The next day you call the Department of Zoology at a nearby university, where you are referred to Dr. Henry Kam, a specialist in large reptiles. Dr. Karn is skeptical about the egg but agrees to drive to Red Creek Ranch immediately to see it.

By the time he arrives, you are feeling very nervous. Suppose the egg is just made of plastic? Your concern is heightened by his stern appearance. He shakes hands brusquely with you and your uncle and immediately asks to see the egg.

When you hand it to him, he says nothing while he stares intently at it, holds it up to the light, taps it and scratches it with a pen knife. Then he holds it to his ear.

Finally he smiles at you and gently puts the egg down. “It’s quite possible this is the egg of a Plesiosaurus, an aquatic dinosaur of the late Jurassic period. It is highly unlikely it will ever hatch. Even so, I would want to keep it in an incubator at the University for at least a year before breaking it open. I’ll you know, of course, if anything develops.”

A few weeks have passed since then and whenever the phone rings you wonder if Dr. Karn is calling.