Ned sat by the crackling fire at Base Camp, the smell of woodsmoke mixing with burnt porridge. He opened Grandfather’s big, leather notebook. RUSTLE.
He turned a page. On it was a blurry sketch of a dinosaur skull. But this skull was different. A tall, curved, hollow tube rose right from the top of its head, like a funny hat.
Professor Hatch leaned over his shoulder. “What a peculiar shape,” he murmured. “I wonder what it was for.”
Ned traced the hollow tube with his finger. “I have a hypothesis! An idea we can test!”
He jumped to his feet. “I think that hollow part on its head works like a tube. It shapes the air that goes through it. I bet it makes a special sound, like a giant horn!”
Vera looked up at the sky. A thick, grey blanket of cloud was slowly creeping towards them. “If we’re going to hear it, we have to go now. That low cloud will swallow every sound in the Tangle.”
“To the Steam-Crawler!” shouted Bram.
WHIRRR. CLICK. HISS. The Steam-Crawler woke up. Its metal legs stretched out, ready to walk. The team climbed inside.
Vera took the controls. “Hold on, everyone! We’re heading for the Tangle.” She pulled a big brass lever. CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA.
The Steam-Crawler stepped away from the cliff and into the wild. Vera called out the chant.
“Pistons PUSH!” Bram and Ned joined in. “Boilers BURN!” “Big wheels TURN!” “Chuffa-chuffa-CLACK!”
The Crawler picked up speed, its metal feet striding over the cracked earth. Soon, they reached the edge of the Tangle, where giant leaves drooped down like green curtains.
Vera slowed the Crawler to a careful walk as it stepped onto the soft jungle floor. LURCH! The whole cabin tilted. From Bram’s corner came a familiar sound. CLANG! “Ow!” he said, then laughed it off. “Right on my toe.” He went right back to work, tightening a loose bolt.
Vera smiled. “We’re going in,” she said. “Can you feel the air getting thick?”
Instantly, the world changed. The air felt wet and warm. Little drops of water dripped from the giant leaves. PLIP. PLOP. The brass pipes inside the Steam-Crawler started to sweat.
Every sound became soft and close. The chugging of the engine was muffled, swallowed by the thick, green leaves.
The Steam-Crawler stopped. HISS. Then, silence.
“Wow,” whispered Ned. “You can’t hear anything past the windows.” He readied his sound recorder, a small silver box with a fuzzy microphone on top.
Vera pointed. “There’s the cloud wall. It’s rolling across the floor of the Tangle like a slow, grey wave.” They only had a little time left.
Everyone listened. They listened with their whole bodies. Can you listen, too? What can you hear? Nothing. Just the drip, drip, drip of water.
Then, a sound. It was low and far away. It was soft and musical, like a sleepy giant humming. WHOOOOOMP.
Ned’s eyes went wide. He aimed his microphone toward the sound. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.
Another sound, a little closer this time. WHOOOOOMP.
Something big was moving through the trees. Green leaves swayed and rustled. A huge, gentle head peeked out from behind a fern as big as a house.
It was a dinosaur. And on its head was a tall, curved crest, just like the one in Grandfather’s drawing.
The dinosaur stepped into a small clearing. It looked around with its kind, dark eyes. It took a deep breath, and its chest got bigger.
Then it lifted its head and called out. WHOOOOOMP-WHOOOOOMP!
The sound was so deep and friendly it made the air hum. The dinosaur’s call faded away into the leaves. For a moment, it was quiet again.
And then… from far, far away, through the thick, green Tangle… another call answered back. whoooomp.
The dinosaur turned its head. It had heard its friend. It let out one more soft call, then turned and walked quietly back into the leaves. SWISH.
“Scientific Fact!” Professor Hatch whispered, his voice full of wonder. “Absolutely extraordinary! That’s a Corythosaurus.”
He pointed at the space where the dinosaur had been. “Ned, your hypothesis was correct! That crest on its head works just like a trombone, pushing air through a tube to make a beautiful, low note.”
Just then, the wall of grey cloud rolled silently into the clearing. The world went completely quiet.
“Perfect timing,” Vera said softly. She turned the Steam-Crawler around, and they headed for home.
Back at Base Camp, the sky was turning a soft purple. The fire crackled, warm and cozy. Everyone held steaming mugs while Bram took out the big Discovery Log and a heavy ink stamp.
He opened the book to a fresh page. He looked at Ned. “What number is this discovery?” Ned thought for a second. “Let’s make it Discovery Number 2.”
Bram nodded. He dipped the stamp in the ink. FWUMP! “Discovery Number 42,” he announced. “Logged!”
Everyone sat quietly, watching the flames dance. Ned took out his little silver recorder. He pressed a button.
The low, beautiful sound of the Corythosaurus filled the air. WHOOOOOMP-WHOOOOOMP.
It was the sound of a friend calling to a friend, through a forest as old as time. Ned smiled, and closed his grandfather’s notebook. CLICK.
