Passages from Michael Crichton's "The Lost World"
"The sense of isolation, of having to returned to a primordial world, was palpable. Levine's heart pounded as he continued down the slope, across a marshy stream, and then up again. At the top of the next ridge, there was a break in the foliage, and he felt a welcome breeze. From his vantage point, he was able to see to the far side of the island. a rim of hard black cliff miles away. Between here and the cliffs they saw nothing but gently undulating jungle." - Michael Crichton's "The Lost World"
Photo taken at Blue Hole, Kauai. All rights to the owner.
"They waited at the stream, listening to the gentle gurgle of the water. Something shiny glinted in the stream, catching his eye. He bent over, and plucked it out. It was a piece of glass tubing, roughly the size of a pencil. One end was broken off. There was graduated markings along the side. He realized it was a pipette, of the kind used in laboratories all everywhere in the world. Levine held it up to the light . turning it in his fingers. It was odd, he thought, a pipette like this implied --"
Michael Crichton, The Lost World.
Photo taken by me in Pilcher Park, Illinois
"Levine turned, and caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. Something small and brown, scurrying across the mod of the riverbank. Something about the size of a rat.
Diego grunted in surprise. Then it was gone, disappearing in foliage.
Levine moved forward and crouched in the mud by the stream. He peered at the footprints left by the tiny animal. The footprints were three-toed, like the tracks of a bird. He saw more three-toed tracks, including some bigger ones, which were several inches across.
Sitting on his haunches, Levine heard a soft squeak coming from somewhere to his right. Looking over, he saw the ferns moving slightly.
After a moment, a small animal peeked out from among the fronds. It appeared to be the size of a mouth; it had smooth, hairless skin and large eyes mounted high on its tiny head. It was greenish brown in color, and it made a continuous, irritable squeaking sound as Levine, as if to drive him away. Levine stayed motionless, hardly daring to breathe.
He recognized this creature, of course. It was a Mussaurus, a tiny prosauropod from the Late Triassic. Skeletal remains were found only in South America. It was one of the smallest dinosaurs known.
The little Mussaur ventured further out from the protection of the fronds. Now Levine could see it was longer than he thought at first. It was actually about ten centimeters long, with a surprisingly thick tail. All told, it looked very much like a lizard. It sat upright, squatting on its hind legs on the frond. He saw the rib cage moving as the animal breathed. It waved its tiny forearms in the air at Levine, and squeaked repeatedly.
Slowly, very slowly, Levine extended his hand.
The creature squeaked again, but did not run. If anything, it seemed curious, cocking its head the way very small animals do, as Levine's hand came closer.
Finally, Levine's fingers touched the tip of the front. The Mussaur stood on its hind legs, balancing with its outstretched tail. Showing no signs of fear, it stepped lightly onto Levine's han, and stood in the creases of his palm. He hardly felt the weight, it was so light. The Mussaur walked around, sniffed Levine's fingers. Levine smiled, charmed."
Michael Crichton, The Lost World.
Photo taken by me in Pilcher Park, Illinois
"In a few moments, they left the clearing behind, and were moving through dense jungle. Thorne's panel lights flashed, the vehicle switched to its batteries. There wasn't enough sunlight coming through the trees to power the trailer anymore. They drove on."
Michael Crichton, "The Lost World"
Photo taken by me at Jedediah Smith Grove, California
Although the road was overgrown and in poor condition, the made good progress. After about ten minutes, they came to a small stream with muddy banks. The Explorer started across it, then stopped. Eddie got out, stepping over rocks in the water, walking back.
"What is it?"
"I saw something, Doc."
Thorne and Malcolm got out of the trailer, and stood on the banks of the stream. They head the distant cries of what sounded like birds. Malcolm looked up, frowning.
Michael Crichton, "The Lost World"
Photo taken by me at Fern Canyon, California
"In places, the Jeep track was hardly recognizable, so thickly had the jungle grown back. Clearly, no one had used this road for many years, and the jungle was always ready to return." - Michael Crichton, "The Lost World"
Photo taken at Blue Hole, Kauai. All rights to the owner.
"They peered out the windows, trying to see where they were. But it was so dark, it was hard to see anything. They seemed to be at the bottom of a deep gully. The Raptors were running down the center of a streambed, which was lined with big boulders on both sides. But the bed itself was sandy, and it was wide enough for the car to pass through. He followed them." - Michael Crichton, "The Lost World"
Image was taken by me in Matthiessen State Park, Illinois
Thu Jul 27, 2017 6:54 pm
