The Dragon in the Driveway by Kate Klimo, John Shroades Read Free Book Online Page A

Flower does, too!” Daisy said breathlessly. “And we’re right behind you, don’t worry!”
    They followed him outside to where a ramp ran up the side of the barn to a door that was boarded shut. There, not ten feet from the barn, the earth rose in a gentle grassy hummock. The shovel blade rocketed skyward. For a brief giddy moment, Jesse’s feet dangled in midair.
The shovel is shooting me right to the sun!
he thought. Then the blade came swooping back around and sank itself into the heart of the grassy hummock. After that, it proceeded to do what shovels do best: it started digging.
    “It’s digging a hole!” Daisy exclaimed in wonder, watching as the shovel dug into the earth, scoopedup dirt, and heaved it off to one side, dragging Jesse along with it like a rag doll.
    “Guess I better hang on!” Jesse shouted to Daisy and Emmy. “It’s way stronger than I am!”
    “Do the best you can!” Daisy called to him.
    Then Emmy said, “I will be a dog and dig with my puppy paws,” transforming into her dog shape and beginning to dig enthusiastically alongside the team of Jesse and Shovel.
    The hole got deeper and the mound of dirt higher as both Jesse’s shovel and Emmy’s front paws burrowed their way into the earth. Jesse wanted to reach up and wipe off the sweat that was stinging his eyes, but he was afraid to let go. True to her word, Daisy stuck by him. She stood on the sidelines and watched, arms raised to protect herself from the storm of flying earth while she called out encouragement.
    For at least an hour, the digging went on. It wasn’t long before Jesse was so tired and dizzy that he shut his eyes. And just as he was drifting off into a feverish swoon, the shovel flew up out of the hole and planted itself in the loose dirt.
    Jesse opened his eyes. He staggered out of the hole and sagged against the shovel.
    Daisy ran and brought him back a cup of icy cold water from the old pump.
    Jesse pried one stiff hand off the shovel, took the cup, and drained it in one gulp. “Another,” he gasped, holding out the cup.
    Daisy got another.
    He poured this one over his head, still leaning on the handle of the shovel. He hadn’t quite caught his breath yet and his legs were weak and wobbly.
    “I know … that the shovel … did most of the work … but I still don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard … in my whole life,” he said to Daisy between deep, shaky breaths.
    “You were great,” Daisy said. “Emmy, too. Oh, look!”
    Emmy lay on the barn ramp, too tired to turn back into a dragon, with her pink forked tongue lolling out of her mouth and her filthy furry side heaving.
    “Poor thing! I’d better get some water for her, too,” Daisy said, taking the cup and returning to the pump.
    “Get one for my shovel while you’re at it!” Jesse called out to Daisy, and she let out a nervous hoot of laughter.
    Gingerly, Jesse left the shovel in the dirt and looked at the palms of his hands. They were dotted with white blisters. He blew on them. “Well, I think that’s enough digging for one day,” he said.
    As if in response, the shovel pulled itself out of the dirt, moved back down into the hole, and continued digging all by itself. The next minute, the shovel began to make scraping noises.
    “I wish I’d known it could dig by itself,” Jesse said as he peered down into the hole. “Is that wood?” he asked.
    Daisy and Emmy, dragon-formed once again, went to the edge of the hole and stared down into it. The shovel had, indeed, uncovered something that looked very much like wood. The shovel stopped and stood aside, as if to give them all a chance to get a good look.
    “It’s old wood,” Daisy said.
    “Painted wood,” said Jesse.
    The shovel went back to work now, only more slowly and carefully than before. It became obvious to the cousins and their dragon that the shovel was digging up a door: a plain wooden door, painted pale green. Soon the door was completely uncovered and surrounded on