Kauai Mystery Bird

by Leslie
(Los Angeles)

It was 1992. My sister and I were vacationing in Kauai.

We were lying on a black sand beach soaking up some afternoon sun when we noticed something circling in the sky. We slowly turned our heads to face each other. Our expressions reflecting disbelief. At first neither of us spoke. Then we turned our faces upward again. The strange black “bird-like creature” above continued to fly in circles. We then looked back at each other. I was the first to speak. I said hesitantly, “Isn’t that a pterodactyl?” To which my sister replied, “Looks like one.”

I thought about it for a second before I spoke again. “Aren’t they fictitious?" Another moment elapsed before she responded, “Or at least extinct,” “But they weren’t real, were they?” I asked. “I don’t think so,” she said unsure of her words. We continued to watch the eerie black “bird” continue to circle around and around.

Later, we were sitting at a bar drinking shots of tequila telling our fantastic story, so proud of our discovery earlier in the day. The locals began to smirk to each other and some downright laughed out-loud. Finally one of them couldn’t stand it any longer. “Don’t you know that Steven Spielberg is filming “Jurassic Park” here? Lots of movies are filmed in Hawaii.” He continued, “He was testing his robotic pterodactyl. You two didn’t really think it was real did you?” There was more laughter.