Ch 30 - Purified By Fire

Alexander Boseman sat in front of us, his head

down and a hand brought to his mouth, that removed his

fingernails with pinpoint accuracy. Around us, trophies

rested on their hooks, seeming to watch with their glass

eyes the unfolding scene. Keene and Frost sat at two

opposite ends of the room, Lucy and I in the middle, and

a coffee table separated us from our host who was

looking at us with his glasses down on the end of his

nose. On the table was the customary tray of coconut

candy, from which Lucy eagerly helped herself.

Of us, she was naturally the one chosen as our

spokesperson:

— We conclude then that the animals are in

perfect health and are even reproducing.

— Excellent, excellent... — Boseman

commented with a faint smile, and then, rubbing his

hands together, he continued:

— Well, I believe that's all, isn't it? Your

expedition was a tremendous success!

— It will be an even greater success, Mr.

Boseman.

— What do you mean?

— Well, you see... the creatures are in really

good shape, as I told you. But they will be in an even

better state now that the lake has been restored.

— The lake... how? There was no heavy rain or

anything like that!

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— True, but you see, just as some unknown

person tried to affect nature negatively by installing that

pond pump, so did we.

— I reversed the direction of the pumping, — I

contributed in a timid tone.

— You? Why, but...

— Does that worry you? — Lucy asked, crossing

her arms.

— Me? Of course not! How could it? It's just

that...with the water coming so close, it's possible that

they will spread to my farm, too.

— But why would they do that, if they didn't do

it before the pump was installed?

— Well, I'm...not...sure.

— Don't worry, sir, we will continue to preserve

this species and study it. They are no longer at risk of

extinction.

— That's...great. Good to hear. Why don't you...

sanitize yourselves for dinner as soon as possible. I have

some business to take up with Alma in the meantime.

⬫⬫⬫

Keene was the first to run to the restroom, taking

almost an hour to return from there, having wiped off all

the mud that had previously covered him. Lucy went

soon after and I found myself surrounded by people, but

still alone. Keene and Frost were fervently discussing the

point raised earlier about pets being helped or not, and

the Bosemans were in the kitchen, whispering. It was

obvious that they didn't have much talent for that, as

their chat was perfectly audible to anyone who

approached the doorway. They had no talent or hearing,

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perhaps. I had no moral ethics against eavesdropping,

and I overheard things like — This would greatly

increase our profits — and — We could retire in two

months, — as well as — What a shame, — and phrases

like that. Going against my instincts, I walked away and

went to the room that had been provided for us. On the

way, a torrent sound came from the bathroom, where

Lucy was. The sound was then interspersed with that of

a fall and a voice complaining of pain. At least she was

all right. The next door to the right was to the bunk

room. The wall was painted a melancholic blue,

reminiscent of the colors once used to cheer up a child.

In front of the bed, a large swinging window opened into

the dark Everglades night. Here, the sound of animals

was the only one to be heard, and by closing the

bedroom door, natural light was also the only one. What

had we even conquered so far? With my chin resting on

my hands and them on the window sill, I couldn't help

but wonder. We had followed these clues to find out

where surviving prehistoric animals were, and we had

succeeded, but now what to do with this information?

We could not have announced to the world the existence

of Leptocleidus in the Hluleka reserve, or more hunters

would end up like Baruti Elya. And now, why would we

risk doing it with the Steppesaurus and have the same

result? There should be a way, a way to teach people the

importance of those beings, without first killing them,

but what was it? Sighing, I moved my eyes from the

stars to the alligators swimming placidly a few meters

away, wishing that the Steppesaurus were as common as

they were, or that, like them, they were protected by law.

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Just then, I heard Alexander's voice calling for

dinner and left the window to rejoin the Bosemans and

my team.

The mood that evening was much more

energetic, with Frost and Keene bringing their discussion

to the table, Lucy telling how she survived her fall, and

Alma Boseman describing how it was the first and only

time they had ever been to the beach, not caring if

anyone even listened to her story. I could hardly say

anything in the midst of so many voices, and I missed

the silence I had experienced in the room. All around

me, voices mingled and I understood fractions of what

was being said:

— So only wild animals matter?

— To the environment? But of course!

— I'm running out of candies.

— And I felt blood running down the back of my

neck.

