Mirage

Mount Monotonous is in central Asia. It is an extinct volcano having
last erupted millions of years before. The crater of Mount Monotonous
is caldera-like. The walls of the crater are so high that no animal can
see what is on the other side. However birds visit the crater very
often. In fact birds keep flying into the crater all the time. The
inside of the crater is akin to an oasis. There is a huge lake,
numerous trees and miles of pasture-land. This green, peaceful crater
is home to some huge animals. Animals who are believed to have been
extinct for millions of years. Dinosaurs. All kinds of dinosaurs live
here. There are the giants who are 20 feet high. There are the 10 feet
high predators. And there are the small scavengers. Most of the
dinosaurs are herbivorous. Only a handful eat meat. Since there are no
animals in the crater other than the odd lizard from outside the
carnivores eat other dinosaurs. That is, they are cannibals of some
sort. The outside world has no dinosaurs. But yes, there are birds who
are descended from the reptilian giants. Though we may think that birds
are stupid, weak creatures these sky-citizens have neither forgiven nor
forgotten. ONE in every hundred birds visits Mount Monotonous in the
breeding season. One egg among many that the bird has laid in that
season is deposited in the crater. It has been found that if a bird is
not threatened by predators it feels no need to learn flying. When the
eggs hatch in the crater the newborn bird is weak and defenceless.
Thanks to the surfeit of nutrition available within the caldera and the
absence of natural enemies the young chick becomes stronger and bigger
with time. The suppressed dinosaur within comes to the fore little by
little. Within five years a fully-grown mega-reptile emerges. All the
dinosaurs of Mount Monotonous are aware of one thing. They know that
the earth once belonged to them. They know that the humans who occupy
most of the land area of the planet did not exist then. These dinosaurs
want nothing but vengeance. They want to teach the humans a lesson they
will never forget. They have been training very hard to make this
possible. The most common manoeuvre that all the reptiles practise is
this. The animal stands on its hind legs and strikes the top of a tree
very hard. So hard, that the tree disappears into the ground, branch
and all. Some of the stronger dinosaurs hold four trees with their four
limbs. An innocent animal is then attacked and struck with the four
trees one by one to turn it into powder. The dinosaurs are familiar
with the awesome power of water and have learnt to use it as a weapon.
The lake at the centre of the crater provides them all the practice
they need. A reptile uses his limbs to stir the water. The stirring is
so strong that a dangerous whirlpool is created. A move that the
dinosaurs have perfected over the years is this. The animal catches the
victim between its two front feet. Then it pulls hard. The prey is thus
torn into two. The dinosaurs have been training for months. Now, they
are ready to attack the human beings. In fact the campaign starts today
morning. The reptiles have gathered in concentric circles and everyone
is tense. Suddenly one of the dinosaurs says, "Get up. Your guitar
lessons start in an hour." Ian wakes up and looks at the clock. It is
Sunday and nine am already. He realizes that the dinosaurs and the
caldera were all part of a very strange dream he just had.