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‘No, he doesn’t.’ Her words were firm and final, signalling the end of the conversation. They stared at each other as if holding a competition until Ava breathed a sigh of relief when James and Matthew came back.
‘Noah, will you stay for dinner? James and Matthew are going to chat about the fossils. I get the feeling it’s exciting.’
‘I’d love to. Wine or beer?’
‘Wine, please.’
Noah poured the drinks and she finalised dinner; it felt like a team effort. Everything they’d done recently seemed to draw them closer together.
Once settled at the table, Matthew clapped his hands together and then placed his hand to Paul’s knee. Ava had worked out early in the day that they were a couple.
‘Do you realise what’s in your backyard?’
‘No!’ Ava put her drink down. ‘That’s exactly why I called in your expertise! My experience is in Egyptian and Sudanese artefacts at the British Museum.’ Ava didn’t feel the need to mention that the only dig sites she’d ventured onto were during her studies.
‘Well, it was very wise you called for help. And we’re grateful, sorry.’ Paul nervous-giggled. ‘The university is grateful you called on us.’
Ava threw up her hands. ‘Just tell me!’
‘We’re so excited.’ Their faces were ebullient ‘Oh, yes, it’s big, very big. Are you ready?’
‘Yes!’ She was just about popping out of her skin.
‘It is a fossil of a horned turtle.’
Ava inched forward on her seat.
‘They are extinct and from a family of land-dwelling animals that evolved during the time of the dinosaurs in Gondwana. They can be called meiolaniid and had horns in their heads, spikes on the back of their shell and a big club on their tail. This was like a set of armour to defend themselves against predators. It’s old.’
‘How old?’
‘We don’t know yet. We need our equipment and would have to do some testing before we can definitively advise. This is a reasonably intact fossil, but around it are opal specimens. They might be fragments of other turtle pieces but these are not complete and have become fossilised over time.’
‘I’ve found many opalised fossils. Pine cones and shells are the most obvious but I’m guessing there could be teeth and plant life, as well.’
‘I bet there is.’ Matthew spoke now. ‘We only focused on the turtle today but there would have to be other fossils. The site, it looks like it’s previously been a dig site, is that you or someone else?’
‘No, it is pretty much how I found it. I’ve dug around of course but been very careful to preserve the area and more recently I uncovered the turtle. But around the house, in the shed, there are loads of opals. I think the former owner assumed they were gems and didn’t realise the significance of them being fossils. Again, I’m not sure, but he reportedly made silver jewellery and I’ve found a few pieces of that as well.’
And then she remembered. ‘Oh, and here, this is one I found today.’
Out of nowhere James pulled on a head lamp and illuminated the ring on her hand. He held it to his face to examine it, turning her finger this way and that more closely.
‘It’s hard to tell, but I suspect each gem that appears to be an opal is actually a fossil.’
Ava sipped her wine and taking her lead, Noah refilled the glasses. He remained silent.
‘Shit, this is huge.’ Ava sat back in her chair.
‘Sure is.’
‘What does it mean exactly?’ Noah finally asked.
‘Let me give you a quick lesson,’ James offered. ‘These finds give us an insight into a different period of time; it’s like a door to the past. These aren’t ordinary fossils; these are relics made of opal. They are of scientific interest and also very beautiful.’
‘I don’t understand. So, we have fossils and we have opals but we are talking about the same thing, right?’
Both men smiled at him. ‘Yes, good question. Opals form in cavities within rocks. If the cavity is there because of a living thing, maybe a bone or plant, it’s buried in the land before it turned to stone, then the opal can form a fossil replica of the object that was buried. A fossil is simply the remains of an ancient animal preserved in rock.’
