Footprints

Footprints

“This is an astonishing finding,” said Prof Bickley. “This trail of bird-like footprints has been dated at 200 million years old, a unique finding, 60 million years older than the earliest bird fossils.  I am writing an article about them for the Footprints Journal.”

“What animal do you think has caused these?” ask Lacksley, a junior member of the team, so unimportant that nobody even knew his first name. If he had one.

“It is my theory,” the professor explained, “That the prints are caused by a time-travelling duck.”

“A time-travelling duck?”

“Yes, it is my belief that ducks have developed the power of time travel. How else can you explain the fact that the ducks are already there at the pond waiting, when you go to feed them?”

“But surely …”

Bickley interrupted. “I know what you’re going to say, surely if ducks have mastered time-travel then they are superior to mankind. I believe this is so. Indeed, it is my belief that the entirety of human history has been carefully controlled and monitored by the ducks that rule over us. We are but lab rats to the master race of all-powerful, all-knowing ducks.”

“Oh, I see, professor. There was me thinking that the print was simply that of an animal that hadn’t been discovered yet. The earliest bird species.”

The professor paused for a while, mulling over Lacksley’s response.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he said to Lacksely. He called out to his secretary: “Muriel, don’t send off that paper just yet, I want to make one or two minor changes.”