The Dragon in the Driveway by Kate Klimo, John Shroades Page B

sheepdog.
    Daisy turned to Jesse, her eyes wide with fear. “What’s that?” she asked.
    Over the noise, Jesse shouted, “It’s the earth-mover!”

CHAPTER SIX
THE SKY IS FALLING!
    The roaring noise stopped. The sound of their nervous breathing filled the silence. Jesse looked ahead into the tunnel, then behind them into the root cellar. The sun shone down into the hole, leaving a warm buttery patch at the foot of the stairs like awelcome mat. He signaled to the others to turn around and follow him back to the root cellar.
    The three of them crowded into the patch of sunlight. Overhead, they heard a loud grinding of gears and brakes, then the earthmover’s heavy door opened and clunked shut. They waited in tense silence for a few more minutes.
    Jesse put his mouth to Daisy’s ear and whispered, “Maybe he just parked it and went away.”
    She put her mouth to his ear and said, “Maybe he’s waiting for us to come out so he can pounce on us and capture Emmy and …”
Drink Emmy’s blood.
Daisy didn’t want to say the last part aloud, not in front of Emmy.
    But Jesse knew where she was going. He set his jaw. Very carefully and quietly, he climbed up the stairs and balanced himself on the door frame, straightening up just enough to see out over the edge of the hole. He didn’t see anything. He didn’t hear anything. He straightened up a little more.
    The enormous orange earthmover stood right next to the barn, facing the Deep Woods, its front bumper mere feet from their hole. Jesse craned his neck. The cab seemed to be empty. He leaned down and signaled for Daisy and Emmy to join him.
    “Look,” he whispered to the others. “He’s not in the cab. I don’t know where he is, but if we crawl
under
the earthmover, we can sneak back to the rear … and then cut over and run for home. Plan?”
    Daisy nodded and whispered, “Take off her leash.”
    Jesse unhitched the leash from Emmy’s collar. Daisy turned around so Jesse could unzip the backpack. She switched off the flashlight and handed it to him.
    When Jesse had finished tucking everything away and zipping up the backpack, he turned to Emmy and said, “Listen to me. This is very important.”
    Dog-form Emmy, panting, gave him her complete attention.
    “Follow us. As soon as we get to the back end of the big orange machine, you run for it. But don’t run until I tell you to. I’ll hold up one finger, then two fingers. On the third finger, I want you to run as fast as you can. Head for the laurel bushes. Don’t stop for anything, and don’t look back. Wait for us there. I think you can. I think you can.” He smiled encouragingly at Emmy, who let out two barely audible yips to show that she thought she could.
    “Good girl,” he whispered. Both cousins hugged the dog and pressed their faces into her fur, which smelled of damp dirt and a hint of hot chili peppers.
    “We’ll be right behind you,” said Jesse.
    Jesse eased himself up and out of the hole. He crawled over to the front bumper of the monstrous machine and then waited while the other two slithered up after him. Together they slipped under the machine. Jesse and Daisy ducked to avoid bumping their heads on the network of brand-new shiny ducts and pipes that ran down the center of the earthmover’s giant underbelly. In a crouch they ran past enormous black treaded wheels. There were so many wheels that Jesse lost count by the time they reached the rear bumper and cleared it. There they stopped. Hands on knees, the cousins struggled to catch their breath. They were winded, as much from nerves as exertion. Emmy stood between them on her haunches, panting. Her eyes were on Jesse as she waited for the signal to run. Jesse crept over to the side of the earthmover and peered along the length of the vehicle. The coast looked clear.
    Jesse held up one finger. Emmy’s ears pricked up. Jesse held two fingers in front of him. Emmy stood and got ready. But as Jesse was about to raise the third finger,