Chapter 8
I don't know when I drifted off to sleep but it was much needed. Jessica, John and Kevin were all asleep in their hammocks as well. I went to the flimsy door and took a peek outside and to my surprise the sun had set. It was then when I noticed that the planet not only had extra hours in the day but it also had three moons.
I couldn't help but wonder what kind of affect this had on the tides of this new world. I wanted to wake everyone up because the dinosaurs were so active during the day, we might stand a better chance doing our business at nightfall. Being that it was our first day on the new planet I let everybody sleep. The night time was also dragging by as long as the day time.
I couldn't sit still any longer. I was willing to bet that all the dinosaurs were sleeping by now and it was safe enough to go out into the new world alone. I grabbed a flashlight that we had collected from the crippled ship and set out to the lake that was not too far from the base. I felt like I could use a bath anyway.
With a false sense of security I made my way to the water's edge and tested it with my right foot. The water was freezing. I was surprised with how hot it had been all day long. I took off my clothing of leaves and walked into the water.
I was in the water bobbing up and down scrubbing under my arm pits minding my own business, when I saw the water ripple on the other side of the lake, it didn't hit me that this was a salt water lake until it was too late. The giant fish was swimming full speed at me. I didn't have far to go before I was on land so I was running as hard as I could but in the water it made everything seem like it was going in slow motion.
The giant shark lunged out of the water for me but somehow by a miracle it missed so I continued to run as fast as I could. The giant fish turned around and snapped at my legs but again it was too late I barely escaped that water. I could see now that the shark was a juvenile meg; so that is what I called her. If she had been an experienced adult my life would be over. I decided to put on my jungle clothes and head back to base before anything else could go wrong.
As I walked back to base I listened to the night, the snores of the dinosaurs could be heard some closer than others but I heard no more activity than that. I thought about the massive shark and wondered what kind of creatures lived in the fresh water. I shivered not out of coldness but with the knowing of how easy one could come to death on this planet.
As I made my way to base I looked up at the stars and I wondered how my home planet was doing. I couldn't help to think about my friends and loved ones that I would never see again but I wondered if they were looking up into the sky at the same exact moment thinking of me or my crew.
For the rest of the walk back to base nothing happened and I was thankful for that. Tomorrow I would tell my crew that we need to work only at night and try to sleep during the day, we might live longer if we adjust that way.
I climbed back into my hammock and tried my hardest to drift back to sleep. Thoughts of the days events racing through my head made sleep elusive. The sounds of snoring both from the animals outside and the humans inside also made it hard to fall into a restful sleep. I lie awake staring at the reflective ceiling of the snap together shelter wondering what surprises tomorrow would hold.