A group of miners at an open-pit coal mine in East Texas discover and accidentally break open a very ancient artifact from a long-lost race of reptiles - and Bad Things Happen...Originally published in Andromeda Spaceways In-flight Magazine (Australia), June 2005.
Honorable Mention, "The Year's Best Science Fiction, 23rd Annual Collection (2006)", St. Martin's Press - Gardner Dozois, editor.
