Doctor Who_ Dinosaur Invasion - Malcolm Hulke [0]
AND THE DINOSAUR INVASION
By MALCOLM HULKE
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Based on the BBC television serial Doctor Who and the Invasion of the Dinosaurs by Malcolm Hulke by arrangement with the British Broadcasting Corporation
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The Dinosaurs
Three hundred and fifty million years ago, reptiles became the first animals to breed on land. Reptilian land life developed into many forms, the first true dinosaurs, not more than six inches long, appearing during the Triassic*period. By one hundred and fifty million years ago, some reptiles had developed into giants. One, the Diplodocus, measured eighty-four feet from head to tip of tail, and must have weighed thirty-five tons. During the Age of the Reptiles, many varieties of dinosaurs—all enormous in size—spread and multiplied over the Earth’s surface.
Then, over a very short period in geological terms, the dinosaurs died out. Their remains have been found in every continent. Was it a sudden change in the Earth’s temperature that killed them off? Was it disease? Or did the newer and more nimble life-forms, the mammals, attack and kill them? Perhaps no one will ever know.
Certainly no one ever expected them to come back.
*Triassic—after the three-fold mountain system in Germany. The first mammals, and also flies and termites, appeared at that time.
1 London Alert!
Shughie McPherson woke up that morning with a pounding headache. For a full half hour he lay on his untidy bed and stared at a crack in the ceiling. He was thinking about the, muddle which was his life. In his thirty-seven years he had had more jobs than he could remember. He was married once, but that hadn’t lasted long. One day his wife had said to him, ‘Shughie, you’re a layabout!’ Then she’d packed a suitcase and gone back home to her mother. He had never tried to find her.
That was years ago. His mind turned to more recent events. About a week ago some of his Glasgow friends had said, ‘Shughie, we’re going to London for the Cup Final. Why not come along?’
‘I’ve nae money,’ he explained. ‘You’ll ha’ to do without me this time.’
‘We’re going in wee Jamie’s van,’ they replied. ‘It’ll cost you nothing.’
Eight of them got into the van, two in front and six sitting on crates of beer in the back. By the time they reached London nine hours later, Shughie had forgotten where they were going or why. He was drunk.
He remembered waking up in this house the next morning. Donald Ewing, a ship’s riveter from Clyde-side, was shaking his shoulders.
‘Shughie, rouse yoursel! We’re awa’ back to Glasgee!’
Shughie’s sleepy brain tried to make sense of the situation. ‘But we’re in London, and we’re going to see the Cup.’
‘Not now we’re not,’ said Donald. He was already fully dressed. ‘Everyone’s got to leave London. It’s an emergency.’
Jamie, the owner of the van, came to the door of the little bedroom and yelled, ‘Will you no come and get in the van, Donald? I’m leaving in five seconds! ‘
Donald protested. ‘There’s wee Shughie here, still in bed.’
Jamie looked down at Shughie. ‘If you don’t get yoursel into my van double quick, you can stay here and die! Come on, Donald, let’s be off.’
The two men tumbled out of the room. Shughie thought they’d both gone mad. He turned over and went back to sleep.
When he woke up later the house was completely silent. Pangs of hunger drove him out of bed. Standing on the landing, he called out: ‘Donald? Jamie? Ian?’
No answer. He went down the stairs into the hall and called again. Still no answer. He stumbled into a back room, and through there into the kitchen. Here he found a cupboard well stocked with tinned food. He ripped open a tin of corned beef and gorged the contents. Finding some matches, he turned one of the knobs on the cooker to make himself a cup of tea. Nothing happened. He tried another knob. No gas. Nothing strange in that. Many times in his life the Gas Board had disconnected his gas supply because he hadn’t paid the bills. He went to the sink for a glass of water. The tap spat out a few drops, and no more. Well, maybe that bill hadn’t been paid either.