Crown Park by Des Hunt

Author:Des Hunt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cats, bullying, explosion, poisoning, eruption, extinct animals, moa, budhhists, hydrogen sulphide, lake taupo
Publisher: Des Hunt

The track climbed through the forest up the side of a hill. From the top they got glimpses of the lake between the trees. There was no doubting that the activity had increased since the day before. As Godfrey put it: The Source was hotting up nicely.

From the top they moved down to tramp along the side of a valley. Here the land was different, with the forest replaced by rocky outcrops.

“Limestone country,” said Fluoro. “That means we’re certainly heading in the right direction.”

“How far do we have to go?” asked Jack.

Fluoro looked around for some landmarks. “I don’t really know. This land is nothing like it is in our time. The eruption will cover all this with new rock.” He pointed to some hills in the distance. “I know that formation, though. If we make it there, we should be safe.”

To Jack the hills seemed a long way away. At the rate they were going it would take days to get there. Tramping great distances was not what he had in mind when he’d urged Fluoro to come back. He wanted adventure, excitement, even more earthquakes. Not boring marching. Doof, honk, doof, honk… it went on and on. Doof, honk, doof, honk, doof—

CRACK!

The noise was so close that Jack thought it was in his ear. It wasn’t. It was a rock alongside the track splitting in half. He stopped to gape at it. Why did that happen?

He soon found out why. The earthquake he’d wished for had come. But this one was more than an adventure. It was plain scary. He wanted to run the way the moho were.

The shaking became so violent that Jack had trouble standing. Then the earth gave way, right where the moho were running around like headless chickens. Everything disappeared with a whoosh.

One moment Jack was looking at the moho. The next he was dangling over the edge of a hole supported by only a few tufts of grass. Most of the moho had vanished.

“Hold on, Jack,” screamed Fluoro. “I’m here.”

Jack felt hands gripping his arms.

“Try and stay still,” said Fluoro. “I’ll pull you up.”

Bit by bit, Fluoro adjusted his position until he could exert enough force to haul Jack out of the hole. As soon as Jack felt something solid beneath his body, he scrambled clear of the edge. He found a rock and sat with his back against it, trying to calm the thumping in his chest.

By then the rumbling had stopped and the earth was quiet again. But not so the moho trapped in the bottom of the hole. Cries of panic sounded from below.

“At least some of them are still alive,” said Fluoro.

“Looks like all of them are,” said Emily, who was now hovering above the hole. “Though some are partly buried.”

“Any chance of getting them out?” asked Jack.

“I doubt it,” replied Emily. “Us animals won’t be able to. I don’t know what you humans can do.”

Fluoro turned to Jack. “Did you see what’s down there?”

“No! I was trying to stay alive.

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