 million years ago during the later part of the Triassic Period. And, I believe that what attacked Tina and your son…it was the first of those dinosaurs.” Silence hung heavy between the three of them as each of them took in the facts, and then processed their own thoughts. For a moment they seemed unable to react. The implications of what they’d just heard were almost too much to grasp. “But…how can that be?” Diane finally managed to gasp. “I don’t want to believe it. This can’t be true.” Guitierrez shook his head. “I wish it wasn’t true too Ms. Cooper. But unfortunately, it is. My friend’s friend is a scientist from the University of California. He knows his stuff. He told me without a doubt that those were indeed the remains of the first dinosaurs ever seen on earth.” Daniel opened his mouth, as if to say something but was cut short. “Look,” Dr. Guitierrez said, interrupting him. “I didn’t want to believe it more than you do, Mr. Cooper. But look at the photo again. Do they not share the same similarities?” Daniel reluctantly looked back at the photo, and then he saw it. The three toed feet…the tail…the neck…the skull…the jaws. Yes, there was definitely a similarity between them. He shook his head slowly. “This can’t be happening…it’s not possible…” “Believe me, I know.” Guitierrez sighed wearily and rubbed his forehead with his hand. “It doesn’t make sense. But there are things that we have no choice to believe.” “I…I need some air.” Diane stammered. “Please excuse me...” Daniel and Dr. Guitierrez watched Diane stand up and walk away from the bench. Distancing herself away from the two. Guitierrez sighed heavily before turning to face Daniel once again. “Well, that’s all I have to say…” Daniel turned his head towards Guitierrez and watched him tanking back the photo from his hand and shoving it back in his bag. Guitierrez stood up and started the other direction before stopping abruptly and turning round again. “Oh yeah…before I forget,” he said. “Once your son recovers from his wounds, I highly suggest you go back home. For your family's sake. And I also recommend that you take care not to go to Isla Nublar.” Daniel arches a brow curiously. “You mean the one that is a-hundred-and-twenty miles offshore?” “Yup. That one.” “Why?” Silence filled the space between them. Guitierrez stared back into the young man’s eyes. Daniel was shocked to see Guitierrez’s face looked…pale. Almost white. “There’s a saying, ‘Curiosity killed the cat’ Mr. Cooper,” Guitierrez finally replied cryptically. “I don’t know what’s on that island…but from what I heard yesterday from a far distance…it’s not worth venturing. Nor is it worth risking one’s life to check out. Take the advice I’m giving you to heart. Have a good day, Mr. Cooper.” As soon as he finished speaking Guitierrez left without another word. Daniel watched him getting smaller as the distance between them continued until the man was nothing more than a small speck of dark brown. Once he had disappeared from view Daniel rested his head on top of his hands. His mind was still reeling. Daniel doesn’t know how or why those things are here but one thing’s for certain; he has no intention of going back to the beach, especially with the knowledge that those creatures are there. Creatures that should’ve been extinct eons of years ago.