Planet of Origin

The Planet of Origin

Earth

While loosening his tie after a late night at work, David stood in the doorway of his son’s bedroom, watching a prehistoric battle rage beneath the soft glow of the nightlight. Eight-year-old Lincoln, in low growls, pitted a Tyrannosaurus Rex against a Dracorex.

“Who’s winning?”

“They’re not fighting, Dad. They’re discussing.”

“Oh? What are they discussing?” David’s eyebrows shot up.

“What they’re going to do about the humans.”

Everything was dinosaurs with his son. When people asked Lincoln what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer was always the same: a paleontologist. His dad liked to remind him that paleontology wasn’t just about dinosaurs—it was the study of Earth’s history through the clues left behind in fossils.

He would only shrug. “I know, Dad, but it is also the study of dinosaurs.”

“All ancient animals, not just dinosaurs.”

“But my emphasis will be on dinosaurs, the way your emphasis as an astronomer is on finding intelligent life in space. I think dinosaurs are intelligent.”

Though he was only eight, Lincoln had watched every Jurassic Park movie more times than anyone could keep track of—far too many, according to his dad, who often suggested he might cultivate interests beyond dinosaurs. Both he and Lincoln’s mother had discussed some sort of sport in which he could burn off excessive energy.

Lincoln had no idea what “cultivate” meant when his dad first used the word. But after getting an explanation, he argued. “But Dad, I’m improving my mind by studying dinosaurs!” And he had a point—Lincoln could pronounce every dinosaur species correctly and rattle off a stream of facts about each one without missing a beat.

David walked over to his son’s bedside. “Isn’t it well past your bedtime, young man?”

“I was waiting for you to tuck me in,” Lincoln replied, with wide green eyes full of innocence, his red hair a tousled halo under the dim light. “Mom said it was okay to wait up.”

“Oh, she did, did she?” David turned at the soft creak of the wooden doorframe, where Heather stood leaning against it. He remembered her asking him to fix that squeak, and he winced, bracing for her to bring it up again.

Instead, with a slight edge to her voice, she said, “You’ve been working late for two weeks straight. He’s barely seen you. I told him he could stay up.”

“I’ll make it up to both of you. I swear,” David said with a sigh.

“Dad, you’re not supposed to swear,” Lincoln cut in.

David laughed. “Saying ‘I swear’ isn’t swearing.”

“Mom said you’d read me a bedtime story!” Lincoln shouted, rolling back his dinosaur comforter and jumping on his bed.

“Okay, okay—calm down,” David said with a chuckle.

Lincoln hopped out onto the floor and glided his small hands over the spines of books on his bookshelf, pulling out the biggest one.

David glanced over at Heather. “Did he take his medication today?”

She winced. “No.

“Heather, I thought we had discussed this.”

“I know, but those pills dull his mind.”

“Honey, I hate that as much as you do, but the doctor said he needed them, and without them, he’s so hard to handle. You’re with him all day. I can see it wears you out.”

David turned back to his son, who was now back in bed, bouncing the dinosaur figurines on the book’s cover.

“Lincoln, you’re eight now—almost nine. That means more responsibility, buddy. You know you’re supposed to take your pill first thing in the morning. If Mom forgets, it’s your job to remind her, okay?” He shot Heather a playful wink.

“Yeah, okay, Dad. But dinosaurs!” Lincoln said.

Heather smiled and stepped from the doorway into the room. She leaned down to kiss her son. “I’ll leave you two to it,” she said, then looked toward her husband. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

“We can read this book,” Lincoln announced.

David looked at the cover and grinned. “Of course. The Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Book I.”

“What else would it be?” Lincoln threw his head back dramatically and smacked his forehead.

David gave a knowing, playful sigh as he switched on the light and flipped through the thick, well-worn pages.

“Do you remember where we left off?” he asked. “Was it the Tyrannosaurus Rex?”

