Saint George and the Dinosaur

By Mark McDonough

Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. Saint George was the slayer of dragons. But a simple school project quickly proves these two facts aren’t quite right when Callum, Ben, Sue and Justine are pulled through time. There they find themselves on the menu before meeting the legendary Sir George. Now if they can find a way home, they know that they’re going to have the best project ever written.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark McDonough
• Release date: Dec 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310171192

Mark McDonough

Mark McDonough has lived his whole life in Queensland, Australia. After growing up in Ipswich, he lived for a short time in Brisbane while attending University. Work then took him to Far North Queensland for a number of years before he moved to his current home of Toowoomba. For as long as Mark can remember, there have been characters clamouring to have their stories told – everything from the depths of time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth through to the vast reaches of space where only the bravest spaceships dare to fly and everywhere in between. Most were written in secret until, one day, those characters demanded that their tales be spread far and wide. Thus, was born Stargon Books. When he's not sitting with laptop or notebook in hand, he can be found at work, with his family or out on the football field where he not only plays but also referees and Coordinates an entire competition. Ultimately, Mark dreams of the day when he can write full time but until then, as he says, "I'm a wordsmith, it's who I am; if I didn't write, I wouldn't be me".

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SAINT GEORGE AND THE DINOSAUR

By Mark McDonough

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2019 Mark McDonough

Current Edition 2013

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to http://www.smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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SAINT GEORGE AND THE DINOSAUR

Chapter One –Broken Mirror

Look at that one!

"That’s got to be a T-rex. Looks just like the ones from Jurassic Park."

Hey, check that out! I could climb that!

Yeah, right! It’s hanging from the ceiling!

Callum’s head jerked around at the dozens of displays, just like the rest of his classmates. Unlike them, he kept his mouth firmly shut and stayed close to Mr Cristoff, their teacher.

Look sharp, people. I expect to see lots of great information for your projects when we get back to school, Mr Cristoff urged in his usual cheerful voice.

Of course, everyone ignored him, too wrapped up in the wonderful dead things surrounding them.

You have one hour, people. We’ll meet at the Diplodocus. Over there, he added, his long arm pointing over the heads of his students.

Callum grinned and shook his head. Imagine, not knowing where the Diplodocus was. It was only the biggest of the dinosaur skeletons that the museum had. The rest of the class wandered off, mostly in pairs or small groups. Some of the boys raced off around the displays. Silently, Callum prayed that they didn’t break any of the dinosaurs before he got a chance to see them.

Uh, sir, he began, catching his teacher’s eye.

Yes, Callum, and then, clicking his fingers, oh, of course, I did promise, didn’t I?

Eagerly, Callum reached for the carry bag and the digital camera.

You do remember how to use them, don’t you? Mr Cristoff asked.

Yes, sir, you showed me this morning. And twice yesterday, Callum sighed.

Alright, then. Just be careful.

Yes, Sir.

Callum swung the case for the laptop over his shoulder. Immediately, it started to slip, impeded as it was with his backpack. But he wasn’t going to let that stop him. Unzipping the camera case, he checked the charge and nodded. One hundred percent.

Looking around, he zoomed in on his target, the Tyrannosaurus Rex display. Noticing the crowd already gathered there, he frowned. Well, his project did ask for him to research both carnivores and herbivores. He figured that he’d just start with the plant-eaters.

Within minutes, he was over by the Iguanodon, setting up the laptop. While he waited for it to load, he used the digital camera to take a shot of the dinosaur. Sitting on the floor, he could just read the sign.

Iguanodon. Discovered in 1825 in Sussex, England.

Herbivore: ate mostly large plants.

Size: 5m high, up to 10m long. Weight: up to 5 tonnes.

Opening up a new file, he started to type.

Hey, Callum, getting any good info?

He looked up, blinking. He’d been concentrating so hard, he hadn’t even heard Sue and Justine’s approach.

Yeah, guess so.

You’re pretty lucky getting Christoff to let you have the laptop, said Justine.

Yeah, you’ve got him eating out of the palm of your hand, Sue added.

Callum shrugged and turned back to the computer.

Ah, Callum, are you working with anyone on this project? Justine asked tentatively, ’cause, if you aren’t, you could work with us?

His hands froze, his gaze locked on the computer screen. No one ever really wanted to work with him. They knew that he always did heaps more than he had to and he always expected his partners to do the same.

You sure? he asked doubtfully, looking back up at the two girls.

No, we just wanted to waste your time, Callum, said Sue sarcastically, tossing her wavy brown hair.

Justine frowned at her friend. Of course, we’re sure. We’ve already got some notes on the Allosaurus.

Alright, then, Callum said.

The two girls dropped down beside him. For the next ten minutes, they went steadily through the notes they already had and what else they’d need.

"While we’re here, I want to have a look at the Dark Ages Exhibit," said Callum.

Why? asked Sue.

I’ve been doing some reading and some of those dragons they talk about from the Dark Ages sound a lot like dinosaurs.

Sue rolled her eyes at him, but Justine seemed to take him a bit more seriously.

You think that dinosaurs were still alive during the Dark Ages? she asked.

I’m not sure, said Callum, they might have been. Some people think that dinosaurs are still alive today.

Where? Sue asked, obviously making fun of him.

Justine beat him to it. The Loch Ness Monster, right?

Yeah, and I think there’s supposed to be one somewhere in Africa too, said Callum, getting more excited by the second.

Come on then, let’s go check out this idea of yours, said Sue, scrambling to her feet.

A minute later, the laptop had been closed down and was swinging from Callum’s shoulder as they walked to the second floor.

"If dinosaurs were still alive in the Dark Ages, what happened to them all? Why’d they die out?" asked Justine.

I guess they were killed. Probably by men, said Callum. There’s a lot of stories about knights battling dragons.

Like Saint George, said Justine.

Saint George, killer of dinosaurs, menace of nature, said Sue, making the other two smile.

Walking into the Dark Ages Exhibit was like walking into another world. A suit of armour stood on either side of the door. Great tapestries hung from ceiling to floor all along one entire wall. Swords, axes, crossbows and knives were laid out in glass cases or hung on the walls.

Dummies dressed in strange clothes stood around the room. Some were knights, others peasants. One or two were dressed as lords and ladies with long dresses that flowed across the ground decorated with lots of fancy patterns and lace.

You’d never get me in one of them, Sue stated, eyeing off a red velvet dress.

Callum circled to the left, taking it all in. Plates, bowls, cups; knives, arrows, longbows and crossbows; shields, swords, lances and banners. He could spend hours in this room examining it all. If he had the time. Glancing at his watch, he could see the minutes ticking by. Only another thirty-five minutes before they’d have to be back. Sighing, he kept walking, hoping, searching for a picture of a dragon. And then, right at the very back of the room, he found it.

Hey, come here. I’ve found it, he called.

Sue and Justine were bent over one of the display cases, giggling to themselves. At Callum’s call, they left it to join him.

He was standing in front of a large painting of a knight and a dragon, hanging on the wall beside a mirror. The knight’s armour was gleaming silver, his horse, a chestnut, wearing its own armour. A lance was held out in front of the knight as he charged the dragon. It was the dragon though that held Callum’s attention. It was a grey-brown colour and stood on all fours about twice as high as the mounted knight. Its head was fairly long and bony.

"Saint George and the Dragon," Justine read the inscription beside the painting.

Digging into his bag, Callum pulled out the digital camera. He thumbed it on and brought up the picture he’d taken of the Iguanodon. His eyes flicked from one to the other. He nodded.

Look at this, he said to the girls. Doesn’t the dragon in this painting look like an Iguanodon?

I suppose so, Justine answered slowly.

"If you squint