It was shiny. That was most likely what did it. The way that fantastic cylindrical device shone in the prehistoric sun would have caught anyone's eye. As it so happened, the creature that spotted the brilliant light before any other was a creature that should never have seen it in the first place. This vessel from origins unknown was found by none other than a young dinosaur, a coelophysis, to be exact, though that name would not exist until thousands of years after the last of this species had died.

It was a small creature, and, though primitive, was quite fast. This trait, combined with an observant and curious nature, played a large role in making our young coelophysis the first to arrive on the scene.

As it drew nearer, the coelophysis slowed to a stop. It paused for a moment to look over the foreign capsule. The object was large, certainly larger than the creature that had come to examine it. That made it a possible threat. Yet, the object did not move, and so the dinosaur grew bolder and approached it.

Slowly, it stalked closer. Still, the glimmering object made no attempt to react. As coelophysis began to circle around its discovery, it grew more and more convinced that the thing it had found was not alive.

That was when the little saurian found that the strange shining thing was not solid. Here, on the side that had been hidden from sight before the circling had begun, there was a large opening, much like a cave. As it so happened, the coelophysis was quite familiar with caves. Logically, this strange shiny thing was simply a cave made out of a peculiar sort of rock. It all made sense now.

Any doubts the creature might have harbored were dispelled by the sound of tiny claws scraping on a hard material. Being a predator, this sound was a very enticing one for our young dinosaur. With keen eyes, it could clearly see a small, furry creature within the shiny cave. Though this hairy animal was very strange, coelophysis could smell the meat and knew it was good to eat, so the hunter entered the cave to capture the morsel within.

That was when everything changed. The ground shook, and the walls glittered with scores of brightly colored lights of a variety that was absolutely befuddling to the prehistoric visitor. Even more disorienting was the growing, and soon overwhelming dizziness. Coelophysis forgot all about the fuzzy prey item. Its mind was consumed by fear and confusion. The creature clumsily turned around in the cramped quarters, banging its tail against the walls as it did so, only to find that the cave's exit no longer existed. It cried out, voicing its rising panic as it succumbed to the strange sensation of pressure in its skull. The last thing the creature remembered was desperately clawing at the wall in search of an opening as it collapsed against the smooth surface.


"It's returned, Sir. There are no outward signs of damage."

The man's white lab coat swirled around his legs as he shifted his stance to fidget with the controls on the panel before him.

"Initiating diagnostic checklist."

The computers whirred to life, generating a list of technical terms, percentages, and statistics on the screen. A second man in a crisp suit moved closer to examine the computer's findings. At times he would nod, or furrow his brow according to the feedback he received from the computers, making occasional thoughtful sounds as he did so.

"It seems that the prototype was a success.", he said softly to his employee. "We can move on to the- What's that?!"

The suited man leaned closer to the screen, staring with great interest at the information that caused him to interrupt his own sentence.

The man in the lab coat hurried over and took a look for himself.

"It can't be... This has to be a glitch. We only sent one guinea pig, so where did the other
one come from?"

After pressing a few buttons, he just shrugged and looked to his well-dressed superior for guidance. All he received was a single, simple command.

"Open the door, Jones."
The clack of keyboard keys answered the request and both men turned their attention to the one-way mirror to watch as the door to their metallic capsule slid open with a hiss. Immediately, a limp body fell from within and lay sprawled on the concrete floor.

"Holy fusion reactors!", Jones exclaimed in utter disbelief.

He then proceeded to gawk at the unconscious animal on the other side of the glass, muttering nonsensical syllables to himself.

The man in the suit was much more composed over the incident and adjusted his tie for want of something to occupy his shaking hands.

"I... I can't believe it...", he gasped, in awe of his own brilliance.

"The time machine... It works!"