Lincoln groaned. “Dad, no! We’re not even close to the Ts. That’s in the second volume. We’re still in the Ds.” He pointed at the book’s spine. “See? It only goes to M. Tyrannosaurus Rex starts with a T. He’s in the next book.”

“Ah, right, the Ds,” David said, turning to that section. “There are a lot of them. Let’s see—Dracorex, is that where we were?”

“Yes! You remembered!” Lincoln’s eyes lit up. “You were teasing me, weren’t you?”

David smiled. “Guilty.”

Lincoln held up the little plastic Dracorex he’d been playing with and laughed.

Lincoln’s dad flipped through the laminated pages with pictures and read aloud:

“The Dracorex lived sixty-six million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America. It belonged to the pachycephalosaur group, although its skull lacked the dome typical of that family. Instead, it featured spikes and frills—features reminiscent of a mythical dragon.”

David read until Lincoln yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“It’s way past your bedtime,” he said as he lifted the covers and tucked them snugly under his son’s chin with a soft touch. “We’ll pick up again tomorrow night.”

Before standing, he asked, “So, have they decided what to do about the humans?”

“They’re going to take it before the high council on Neera,” Lincoln mumbled through another yawn.

“Oh?”

“Most of the ones on the council are Dracorexes.”

“Oh, really? And what do you base that on?”

“The Dracorex is smarter and has intuition. You told me once that’s where all science starts.” Learning new words was a game they played, and his son gobbled them up the way Merriam-Webster did.

David smiled. “That’s true.”

“Dad?”

“Yes, Lincoln?”

“What if dinosaurs aren’t actually extinct?”

David tucked the blanket a little tighter around him. “Dinosaurs haven’t been on Earth for millions of years, Lincoln.”

“Okay, but hear me out, Dad.”

“I’m listening. Let’s hear your hypothesis.”

“Another new word, Dad! What does it mean?”

“It’s your theory—your idea about how something might work or why something happened.”

“Well, my idea is… maybe the dinosaurs got tired of humans, and they decided to hide from them.”

David raised an eyebrow. “Lincoln, you know dinosaurs and humans didn’t live at the same time.”

“I know that’s what everyone says, but when I’m a paleontologist, I might prove that… hy—” He paused, furrowing his brow. “How do you say that word again?”

“Hy-poth-e-sis.”

“Hypothesis,” Lincoln repeated, emphasizing each syllable. “Did I say it right?”

“Perfect. Another word for your growing vocabulary.”

Lincoln grinned. “Maybe the dinosaurs built a giant ship and sailed to a desert island. Or they flew into space in rocket ships because the humans wanted to get rid of them. And after millions of years, they got super advanced. Smarter than us, even. Anyway… that’s my hypothesis.”

David chuckled. “It’s worth considering. Now go to sleep.”

He switched off the light and quietly stepped out, gripping the handrail of the stairs upon hearing his son utter the word Neera. Downstairs, he found Heather in the library, curled up with a novel.

“Sometimes I think we should’ve named him Dino instead of Lincoln,” David said with a grin. “Do you know what he told me tonight?”

Heather smiled. “He’s always saying something off the wall. One thing I love. That’s why I hate those pills. They make him downright lethargic.”

“Okay. I know how you feel. Anyway, he thinks dinosaurs and humans lived on Earth at the same time—but the humans didn’t like them, so the dinosaurs left. And now, maybe they’re more advanced than us, living on another planet.”

Heather laughed. “With that imagination, maybe he should be a sci-fi writer instead of a paleontologist. But I have to admit… he got that idea from me.”

David raised an eyebrow.

An article I found online theorizes that dinosaurs and humans coexisted. You know how curious Lincoln is. He saw what I was reading and, of course, wanted to know more about it. You should’ve seen his face when I read it to him. He’s a total sponge when it comes to anything dinosaur-related.”

David nodded.

