‘The Dino Surprise’ has really come as a BIG SURPRISE. By the by, I had least expected someone would go for this uphill task, that is, giving topic number 04 a try (from that list of 30 topics showing variety of prompts we’ve already published here). Not only Muhammad Abubakar Mian turned out to be the one who took the lead, but also (see for yourself) he has fully proven his imaginative ability. A touch of humour is already a regular characteristic of Abubakar’s writings. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this stuff.

The Dino Surprise

My alarm clock sprang to life exactly at 9:30 A.M. The previous night’s rest seemed to have done little for my body, as I was still feeling very lethargic. Shaking off the sleepiness, I crept out of my bed and headed for the bathroom.

I had gone just a few steps into the hallway, however, when a thunderous roar threw me against the wall. The entire house began to shake violently. Human instinct took over, and I braced myself for an earthquake. But that earthquake never came. The shaking subsided as quickly as it had started, and soon enough all was back to normal. With my heart still palpitating to a furious rhythm, I made my way to the living room. Anxiously walking past the fireplace, I peered out the window.

It was at this very moment that I had the surprise of my life.

Standing just a few feet from my window, there stood a dinosaur. I was flabbergasted. It took me quite a few seconds to get back to my senses. Taking note of its stout tail and extensive neck, coupled with the distinct shape of its head, I immediately recognized it as being a Brachiosaurus. Perplexed by the enormous beast and what it was doing in my time period, I knew I had to get a closer look. Without a second thought, I slipped into my sneakers and ran for the backyard.

The Brachiosaurus had a mesmerizing gray coat, something that I could not appreciate from behind a glass pane. Standing just a few feet away from it now, however, I began to question my lack of better judgment. Is it really safe to be standing next to an animal that weighed several tons more than me, and was considerably larger? The Brachiosaurus seemed to be mostly calm; it stood relatively still while scanning the horizon. But what was it looking for? Suddenly, the Brachiosaurus let out a piercing cry and ran right through the picket fence.

The Earth trembled under the beast’s heft, and tossed me to the ground. Laying on my back, I caught sight of a Tyrannosaurus Rex lurching towards me from across the street. I attempted to scramble back up onto my feet with as much vigor as my body could muster, but all efforts proved to be futile. The ground was now shaking with so much force that I couldn’t even maintain balance. Fear reached up from the darkest depths of my heart and began to cloud my mind. With no escape in sight, I had lost all hope. As the T-Rex grew closer and closer, my body folded into the fetal position and I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, however, I did not find myself in the repulsive abyss that is the stomach of a T-Rex. In fact, I found myself in a much pleasanter place: home. Wrapped comfortably under layers of blankets, I was relieved to be far away from that nightmare. Who needs dinosaurs, anyway? Giraffes are so much cooler.

Muhammad Abubakar Mian

Class O’ Level-II