Fossil Hunting

Little Danny was obsessed with finding fossils ever since learning about them at the Natural History Museum. The various nature displays and recreations of prehistoric landscapes inspired him like nothing else. Learning about how paleontologists found dinosaurs, cavemen, and even saber-toothed tigers all over the world gave him ideas.

He was convinced he could find his own fossils buried around the neighborhood- if he dug in the right spots.

The previous night yielded a heavy blizzard. When Danny woke up and looked out the window he saw an abundance of snowy mounds to dig through. He felt it was only a matter of time before he too discovered something worthy of the museum.

His mother bundled him in a thick jacket, snow pants, and some warm white mittens. Then his father lent him a shovel and pointed out the best snow piles to search. Danny couldn’t wait to get outside.

The snow was fresh and flaky. It came up easily and Danny was able to work his way through the first several mounds around his house with relative ease. He stayed close to home and burrowed where the heaps looked deepest.

For hours, Danny dug but found nothing again and again. He got discouraged the longer he went without any results. No matter where he looked, or how deep he stuck his shovel, he hit rock and gravel. There were seemingly no bones in this town, and his five-year-old mind couldn’t understand why.

The sun set, casting an orange glow on his suburban neighborhood.

Danny strayed, searching snow piles in front of the neighboring houses. His mom told him to stay within sight and he knew he had a limited window to complete his quest before being called back inside for supper.

The largest mound sat at the top of the hill up Danny’s block. He settled in front and scooped some slush away from the head. He turned and saw his father watching from the front porch. They waved. Dad gave Danny a thumbs up before disappearing back into the house.

Danny dug, bracing himself for further disappointment. A whole day gone, and still no bones. After a couple more half-hearted pokes, Danny spotted a pink splotch. He paused briefly, stifling a smile before brushing away more snow and revealing a frost-bitten human face.

An old and wrinkled face at that, with dots of stubble littering the cheeks. Ice checkered the rest of it and gave the skin a blueish tint. The eyes were wide open, frozen in place, staring up at Danny in surprise.

Danny kept on, revealing a torso. He looked up and down the empty street. Any light now came from scattered street-lamps and porches. Their beams caught stray snowflakes still finding their way to the ground.

He raised his shovel, bringing the blade down into the man’s wrist with a blunt thud.

After a few minutes, Danny noticed a group of teenagers walking up with their shovels. He hurriedly spread some snow back over the body and stood guard in front, defending his find, until they passed without incident. Once out of sight, he uncovered the body and continued chipping at the frozen wrist.

A little while later, he returned home wearing a huge smile. His Dad sat on the recliner in front of the TV sipping a steaming mug of cocoa. A fat marshmallow melted at the brim.

Mom emerged from the kitchen, adjusting her apron.

“Someone looks happy!” She smiled. “Did you find any bones?”

Danny shook his head and dug deep in his jacket pocket.

“No, but I found a caveman up the block!”

His mother and father flashed one another a confused glance.

Danny produced the severed hand. He hoisted it high above his head like a trophy. Blood spots spattered his white mittens.

Mom screamed loud enough for all the neighbors to hear before fainting.

At that moment, Danny knew he had the find of the century.