“So, we went down a rabbit hole,” Heather continued. “Did some searching, found more references. Some came from Edgar Cayce’s readings. There were descriptions of prehistoric creatures—giant lizards on land and in the air—causing chaos. Supposedly, humans wanted to get rid of them. The word dinosaur didn’t appear anywhere in the reading, but—”

“Lincoln naturally made the connection,” David finished.

“Exactly.”

David paused, his tone shifting slightly. “Why are you reading all this stuff, anyway?”

“Because what we call myths and legends usually have some truth to them,” Heather said. “They’re often clues—breadcrumbs pointing to where we should be digging.” She paused, put her book aside. “I want to dig again, David.”

“What brought this on?”

“Dr. Terry called today.”

“Your old professor?”

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about going back to work now that Lincoln’s older. We talked about this, remember? We agreed that I’d return once we felt confident he was settled. And I think he is. And you know, if we don’t bring in some extra money soon, we won’t be able to keep him in that private school.”

David knelt beside his wife. “Heather, our financial problems aren’t the reason you want to go back, because if they are…”

“No, no. I actually want to.” She held up her hand, twisting it around. “I yearn to get dirt under these fingernails that can’t afford a pedicure.

David grimaced.

“Just kidding. I purposely keep them ragged to remind me of my archeology days.”

David took his wife’s hands into his own. “So, did Dr. Terry call about a teaching job?”

“No, an archaeological dig.”

“In Hawaii?”

“No, Egypt.”

“Egypt?”

“David, I really want to be part of a dig. The abundance of clues and artifacts shows that history is not what’s written in the textbooks. I want to help uncover something big. Something that can’t be ignored. Something that will rewrite the history books.”

“Mom?” The voice came from the top of the stairs.

“I think I forgot to put out his T. Rex water bottle. It’s in the dishwasher. I’ll get it.”

“No, I’ll go. You’re with him all day. I need to put in some dad time. I’ll be right back.”

Heather’s head was bobbing to the side, and her eyes were doing the same by the time he returned.

“Hey, I think we’d better get to bed early tonight. Come on.” He pulled her arms, but she resisted.

“No, we need to talk. Down here, in case he hasn’t fallen to sleep yet.”

“Honey, I think you should return to your chosen field, but Egypt?

“It will only be for a couple of months. I’m sure my mother will help while I’m gone, and we can Zoom every day.”

“What do you expect to find?”

“Dr. Terry thinks other species may have been responsible for the pyramids.”

“Do you mean extraterrestrials?”

“No, not necessarily. Maybe another life form on this planet. He wouldn’t say exactly.”

“That reminds me. Lincoln learned a new word tonight.”

“Oh yeah? What?”

“Hypothesis. He’s calling his dinosaur theory a hypothesis now. But after what’s been happening at work lately… I don’t know. I’m wondering if it’s more than just a theory. Maybe Lincoln’s psychic—or a born remote viewer.

“One of the more positive things that comes with his particular brand of autism. Another reason I hate those pills so much, but anyway, what are you talking about? And what does this have to do with your work?”

“Something strange has been happening at the observatory, the reason for such long hours.”

“What kind of strange? You look all shaken up by something.”

“We’ve been receiving signals—messages we can’t interpret. We brought in a specialist, and she says it resembles ancient Sanskrit.”

“Sanskrit? You’re kidding.”

“No. And it’s not just the language. The structure, the tone—it resembles nothing human. It sounds animalistic. Almost… birdlike.”

Heather shivered. “You’re scaring me, David. Also, exciting me.”

“I’m a little scared, too. Mostly from what Lincoln said.”

“What’d he say?”

“He said the Dracorex live on Neera. Neera is one of the few sounds that came through repeatedly.” He leaned in and kissed her gently. “Don’t be scared, but do be excited.” He winked.

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Lincoln’s hypothesis is right. The thing is that the signal is going to a specific place on Earth.”

“Where?”

“Egypt. Not the surface, but deep underground. It was pure coincidence that I intercepted it.”

“Coincidence?”

