Jurassic Queen

New York

Velly, the prima donna Velociraptor,

was photographed exiting a Manhattan chiropractor.

Alarmed by her attempted secrecy, the concerned paparazzi

disregarded pursuing her with any decency -

hiring freelance Pterodactyls to provide aerial photography.

You see, Velly was the lead in Broadway’s latest opera - The Jurassic Queen

- so if management discovered her nursing a secret injury behind the veil

of her tinted limousine, she would be replaced by her understudy, Tia,

a T-Rex teen with perfect skin and eyes of pure Jade green.

That was an outcome that could not happen.

Her eyes blackened and she texted an unknown number

a cryptic message in Latin.

Velly admirably hated Manhattan.

She hissed at her driver to get off Park Avenue

and to race down Canal street - where her bodyguard, Quey,

a fifty-foot mutated Quetzalcoatlus awaited them with bared teeth.

Velly prodded her salivating snout out of the sunroof

and pointed to the hovering paparazzi.

Velly cackled at the interaction while smoking a cigarette

and sucking down rapturous coffee.

Raising up her cup to catch the blood to make her caffeine extra saucy,

she filled her belly with Pterodactyl tartare teriyaki.

The following morning came, and the headlines read:

SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE BY NY’S BELOVED VELLY -

ANOTHER GRUESOME SLASH ACROSS ANY CRITIC’S BELLY.