Shape of Things Long Dead and Gone

As we arrived at the shape, the sun came out in strength. It shone, causing the wet sand to gleam with a glass-like sheen. The shape stood out against such a background, like a prominent tower in a desert landscape or a mesa rising up from the plain. We were very excited, and immediately, in a totally uncoordinated method, began digging away at the sand around the shape. We had of course not thought this through. First, the sand was still heavy with the water from the receding tide and, secondly, children have a limited strength once enthusiasm fades. It took a while to fade, but eventually, as we dug down into the heavy sand, under a day that was rapidly warming, it did. Then it became work. After what seemed to be an hour or so, we had cleared an area about seven feet around the shape and about two feet down and there was still more of the shape buried below.

It must be a dinosaur bone. We children became positive. Which added to the drive, if not the actual physical ability. Our father had wandered off down the beach to take some photographs. This was at a time when he was still painting, so he was looking to take photographs that he could be later paint. We continued to dig. We had not brought any water with us to drink (in those days hydration was not really considered necessary unless you were running a marathon or such), and so were soon panting heavily, as we struggled with the heavy deeper sand. And still we had only uncovered part of the object. It was porous, it was also enormous and, it was definitely a bone. It was also a little brittle in parts, with the occasional piece breaking off as we dug. Which added to our belief as to the possible age of the bone (not being Palaeontologists of course, we were only guessing). “It has to be at least a thousand years old” said my brother (not being to good at that age with history of the earth either).

It had started to become a very visible, identifiable shape. The main part was a large round central section with blunt ends. It appeared to be a bit like a huge barrel about three feet long. Then, there was a large vane section up off the centre sticking up around two and a half feet. Which was what we seen sticking up out of the sand. Then off the central ‘drum’, around halfway round and on opposite sides, two big sloping ‘wings’ which ran down into the sand, and which, we had not been able to fully uncover yet. We were sure it was bone.. It was appearing to be a little familiar. But we still didn’t know what it was. Of course, we had not fully appreciated the scale of what we were looking at. We took a break to sit beside the hole, somewhat exhausted.

 (Continued tomorrow)