Lucy was speaking directly to me, but I didn't

understand her voice in the midst of such a racket.

Noticing my confusion, Lucy hurried to finish her plate

of alligator tail and led me outside to the porch.

⬫⬫⬫

— God, thank you, — I said with a sigh, leaning

against one of the pilasters.

— Come on, it's not like I appreciate that much

noise, really. Anyway, you look haggard. Aside from

constantly running from monsters and traveling without

rest, is anything bothering you? — I couldn't help but

laugh at the remark. Soon, however, the answer to her

question came to my mind and extinguished my smile.

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— After...what happened in Amge, we embarked

on this trip to prove that Dad was right...but what have

we proven so far?

— Kevin, Dad was always fascinated by the

unknown and the mysterious facts. True, he loved to

receive honor from the scientific community even more,

but the animals themselves were pretty important to him.

— Besides, — I thought, — what honor did he

ever get if he could never bring back concrete evidence?

— We will preserve the creatures — that's what

matters. After they are safe, we can think about

environmental education.

— Do you think we could convince anyone?

— Why not? We could use Keene's students, for

example. They already idolize him so much that they

would certainly support him if he sent them to defend an

endangered species. Besides, Dad convinced you that all

this was real before you saw anything, and even worse

— he convinced me, who vowed never to chase illusions

with him!

The memory of Anthony Lane's phone call to

summon Lucy flashed into my memory like a movie.

— Also, — she continued, — we have more

charm than he does, just by doing the voice, don't we,

my boy? — she asked, imitating Lane's paternal tone.

With a laugh, she finished by saying:

— Are you going back to that pandemonium or

do you prefer the mosquitoes?

— I'll take the quieter ones.

— I'll be back after dessert, — said Lucy, closing

the door.

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I was alone again, but at least silence surrounded

me, and not the horrid sound of voices blending together

like a bad mixer. I took advantage of the stillness to sit in

Alma's rocking chair and continue meditating. The value

of effort...the commitment and its result. These thoughts

unsettled me, but processing them was the only way to

calm myself.

I don't remember the moment when the thoughts

gave way to fatigue, but one last thought was followed

by the dawn. With my eyes still clouded, I felt my skin

shiver, even with the flannel covering me. I opened my

eyelids further and realized that I was not alone. Beside

me, in another chair, Lucy had a wide-awake and somber

expression, her big brown eyes fixed on mine.

— The dessert took too long, — she explained

simply. — When I came back, you were already out. —

Bringing my hand to my temple, to fight the pain, I

asked:

— Do we have another expedition today?

— Unless you want to hear Mrs. Boseman tell

another story, — she teased.

— No problem... Are the others ready yet?

— Dr Keene and Mr Frost are in the kitchen

talking to Alma. Alexander left earlier; said he was

going to the city.

— Then he walked past me and saw me in this

miserable state. Good...

— Come on, you grouch; your physical condition

isn't any better just because you woke up. I need to go

back to the room to...collect some belongings and

you...need a shower, bro.

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— Yes, ma'am... — Mechanically, I walked down

the hallway, reaching the bathroom without having to

meet anyone, as everyone was in the kitchen. I could

occupy myself thinking about what we would do now

that the animals were safe. Why hadn't we left yet? What

else was there to be done? And, why did Lucy think I

wouldn't understand that the "belongings" in the

bedroom were the candies under the pillow? There was a

lot to think about that cold morning.

In the shower, I had to wash every piece of

clothing, as we had not brought extra items for we

thought we would only stay a few days. I would go back

out into the wind wearing soaked clothes, perhaps

staying that way until nightfall. Hypothermia would hit

me hard, but at least I would die clean. Even over the

sound of rushing water, I heard a hoarse voice come into

the house and call for Alma. The volume was loud, but

the tone was friendly — Alexander. Why would the old

man be so happy? I quickly dismissed the question,

remembering that this was Lucy's specialty, not mine.

When I left the bathroom, still dripping wet, I

found Lucy already prepared, fixing her hair in a

ponytail and Keene finely adjusting the buttons of the

suit that had been cleaned in the same way as my clothes

now. Frost, as usual, came to see us before we left. That

morning, though, he had a worried and confused

expression, as if something was bothering him.

— Is there any problem, Mr. Frost? — I asked,

already picking up my canoe and paddles.

