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as their short legs can go, straight toward, around, and then behind the marauder.
Some of them step into and out of his tracks, leaving their own comparatively tiny
footprints inside his. In the slippery mud, though, one ornithopod loses its balance
and lands on its side, hapless against the assault, bleating like a sheep about to be
sheared.
Thetheropodroars,pinsitsstrugglingpreyunderneathone65-cm(26-in)long
clawed footandlowers its head todeliver afatal chomp. The stage darkens, stirring
theme music rises, the curtain closes, and the audience erupts into applause. Peace-
ful reverie shattered by gruesome death, in which the fleet of foot and the strong
survive and the weak perish: what's not to like?
Then just as the applause begins to subside, the curtain opens again to reveal
the star of the show, the villain/hero theropod. The audience claps madly, thinking
this is the start of the curtain call. Only, their enthusiasm is abruptly curtailed when
they realize the theropod is not bowing, but instead is looking directly at them with
a mischievous smirk. This is
not
a tyrannosaur!
Their shock is doubled when the “theropod” pulls off an elastic mask, reveal-
ing that it was, all along, a bigger version of the ornithopod seen at the opening of
the play. Within seconds, rotten vegetables and fruit, brought in by the otherwise
finely attired and upscale crowd, shower the stage. The curtain closes, and a full-
fledged riot engulfs the theater.
A year goes by, and although this displeasing conclusion to the play has not
been entirely forgotten, it has been forgiven. Hence, the former audience is glad to
see advertisements concerning a remake of the original play. So once again they fill
the theater for the grand premiere, an excited buzz filling the air. Maybe it will be
better this time, they all say with hopeful expectation.
The stage lights dim and the curtain parts. At first, the audience is reduced to
squinting into the darkness, confused by strange reflections coming from the stage.
The familiar insect and bird sounds from the previous production are present, but
something is amiss. As the lights gradually brighten, again in imitation of a dawn-
