American Girl

Wyoming

Tennyson Flowers squatted over the wire grate, sifting through the bits and pieces left behind. The long, hard object felt heavy in her hand. Dunking her brush into the pail of water beside her, she deftly cleaned the ivory piece. A tooth. She worked to thoroughly clean it before calling out to Burke Milk. The paleontologist professor didn't hear her. He was busy examining another find.

Tennyson carefully cataloged the fossil and placed it in a plastic bag. Using a black marker, she wrote the date on the bag and the word 'tooth.' Then she added Wyoming. Grasping the brush again, she swiped in the sand. A hard place emerged. Following the outline, she discovered it grew larger and larger.

"Professor Milk," she cried, rising. Her teacher remained deaf to her exclamation. Tennyson hurried to his side and, tugging his sleeve, drew his attention. "I found something."

"In a minute, Miss Flowers," Burke Milk dismissed her. He held a tooth similar to the one she recently uncovered. Clapping his hands, he gathered the paleontology group together.

Tennyson remained on the outskirts, listening to him describe the fossil he held. After twenty minutes of steady lecturing, she could no longer hold on. Interrupting, she exclaimed that she uncovered something more significant than a tooth.

The Professor chastised her for interrupting. Tennyson held her breath and counted to ten. Again, she tried to explain. Her teacher cut her off, explaining he was in the middle of a teachable moment. Tennyson turned away, folding her arms across her body. She kicked at a clump of dirt.

"Patience is a sign of a good paleontologist," Professor Milk snapped, interrupting himself. "If you are unwilling to show patience, you will fail this course, Miss Flowers. Perhaps you should find a different major."

Tennyson's temper rose. She felt her skin heat up. Ever since she was a little girl, she had wanted to study paleontology. Dinosaurs and the world before man thrilled her. She worked hard to get a scholarship and find the right university. Professor Milk was highly acclaimed in his field. Tennyson wanted to study with the best, but he had something against her. He made little of all her essential discoveries.

"I FOUND SOMETHING HUGE!" she screamed, hands on hips. "DON'T YOU CARE? DON'T YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT?"

"Don't raise your voice, Miss Flowers," the Professor hissed, clenching his teeth. "You will fail my class if you do not control yourself."

"Fine, I'll fail your class," Tennyson sobbed, turning away, "but I think I found a Triceratops. I'm beginning to outline it. I thought you would want to know." Hanging her head, she walked to her dig site.

Squatting, Tennyson went back to work. Carefully, she followed the fossil's outline. She wanted to know for sure, even if her Professor wasn't interested. As she worked, Professor Milk appeared at her side. He also began removing the dirt. Finally, he leaned back on his heels and conceded to her discovery.

"May I have your attention, please," he stated, rising. Clapping his hands, he gathered the class. "We have made a significant discovery." He indicated their position. "I want everyone working in this area."

The class fell to its knees and began scraping at the dirt. Tennyson remained at the Professor's side for most of the afternoon. Her heart welled with pride in her discovery. The fossilized dinosaur's jaw emerged. Professor Milk pointed out the shape using his walking stick, indicating it was a Triceratops. He invited Tennyson to join the discussion.

"Triceratops," she began knowledgeably. "genus: chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur. It roamed the earth approximately 68 million years ago in the late Maastrichtian age. A part of the late Cretaceous period. It was one of the last non-avian dinosaurs. It lived until the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Its name translation means three-horned face."