Connie Willis - In the Late Cretaceous

It was in the late Cretaceous that predators reached their full flowering, Dr. Othniel said. Of course, carnivorous dinosaurs were present from the Middle Triassic on, but it was in the Late Cretaceous, with the arrival of the albertosaurus, the velociraptor, the deinonychus, and of course, the tyrannosaurus rex, that the predatory dinosaur reached its full strength, speed, and sophistication.

Dr. Othniel wrote LATE CRETACEOUS-PREDATORS on the board. He suffered from arthritis and a tendency to stoop, and the combination made him write only on the lower third of the chalkboard. He wrote ALBERTOSAURUS, COELOPHYSIS, VELOCIRAPTOR, DEINONYCHUS, TYRANNOSAURUS REX, in a column under LATE CRETACEOUSPREDATORS, which put TYRANNOSAURUS REX just above the chalk tray.

Of all these, Dr. Othniel said, tyrannosaurus rex is the most famous, and deservedly so.

Dr. Othniels students wrote in their notebooks #1 LC. predator TRX or No predators in the Late Cretaceous or I have a new roommate. Her name is Traci. Signed, Deanna. One of them composed a lengthy letter protesting the unfairness of his parking tickets.

This flowering of the predators was partly due to the unprecedented abundance of prey. Herbivores such as the triceratops, the chasmosaurus, and the duck-billed hadrosaur roamed the continents in enormous herds.

He had to move an eraser so he could write PREYHADROSAURS under TYRANNOSAURUS REX. His students wrote Prayduck-billed platypus, and My new roommate Traci has an absolutely wow boyfriend named Todd, and If you think Im going to pay this ticket, youre crazy!

The hadrosaurs were easy prey. They had no horns or bony frills like the triceratops, he said. They did, however, have large bony crests, which may have been used to trumpet warnings to each other or to hear or smell the presence of predators. He squeezed HOLLOW BONY CREST in under HADROSAURS and raised his head, as if he had heard something.

One of his sophomores, who was writing I dont even have a car, glanced toward the door, but there wasnt anyone there.

Dr. Othniel straightened, vertebra by vertebra, until the top of his bald head was nearly even with the top of the blackboard. He lifted his chin, as if he were sniffing the air, and then bent over again, frowning. Warnings, however, were not enough against the fifty-foot-tall tyrannosaurus rex, with his five-foot-long jaws and seven-inch-long teeth, he said. He wrote JAWS5 FT, TEETH7 IN. down among the erasers.

His students wrote The Parking Authority is run by a bunch of Nazis, and Deanna + Todd, and TRX had five feet.

After her Advanced Antecedents class, Dr. Sarah Wright collected her mail and took it to her office. There was a manila envelope from the State Department of Education, a letter from the Campus Parking Authority marked Third Notice: Pay Your Outstanding Tickets Immediately, and a formal-looking square envelope from the deans office, none of which she wanted to open.

She had no outstanding parking tickets, the legislature was going to cut state funding of universities by another eighteen percent, and the letter from the dean was probably notifying her that the entire amount was going to come out of Paleontologys hide.

There was also a stapled brochure from a flight school she had written to during spring break after she had graded 143 papers, none of which had gotten off the ground. The brochure had an eagle, some clouds, and the header Do you ever just want to get away from it all?

She pried the staple free and opened it. Do you ever get, like, fed up with your job and want to blow it off? it read. Do you ever feel like you just want to bag everything and do something really neat instead?

It went on in this vein, which reminded her of her students papers, for several illustrated paragraphs before it got down to hard facts, which were that the Lindbergh Flight Academy charged three thousand dollars for their course, including private, commercial, instrument, CFI, CFII, written tests, and flight tests. Lodging extra. Not responsible for injuries, fatalities, or other accidents.

She wondered if the other accidents covered budget cuts from the legislature.

Her TA, Chuck, came in, eating a Twinkie and waving a formal-looking square envelope. Did you get one of these? he asked.

Yes, Sarah said, picking up hers. I was just going to open it. What is it, an invitation to a slaughter?

No, a reception for some guy. The deans having it this afternoon. In the Faculty Library.

Sarah looked at the invitation suspiciously. I thought the dean was at an educational conference.

Shes back.

Sarah tore open the envelope and pulled out the invitation. The dean cordially invites you to a reception for Dr. Jerry King, she muttered. Dr. Jerry King? She opened the manila envelope and scanned through the legislature report, looking for his name. Who is he, do you know?

Nope.

At least he wasnt one of the budget-cut supporters. His name wasnt on the list. Did the rest of the department get these?

I dont know. Othniel got one. I saw it in his box, Chuck said. I dont think he can reach it. His box is on the top row.

Dr. Robert Walker came in, waving a piece of paper. Look at this! Another ticket for not having a parking sticker! I have a parking sticker! I have two parking stickers! One on the bumper and one on the windshield. Why cant they see them?

Did you get one of these, Robert? Sarah asked, showing him the invitation. The deans having a reception this afternoon. Is it about the funding cuts?

I dont know, Robert said. Theyre right there in plain sight. I even drew an arrow in Magic Marker to the one on the bumper.

The legislatures cut our funding again, Sarah said. Ill bet you anything the deans going to eliminate a position. She was over here last week looking at our enrollment figures.

The whole universitys enrollment is down, Robert said, going over to the window and looking out. Nobody can afford to go to college anymore, especially when it costs eighty dollars a semester for a parking sticker. Not that the stickers do any good. You still get parking tickets.

Weve got to fight this, Sarah said. If she eliminates one of our positions, well be the smallest department on campus, and the next thing you know, well have been merged with Geology. Weve got to organize the department and put up a fight. Do you have any ideas, Robert?

You know, Robert said, still looking out the window, maybe if I posted someone out by my car

Your car?

Yeah. I could hire a student to sit on the back bumper, and when the Parking Authority comes by, he could point to the sticker. It would cost a lot, butStop that! he shouted suddenly. He wrenched the window open and leaned out. You cant give me a parking ticket! he shouted down at the parking lot. I have two stickers! What are you, blind? He pulled his head in and bolted out of the office and down the stairs, yelling, They just gave me another ticket! Can you believe that?

No, Sarah said. She picked up the flight-school brochure and looked longingly at the picture of the eagle.

Do you think theyll have food? Chuck said. He was looking at the deans invitation.

I hope not, Sarah said.

Why not?

Grazing, she said. The big predators always attack when the hadrosaurs are grazing.

If they do have food, what kind do you think theyll have? Chuck asked wistfully.

It depends, Sarah said, turning the brochure over. Tea and cookies, usually.

Homemade?

Not unless theres bad news. Cheese and crackers means somebodys getting the ax. Liver pt means a budget cut. Of course, if the budget cuts big enough, there wont be any money for refreshments.

On the back of the brochure it said in italics Become Upwardly Mobile, and underneath, in boldface: