Under a Cretaceous Sun

By M.J. Konkel

Kat, pigtails and all, is hired by an multiverse-adventure filmmaker to guide him and the star of his show around. But she gets more than she bargained for when she discovers the video star can’t keep his unwanted hands to himself. Then the day takes an expected turn, putting them all in danger. An adventure story set on Cretacia, a parallel Earth where dinosaurs never went extinct.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.J. Konkel
• Release date: May 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005219512

M.J. Konkel

M.J. Konkel was born and raised in rural western Wisconsin. He had a brief military stint in the U.S Army and then went to schools in Minnesota where he earned a B.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry. After living in New Jersey for a while, he is back in western Wisconsin with his wife, two kids, and assortment of animals. While the upper Mississippi Valley certainly looks like it could harbor dinosaurs, MJ has yet to spot one.

Book preview

Under a Cretaceous Sun

M.J. Konkel

Copyright 2019 M.J. Konkel

Smashwords Edition License Notes: This free ebook may be copied, distributed, reposted, reprinted and shared, provided it appears in its entirety without alteration, and the reader is not charged to access it.

Reproduction of this work in incomplete form or in altered form by any means (including electronic, mechanical, or manual) without the written permission of the author is forbidden.

All characters and events are totally fictional. Any names or resemblance to real people is purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

From the Author

Sneak Peak

About the Author

1

The pink rising sun behind Kat promised a perfect day as she bounded down the narrow wooden steps. There was a bounce to her step, coming from a feeling of being on top of the world. It seemed there was nothing that could spoil her day.

Ahead, Tommy sat on one of the steps, blocking her path.

Hey kid, make some room, she yelled.

He craned his head around toward her. Oh! Sorry! He scooted to the side. Hey lady?

Lady? Kat stopped and faced him. Just how old do you think I am?

The kid shrugged. Older than me.

Kat chuckled. Well, you got me there.

Hope I didn’t make you feel bad for being old. You’re not old like my mom, and you’re real pretty for being a lady.

Kat smiled. What do you want, kid?

Do you know what kind of dino that is out in the water?

Kat turned her gaze toward where the kid pointed. A long thin serpent-like head stuck out of the river. That’s a pleo. You only see them once the water starts to warm. There’re a lot of dinosaurs out there to be worried about, but the pleos aren’t among them. They eat only fish.

Really? Tommy squinted. They look scary.

Take it from me. I know a thing or two about this world. You’ve only been here a couple of months. But I was born and raised here.

Cretacia, Tommy blurted.

Yeah, that’s what they call this world. Did you know my mom and dad were among the original castaways before we were all rescued by the Aleutian?

Really? Can you tell me more?

Another time, kid. I’m running late as it is. Kat gave Tommy a fist bump and bounded down the steps. She still could not believe she had been called a lady. Adults always called her a girl.

But more important things were on her mind, and she had forgotten about the kid by the time she reached the docks. Ahead, a quadcopter sat on a floating landing pad. Three others already waited there; she was the last to arrive, and she was late. She wondered if that last glass of wine the night before had anything to do with it. Being honest with herself though, she was always the last to arrive for almost everything. And also to be honest, being late never really bothered her before. She shook it off. It still was not going to weigh on her.

Hello. Katrina Faberley, I presume? A man stood between her and the quadcopter. Kat recognized his voice as that of the man she had spoken to all of about a short two minutes on the phone the day before. Her first impression upon seeing him was that he seemed smaller and, with his balding head, older than she had expected from his voice.

Yeah. Everyone calls me Kat though. I’m … I’m sorry for holding you all up.

No worries about that. We weren’t here that long. George DeMooney. He thrusted out his hand. I’ve been told you’re the best guide money can buy here. He did not squeeze her hand hard the way some guys did, but his shake was rapid, and he quickly let go.

Kat chuckled. Don’t know who the heck told you that load of crap, but I know my way around well enough out there. Have to warn you though, I’ve only been guiding hunters out into the bush up to now. This guiding from up in the air thing is new to me.

DeMooney threw a thumb up out into the air. This should be a piece of cake for you then. Let’s get going. Take the front seat. He nodded towards the copter.

Kat thought he would have wanted the front seat himself. She also expected a lot more questions from him, but