When we finally built a time machine, everyone cheered. Unfortunately, history proved to be depressing. Mighty heroes turned out to be total dicks. Great cities of ancient civilizations were open sewers. And Cleopatra had halitosis.
The Spinosaurus we dropped into Ninth Century France livened things up, though. It was recorded in some epic poem as a marauding dragon.
Next we dumped a nine-foot Gigantopithecus in northern California. Caused quite a stir. I suggested a Plesiosaur in Loch Ness, but Dr. Llewellyn says the water’s too cold.
“But,” he added, “a Cenozoic proto whale . . .”
Who says history can’t be fun?
Author’s Note: This harks back to the Science Fiction Writer’s Handbook, by L. Sprague de Camp, which suggested we give thought to the B.O., grime, sewage, and other unpleasant things we’d find if we could actually travel back in time.