Chapter 2

Uncle Bob’s Discovery

Cla-nngg—ri-nngg!

The clash of cymbals startled the first-period Math 10 class into alertness. Uncle Bob kept a drum set in his classroom for just such times as this. It was the Monday following his visit to the twins’ home. With three weeks still remaining before summer holidays, his sleepy students needed a wake-up call!

Being an attention-getting teacher was not Bob’s only claim to fame. For a single night, he had played drums in one of Canada’s highest-selling rock bands when their drummer had fallen ill before a concert in Calgary. He now had a band of his own, called Bob and the Rockin’ Dinosaurs, and every year the group performed for the school’s Christmas concert.

Bob’s other passion was hunting for dinosaur bones. During the summer months, he would spend no less than six hours a day searching the badlands. This coming summer would be no exception.

The holidays arrived at last, and Bob devoted almost every day to digging for bones. One night, toward the end of August, he was out after sunset and was startled to see a bright florescent glow coming from under a small mound of dirt. He dug down several feet and discovered a pronghorn skin bag. As he shook it to remove excess dirt, he recalled that pronghorn antelopes, the world’s second fastest animal, are found in southern Alberta.

Now that the bag was free of dirt, the glow it gave off was strong enough to light up the area all around Bob. He carefully opened the bag, curious as to what could shine so brightly even after being buried.

Inside the bag were two glowing dinosaur eggs: a small bright blue egg and a larger bright red one. There was also a very sharp tooth. Bob opened the bag a little wider and could see an old aboriginal peace pipe, sweetgrass, and three folded notes. He pulled out the notes and carefully unfolded them. The first was written in Cree and included a diagram. The second was written in Blackfoot. The last one was written in a language that he was not familiar with.

He wrapped up the eggs and the tooth carefully and, to hide the glow, placed them in his old black leather bag. He did not want questions when he got back to town.

Bob went to see Strater Crowfoot, the former head chief of the Siksika Nation and great-great-grandson of Chief Crowfoot. Chief Crowfoot was the head of the Blackfoot Confederacy in 1870 and, on behalf of the Confederacy, signed Treaty 7 with Colonel James Macleod on September 22nd, 1877. This led to the creation of the First Nations’ reserves in Alberta. The Blackfoot Confederacy was made up of seven tribes: Siksika (Blackfoot), Piikani (Peigan), Kainai (Blood), Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee), Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley/Goodstoney (Stoney).

Bob greeted his old friend then asked him to translate the mystery note written in Blackfoot. Strater looked puzzled as he read:

when these two magical eggs are crused and aglow, then time travelling you may go.

Bob decided not to explain about the magical eggs. He thanked Strater very much and headed back to Drumheller with a bag of delicious homemade banuk.

Two days later, Bob visited another aboriginal friend, Barbara Eagle-feather, originally from the Samson Cree First Nations. She now lived in Okotoks, which took its name from the Blackfoot word okatok, meaning big rock. This refers to North America’s largest glacial rock, located nine kilometres west of town.

Bob showed Barbara the Cree note and diagram. She began to read the note to him, translating as she went:

• The magical blue egg will permit one hour of time travel. The larger red egg will allow two hours of time travel to one destination, followed immediately by a trip to another time period, which will last no longer than two days.

• The dimensions of the pesim okn (“time machine” in Cree, Barbara explained) are to be 48 inches high and 24 inches wide. It is to be supported by four buffalo bones of equal length.

• The top of the pesim okn is to be covered by a beaver skin with a quarter-inch hole cut precisely in the middle, and the bottom of the pesim okn shall be made from cowhide.

• Place a three-foot-long funnel into the hole.

• Take a dinosaur bone and, around the centre of the egg, carve the date and the year you wish to travel to. Choose the dates wisely, because the eggs can only be used once.

• Crush the carved dinosaur egg and mix the crushed substance with one litre of fine sand found near the hoodoos.

• Have all those who are time travelling hold on tightly to two buffalo bones. When they are ready, place the mixture in the funnel. Do not let go of the bones. After eight seconds the time travellers will vanish.

• When the last of the formula passes into the pesim okn, those who went back in time shall reappear.

caution: if you are not within 10 feet of the exact spot where you appeared in the first time travel destination, you will be stuck there for the rest of your life!

Barbara told Bob that, as a child, she had heard the legend of the magical dinosaur eggs that brought two fighting Cree and Blackfoot warriors together for a peace pipe ceremony. She swore that Bob’s secret was safe with her, and then she provided him with a beaver pelt, a cowhide, and four buffalo bones for the construction of the time machine.

Bob next paid a visit to his Métis friend, Art Cunningham, a brilliant paleontologist who worked in one of the laboratories at the Tyrell Museum.

“Art,” Bob said as his friend looked up from the microscope, “I have a couple of questions for you.”

“Anything for one of my son’s favourite teachers,” Art said.

“Could you check out this tooth that I found in the badlands?” Bob asked. “What type of creature did it come from?”

Dangerous meat-eating Albertosaurus.

© John Ternan, The Calgary Zoo.

Bob gently placed the large tooth beside the microscope on the metal examining table. Art studied the tooth for a few minutes and took some measurements.

“This banana shaped sharp tooth belonged to the Albertosaurus,” Art said. “It was a meat-eating dinosaur that roamed the area now known as Alberta 70 million years ago. It weighed close to two tons, had tiny two-fingered hands, and a massive head with dozens of large, sharp teeth. Albertosaurus was related to the T-Rex dinosaur, which was made famous in the movie Jurassic Park.”

“No kidding?” Bob said. “Having a tooth from the dinosaur named after our province makes this extra special. There’s one other thing, Art. The tooth came with this note written in a language that I don’t recognize. I was wondering if you have any idea what it says.”

Art quickly scanned the note. “Bob,” he said, “this is my mother’s first language, Michif. It’s a Métis language made up of French nouns and Cree verbs. Lucky for you, I can still read it.”

As Art read the words, he shook his head in disbelief. He then translated the note word for word for his friend:

This magical time travel tooth can be very dangerous if not used properly. If there is a full moon in the sky, the tooth and those holding it will be transported to the exact moment when the tooth broke loose from the living dinosaur’s mouth, not the time and date they so desire.

How to use the tooth:

1. With a sharp dinosaur bone, engrave the exact time and date you would like to visit on the tooth.

2. Next, use the sharp tooth to make a small incision in the palm of your hand, enough to draw blood.

3. Then, clasp your hands together to form a blood bond between the two hands.

4. Finally, close your eyes and slowly count to eight.

If there are two individuals using the tooth for time travel, both must pierce the palms of opposite hands. They must then clasp these two hands to form the blood bond necessary to initiate the time travel process.

“Bob,” Art said, “I’m not sure who put you up to this prank, but please tell them that April Fool’s Day is still months away.”

Bob just smiled, wrapped up the tooth, and told Art he was sworn to secrecy about it. He thanked Art, said goodbye, and went outside to his waiting yellow Ford 150 pickup truck.

It took Uncle Bob less than three hours to build the time machine. But before he engraved the dates on the eggs, he wanted to share his amazing discovery with his favourite niece and nephew, Roxy and Ray.