Excavation II: Lost in New York
Background information from "Excavation 1": Lois, an archaeologist specializing in the Prehistoric Era, had spent the last week traversing a deserted island in the middle of Lake Victoria, Uganda. Along the way, she and her crew of photographers, archaeologists, and a native guide, faced many obstacles. At last only a few hours away from the excavation site, where the remains of a Velociraptor wait to be discovered, Lois met her final obstacle. The last excerpt from the first "Excavation" is as follows:
Deciding that coming this way all for nothing was not an option, the crew moved forward to traverse the mud pit. "I'll go first," offered Lois, "next to Malik I'm the tallest and I also have the best gear. But first I want to make sure it's not too deep." She walked over to the nearest tree and ripped a long branch from the trunk and proceeded to walk to the edge of the pit of mud. "It's definitely safe," she concluded. The branch, measuring 3 ft in length, was only 2/3 of the way submerged. With that said, Lois moved onward, followed by Kurt, Charles, and finally Malik.
At first, the trek didn't seem too arduous, but as the minutes passed Lois' calves began to burn from the exertion. Walking through thick mud is much more difficult than walking on the sandiest of beaches. After a half an hour, the group was forced to stop to catch their breath. "We're not even half way through," Kurt complained. Lois, angered, retorted, "I know, but we've been traveling for the past week through tough terrain. We can't just give up now." She began walking again, though the others were still standing idly by. After a mere 10 steps, Lois' left leg caught. She tried to pull it out but it wouldn't budge. In an effort to release herself, she moved her right foot in line with the left, but immediately realized this was an unwise move, as now both of her legs were fixed in place. "Guys," she called in a panic behind her, "I'm stuck!" Malik, sensing her fright, immediately trudged in her direction. "Wait, something's happening now," Lois continued on. "Oh my God, I'm sinking!" By this time, Malik and company were a few paces away. Once Malik got to Lois, he grabbed a hold of her torso and tugged with all of his might, but to no avail. Slowly but surely, Lois was being engulfed by the mire.
After a few minutes, Lois felt another strange sensation. She suddenly began to feel movement in her toes, soon followed by her lower legs. "Malik, I'm able to move my feet and the bottom half of my legs, which means this pit isn't all that deep. But I have no idea where it's leading to," she cried. Malik, along with Kurt and Charles, continued to try and pull Lois out of the sinking mud pit. After what seemed an eternity, Lois' head was the only visible part of her body. Moments later, she said her goodbyes and was completely submerged. She held her breath, counting the seconds until what she thought would surely be her death.
Almost 60 seconds later, she found herself on the floor of a bathroom stall in Vinny's Pizzeria on Bedford Ave between 8th and 9th in the borough of Brooklyn, New York. Covered in mud and slime, Lois grabbed a hold of the door handle and turned the knob. She walked out of the washroom toward the main counter. "Excuse me," she asked the nearest employee, "where am I?" "You're at Vinny's in Brooklyn," the male employee responded. "What's the date?" Lois continued. "It's February 29th, 2082. Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked. "Do you have a phone I can use," she interrupted. He handed her his cell phone and she dialed her parents' phone number. "The number you have dialed is not in service," the operator barked at her through the receiver. She slammed the phone down on the counter and walked out to the street, wondering how in the world she'd been transported from a tropical paradise to a concrete jungle some 70 years in the future, and, more importantly, how she would ever return.
Deciding that coming this way all for nothing was not an option, the crew moved forward to traverse the mud pit. "I'll go first," offered Lois, "next to Malik I'm the tallest and I also have the best gear. But first I want to make sure it's not too deep." She walked over to the nearest tree and ripped a long branch from the trunk and proceeded to walk to the edge of the pit of mud. "It's definitely safe," she concluded. The branch, measuring 3 ft in length, was only 2/3 of the way submerged. With that said, Lois moved onward, followed by Kurt, Charles, and finally Malik.
At first, the trek didn't seem too arduous, but as the minutes passed Lois' calves began to burn from the exertion. Walking through thick mud is much more difficult than walking on the sandiest of beaches. After a half an hour, the group was forced to stop to catch their breath. "We're not even half way through," Kurt complained. Lois, angered, retorted, "I know, but we've been traveling for the past week through tough terrain. We can't just give up now." She began walking again, though the others were still standing idly by. After a mere 10 steps, Lois' left leg caught. She tried to pull it out but it wouldn't budge. In an effort to release herself, she moved her right foot in line with the left, but immediately realized this was an unwise move, as now both of her legs were fixed in place. "Guys," she called in a panic behind her, "I'm stuck!" Malik, sensing her fright, immediately trudged in her direction. "Wait, something's happening now," Lois continued on. "Oh my God, I'm sinking!" By this time, Malik and company were a few paces away. Once Malik got to Lois, he grabbed a hold of her torso and tugged with all of his might, but to no avail. Slowly but surely, Lois was being engulfed by the mire.
After a few minutes, Lois felt another strange sensation. She suddenly began to feel movement in her toes, soon followed by her lower legs. "Malik, I'm able to move my feet and the bottom half of my legs, which means this pit isn't all that deep. But I have no idea where it's leading to," she cried. Malik, along with Kurt and Charles, continued to try and pull Lois out of the sinking mud pit. After what seemed an eternity, Lois' head was the only visible part of her body. Moments later, she said her goodbyes and was completely submerged. She held her breath, counting the seconds until what she thought would surely be her death.
Almost 60 seconds later, she found herself on the floor of a bathroom stall in Vinny's Pizzeria on Bedford Ave between 8th and 9th in the borough of Brooklyn, New York. Covered in mud and slime, Lois grabbed a hold of the door handle and turned the knob. She walked out of the washroom toward the main counter. "Excuse me," she asked the nearest employee, "where am I?" "You're at Vinny's in Brooklyn," the male employee responded. "What's the date?" Lois continued. "It's February 29th, 2082. Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked. "Do you have a phone I can use," she interrupted. He handed her his cell phone and she dialed her parents' phone number. "The number you have dialed is not in service," the operator barked at her through the receiver. She slammed the phone down on the counter and walked out to the street, wondering how in the world she'd been transported from a tropical paradise to a concrete jungle some 70 years in the future, and, more importantly, how she would ever return.