David laughed. “Actually, I was trying something with our new radar system, something Lincoln said I should do: look for underground tunnels in Egypt, because that could have been where some of the dinosaurs went that couldn’t get off the planet.”

“What do you think it means? Do you think this could have anything to do with Dr. Terry calling me?”

“I don’t know, but now I’m in charge, and…” he stopped talking to kiss his wife. “I’m being promoted, and with it comes a raise.”

Heather squealed, and David covered her mouth, pointing upstairs.

“Whatever it is, it’s light-years away. It could be from a civilization long gone. Whoever they were trying to contact is probably long gone, too. It crossed my mind to take Lincoln to work with me. You know how he picks up languages. Maybe he will decipher it.”

“I actually wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Egypt has the largest observatory in the Arab world—not as big as what we have in Hawaii, but…”

“David, do you mean?”

“Well, I’m in charge of the project. Considering how important this is to national security, the funds will be virtually unlimited.”

“Do you think what you’ve discovered and what Dr. Terry called about are related?”

“Come on, let’s get to bed early tonight, that is, if either of us can get any sleep.”

Planet Neera

Darren Dracorex stepped into his son Bryn’s room, still wearing his white lab coat from work.

“Ready for bed? I bet you’re wiped out after tonight’s game.”

“A little,” Bryn admitted as he climbed under the covers. Above his bed, the skylight framed a scattering of stars. Most nights, his thoughts would drift to galaxies and nebulae because astronomy was his favorite subject, but tonight, something else occupied his mind.

“Grandad came to the game. He embarrassed me. He yells louder than anyone.”

“Well, you’re going to have to tolerate Grandad for a while.”

“Why?”

“Because he’ll be watching you while your mom and I take a brief off-world vacation.”

“Off world! How brief?”

“Five Neera rotations.”

“Ohhh…” Bryn moaned, dropping his snout into both claws.

“We’re leaving super early tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!”

“You won’t be out of bed, but Grandad will be here. He’s already snoozing away in the guest room.”

“Ohhh…” Bryn continued to groan in distress. “You know Granddad is a little deranged.”

“Bryn! A little eccentric, maybe. Not deranged. Your grandad just adheres to the old ways. Your mom and I are counting on you to be a good dino while we’re gone. Can you do that for us?”

“I’ll try."

“Now go to sleep and stop worrying. You and Granddad will have lots of quality time together.

* * *

Bryn woke up to clammy claws tugging at his pajamas. “Wake up, sleepyhead. Scrub your scales, comb your feathers, and pack a bag. We’re traveling light, so just the essentials.”

“What? We’re traveling?” He complained groggily as he swung his tail over the side of the bed. “I haven’t even had breakfast. Where are we going?”

“Up north. To the Pandera Sector.”

“No one goes there. Do Mom and Dad know about this?”

“I don’t have time for this, Bryn. We have an emergency on our claws. I got the message right after your parents boarded their shuttle. They’ve been intercepting our transmissions to our planet of origin. I’m to report in at once.”

“Who’s they? Report to whom? You’re retired.”

He parked his tail on the edge of Bryn’s bed. “Listen, Bryn, people in my profession don’t retire. When needed, we’re called back to work, and since I’m responsible for you, you’ll have to go with me.”

“You worked at a candy factory, and at my last dental checkup, the dentist said I had a rotten fang.”

“The Candy Factory’s just a front.” Bryn’s granddad stroked his grandson’s head feathers. He already possessed three. He only had two at Bryn’s age. “Oh, suck it up. You’re going to see things you’ve never dreamed of. You’ve heard of humans?”

“Granddad, humans are a myth. Our temple instructor said anyone who said otherwise was a conspiracy theorist. Same for this so-called planet of origin.”

“Pack. We’ll get you some breakfast on the way.”

“But Grandad, the learning pyramid…”

“Young dino, haven’t you ever skipped Learning Pyramid?”

“Well…

“Come on, you are going to learn more with me than they teach you at Learning Pyramid.”