Historic Hawkshaw
A history teacher has the opportunity to go on a historic dig site with a team of paleontologists, geologists, and archeologists, where he is able to see things that are bigger than his imagination. Eager to join this expedition, George heads down to central Alabama where the archeology team is set up and immediately walks upon a magnificent scene being tapped away from the cliffs. It appears to be the Basilosaurus cetoides perfectly preserved among fragments of its prey and other marine wildlife of its Eocene epoch!
George is beside himself as he gets to see these ancient beasts and other fossils become discovered and recognized for what they are. Then, as if the stars aligned for this brief moment, George has the most unexpected introduction to one of the great grand children of Charles Schuchert, who did much to preserve history in his time, the father of paleogeography.
While taking in the experience, George stumbles upon a strange artifact while leaving the site one day. Unable to recognize it himself, he takes it to one of the leaders and asks if they know what it might be, and they dismiss it as just some modern junk that was made to look like an actual historical artifact. Skeptical of the judgment passed on the item, he takes it with him, but as he is driving out of the area, the item begins to glow brighter and brighter while in his pocket, all the while getting hotter. Alarmed by the burning sensation he feels, he tries to get the object out of his pocket, but while doing so accidentally goes off the road and crashes his car into a tree. Upon impact, he suddenly feels like everything around him is spinning, and a bright light shines all around him.
When things settle down, George gets out of his car to find things looking a lot less like modern day. The road he swore he just swerved off of is completely gone, and any sign of civilization is also gone. Before he can even think, he hears an awfully loud and frightening sound coming from nearby in the wilderness that is surrounding him. The sound of giant footsteps seems to be galloping closer and closer.
It doesn’t take George very long to figure that he has somehow been transported through time to an epoch he isn’t quite sure he can survive. Can George find a way back to modern day times before history makes history of him?
Word count: 415