— It's Nathan. You know, in my absence he

usually sends a daily report of what happens at the

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university, but this is the second day in a row since he

sent the last one.

— Maybe a connection issue?

— I don't think so; the boy is so dedicated that he

would cross the state looking for a stable network just to

fulfil his obligations. I will wait a few more hours before

contacting Athlios. You...take good care of yourselves.

— Yes, Mom, — Keene sneered. The rector

didn't answer or show any sign of anger; he was too

tense for that.

Already in the swamp, paddling hard and still

feeling the dampness of the clothes cooling my body, I

asked my team:

— So why do we need to keep bothering the

animals anyway?

— Bothering? — Keene asked with visible

shock. — I thought you enjoyed studying these

creatures.

— I do, Doctor. But studying them closely could

be as dangerous as drying up the lake where they live.

You know better than I do that animals suffer from

excessive stress. The alligators around us are the perfect

example of this — if most of the eggs are removed from

a nest, the female eventually turns on her own offspring,

devouring the few eggs she has left. This is why farmers

and breeders collect only a few at a time, never more

than half. Steppesaurus may have a similar adaptive

mechanism, especially now that they are laying eggs.

— Well, that's a shame, Kevin, — he continued,

— because a research team must continually return to

the original site and record the changes that have

occurred there. Besides, Lucy and I have come up with

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the perfect plan to prevent anyone from pumping the

water from the lake again.

— You have created a plan? Together? — I

asked, incredulously.

— Exactly, — Lucy answered with a smile, —

We are going to blow up the pump.

— Blow it up? — I repeated in surprise. We had

now landed at the foot of the hill, and I could feel that

my clothes were slightly drier. The change was a relief

from the dampness I had felt before; having clothes

sticking to your body is a terrible feeling.

— Why, of course, — Lucy repeated with the

naturalness of someone who says they are going to the

market. — Whoever installed this pump had enough

time to also excavate the side of the basin and connect a

hose to the main cannon. This certainly happened during

the first contacts of these animals with humans,

otherwise, the rascal would not have survived the

endeavor. — While she was explaining her hypothesis, I

imagined that the current behavior of the species would

not allow such a thing, really, as it had already learned

not only not to fear us, but also to hunt us. When the

animals were still timid, someone had installed the

mechanism that threatened their survival, but now, we

would not have the same opportunity to save them. I

didn't believe my own words when I said:

— A localized explosion seems to be the best

solution, really.

— Good boy, — Keene said with a complacent

smile. — I knew you would come to your senses.

— May I ask what my pyromaniac sis intends to

use this time? — I asked as we followed the side road.

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— Something really simple, — she replied,

taking the title with pleasure. — The mixture of acetone

and antiseptic produces a chain reaction sufficient to

cause a considerable explosion.

— Fortunately, — Keene cut in, walking behind

us, — we had everything we needed right at the

Boseman ranch. I hope Alma doesn't want to polish her

nails for a while...

From behind the thick mud walls, we could hear the

creatures roaring, but not with the same desperate roar as

before. This one seemed calmer, as if the Steppesaurus

themselves felt the relief of having their precious pond

back. I didn't need to see them to know their well-being;

all I had to do was hear them. That sound was the

greatest victory of our expedition, and as I understood

this, I also understood the purpose of being there — we

were honoring our surname, not by bringing images to

civilization and proving that Lane was right, but by

continuing to do the work he did, preserving the planet

we share with these creatures.

By the time we climbed the mud hill leading to

the shallows, the experience seemed commonplace to us,

and only Keene was gasping to get up the slope. Once at

the top, the steep incline was interrupted no longer by a

deserted meadow, but by a beautiful pond that filled the

previously parched bed. In the distance, the animals

lounged on dry land, exposing their large sails to the cool

breeze coming from the opposite direction from us.

— See? — asked Jacob Keene's exhausted voice.

— Magnificent engineering. In the morning they warm

themselves in the heat of the sun, and in the afternoon,

when the heat is intense, the wind cools the blood

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flowing in the sail, regulating the temperature of the

whole body as it travels along the trunk and limbs.

— Of course, there is also what has been

discovered more recently, — I had to say.

— What do you mean?

— That several eupelicosaurs were not totally

dependent on solar energy as modern reptiles are, but

rather, that they were able to generate some internal heat,

although also not as efficiently as mammals.

