My Dinosaur Akída

Chapter 9

The news media didn't waste any time in spreading the news all over Calgary. "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Real-live dinosaur seen in Carburn Park! Park officials on the lookout for live dino!" the newspaper sellers at the newsstand yelled.

That morning, Annie, who recovered from her fever, was in a big panic. She ran through the streets of Calgary frantically towards the park. Along the way, she heard people talking about a big horned dinosaur that was seen in Carburn Park.

"A big dinosaur, probably 5 meters long, was seen in Carburn Park!" one person said. "It was a long as a car!" another added.

"It was copper and looked really strong." a third person added. Annie quickly ran to the park, panting. When she got there, there were policemen everywhere.

Police tape was strewn across the park entrance, armed gunmen scouted the forest, and the news media and curious onlookers stood outside the park entrance.

Annie felt her stomach churn. "Oh, boy. This is beyond bad!" Annie groaned. She raced back home. When Annie got back to the house, Mark grabbed her by the arms.

"I told you! I told you this would happen! But did you listen? No!" Mark hissed. "Mark, please be quiet!" Annie said.

They walked to the living room. Diane was watching the news on TV. "Hey, kids, check it out. A dinosaur was spotted at Carburn Park." Annie and Mark looked at the TV. The scene changed to a scene with a big footprint. "This big footprint was found 3 days ago by park officials."

"We really don't know how this footprint got here. It could be a good hoax, or something entirely different." the park official said. "Over the past 6 weeks, there have been reported sightings of the monster, claiming it was a big dinosaur. Standing next to me is one of the witnesses, Nate Harland." the news reporter said.

She pointed her microphone to Nate. "What happened when you encountered the dinosaur?" she asked. "My friend and I were heading back home after a fishing trip when suddenly, this big copper-colored thing with a big head with spikes horns appeared from the bushes.

I honked my horn at it, hoping to scare it off. But it turned and charged at my truck. It struck my truck with its long horn and flipped it off the ground. My truck flung off the side of the road and down the slope. That animal disappeared into the darkness after that. We were so spooked we couldn't sleep that night." Nate said.

"The animal biologists say it is impossible that a dinosaur could have survived the extinction. Police are now searching for the animal and bring it to the Zoo Administration. This is Janine Romano, from Rec111." the news reporter said.

"This is bad! Really, really bad!" Annie said. "Now you believe me?" Mark said. "We've got to get her out of here!" Annie whispered to Mark. "You bet." Mark said.

They quickly ran upstairs to Annie's bedroom. "Where should we take Akida?" Mark asked. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea." Annie said. "What?! What do you mean you have no idea?!" Mark asked in disbelief. "Hey, I'm making it up as I go." Annie said.

She grabbed her backpack and packed some stuff. When she was done, she and Mark ran out the door. "We've gotta find a way to get her out of here." Annie said. "Yeah, but how?" Mark asked. "We'll figure it out." Annie said. "Don't worry."

Suddenly, out from an alley, a silhouette appeared in front of them. "Whoa!" Annie yelled. She stopped. Mark also stopped, but also bumped into her.

The silhouette turned out to be a man with a grizzled beard and an ugly scar on his left eye.

"Hello, miss. Didn't mean to scare you." the man said. "Oh, no, you didn't scare us." Annie said. "Who are you?" Mark asked. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Sloan Irving." the man said.

"I'm Annie Morgan, and this is my brother, Mark. Nice to meet you, Mr. Irving, but please excuse us, we're in a really big hurry." Annie said. "Bye." Mark said as they brushed past Sloan.

"I know you're keeping a dinosaur." Sloan said. Annie and Mark stopped dead in their tracks. They turned around with shocked faces. "I know you're hiding that dinosaur. A Styracosaurus, right?" Sloan asked. Annie nodded. "Yeah. But how did you...?" she asked.

But Sloan cut her off. "You know, I seen many beautiful dinosaurs in my life, each one a rare find, but that Styracosaurus is the first one ever to trust a human." Sloan said. "What are you talking about?" Annie asked.

"I'm talking about a solution to your problem. I know how to help your little dinosaur friend. You see, I own a sanctuary in a special place, far away from here." Sloan said.

"In my sanctuary, I'm sure she'll be safe from prying eyes. A park with such small space is definitely not an ideal place for a dinosaur. She needs plenty of space to roam."

"How about it, Annie? With Akida in a safe place, we don't have to worry about hiding her anymore." Mark said. "Your brother makes a good point." Sloan said. "I don't know, Mark." Annie said uneasily. "Something doesn't feel right here." Then she noticed Sloan's scar. "Where'd you get that scar?" she asked.

Sloan touched his scar. "I had a little accident." Sloan replied. "We accept your offer." Mark said, reaching out his hand. But Annie suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Not so fast, Mark." Annie said. She turned to Sloan.

"How do we know we can trust you? How did you know we were keeping a dinosaur? Were you spying on us the whole time?" she asked suspiciously. Sloan frowned.

"She's too smart to be tricked. I'll have to try a different tactic." he thought. "There's a lot of money in it for you if you can give me your dinosaur. I bet you kids would do anything for money." Sloan said.

"Blackmailing kids? Shame on you!" Annie said. "I'm not blackmailing you. I'm just giving you an offer. But I must warn you, I'm not a patient man. You don't want to be near me when I'm nasty." Sloan said.

"Like I said, she's not for sale. Please excuse us." Annie huffed. She and Mark left Sloan. Sloan scowled angrily. "You'd better watch what you say, kid. No matter what you say or do, I always get what I want." he growled.