— But this is even more spectacular!

— I agree, — said Lucy. — But anyway, who

would volunteer to go with me to blow up an

ultra-expensive piece of irrigation equipment?

— Kevin does, — was Jacob's reply.

— Good, then you stand guard again while we go

down there.

Against all rational sense, I was the only one not

to participate in this suicidal dialogue and still started to

turn my torso to reach the footprints we had left in the

ravine earlier. Looking over my shoulder, I could still

see the animals in the distance, but they showed no

interest in attacking us; most of them didn't even raise

their heads to see what those small creatures were doing

in the distance. When my feet finally touched the

ground, I turned to face the underbrush and the dead

trees that still stood as barriers to anyone who wanted to

reach the pond. There could still be a predator hiding in

the shadows of those branches, and our mission would

require a few precious seconds.

— Very well, — Lucy whispered. Handing me a

lighter she kept in her pocket, she ordered:

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— Take this and wait to light a stem. — The

lighter was metallic, almost square and without patterns,

as they used to be. It seems Lucy had the same taste as

her father for antique objects. With a glance at Keene,

she commanded him to perform the next step, which the

biomedical doctor understood immediately. Dipping one

hand into a jacket pocket and the other into the opposite

one, he pulled out two sample tubes, like the ones we

used to collect liquid samples, such as poisons and blood

samples. Rolling the tubes down the slope, Jacob let

them come to us, who stopped their fall, preventing the

precious contents from spilling out. Turning to the pump,

we opened the nozzle that led to one of the hoses to spill

the chemical compound.

— Hey, watch out! — we heard Keene shout.

Looking to our left, we saw one of the younger

Steppesaurus approaching, leaving his disinterested band

and coming towards us with a curious attitude.

— Let's hurry up, Kevin, before he gets anything

more than just curious. Pour the antiseptic into the tube.

Obeying, I spilled the entire content of my bottle,

which she mimicked immediately afterwards, spraying

the compound into the hose connected to the pump

cannon. Turning around again, I saw that the animal was

already much closer and stirring the ferns a few meters

away from us. Grabbing a stalk of hay, I twisted it until it

exposed the inner fiber.

— Now! — Lucy ordered. Burning the small

bundle of fibers, I watched them retract and then create a

flame around them. That was all it took. Next to us, we

heard the footsteps of the young Steppesaurus. I then

threw the glowing stick into the cannon and ran off,

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followed by Lucy. I turned around, then, and could see

the animal leaping out of the underbrush, its huge mouth

with lethal teeth, despite its size, and then an explosion.

The compound would have been enough to generate

combustion and ignite the pump mechanism, but Lucy

wanted to ensure that we would not have to deal with the

problem again. On impact, the small predator was

thrown far away and was slow to get back on its feet.

Going up the slope, we climbed quickly, fearing that an

adult might also want to investigate our action. Back at

the top, we sat breathlessly next to Keene, who was

perching like an owl on the steep slope. Following the

trail left by the liquid combination, the fire now caused

secondary explosions that wrecked the hose leading to

the other side of the wall. Flames rose from the

equipment, serving as a spectacle for us and for the

animals that now showed interest, including the small

hunter, who rose again and ran back to the safety of the

band.

Lucy sighed with satisfaction. A few feet down

the slope, the pond pump was now pieces scattered

across the meadow, many of them still burning and

melting, as the flames coursed through the hoses, turning

all the plastic material into a shapeless, tar-like matter.

— Almost done now, boys, — she announced

proudly.

— Almost? — I questioned. — What else is

there to be done after this attack?

— Find out who started all this, — Keene

answered for her. — We don't deserve blame for

destroying the pump, but whoever originally installed it

deserves to pay for what they did.

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Jacob kept his usual contemptuous expression

when saying these words, but it seemed to really

intensify on that gloomy afternoon. I remembered what

Alexander had asked us about being scientists or

detectives, and concluded that maybe we were a wee bit

of both, especially Lucy and me. Whenever we reached a

new expedition area, it was because of a call or even a

rumor — we depended on the locals to do our work, and

I could sense that we would always need to balance my

paleontological knowledge with what Lucy understood

about the human species.

— Let's get going, — Lucy commanded, — We

have something more dangerous than monsters ahead of

us.