Free Don't Tell Anyone by Peg Kehret

bulldozer.
    â€œHello!” Megan called, as she rode toward the bulldozer. “Hello! I need to talk to you!”
    The machine’s large steel treads crawled away from the flatbed truck, rolling forward and under like metal conveyor belts as they moved the bulldozer toward the edge of the field that adjoined the freeway on-ramp.
    The driver, intent on steering the machine, kept his eyes straight ahead.
    This can’t be happening, Megan thought, as she dropped her bike in the weeds and ran toward the bulldozer.
    The engine noise rumbled like thunder.
    â€œStop!” Megan shouted. “Stop!”
    The driver still did not look at her.
    He can’t hear me over the roar of the bulldozer, Megan realized.
    When the front edge of the bulldozer’s treads crossed the sidewalk, the machine paused. Then the driver backed the dozer into position so that its scoop would come down right along the edge of the sidewalk.
    Halfway between the bulldozer and the other end of the field, Megan saw the drainpipe. Its opening was only a few feet from the sidewalk. Megan’s stomach felt as if she had swallowed a brick.
    Would the scoop fill the drainpipe with dirt as it passed, trapping Mommacat and the kittens inside the pipe? Orwould the frightful noise as the bulldozer approached drive Mommacat to try to carry her kittens to safety? If so, they would never make it.
    Megan raced toward the bulldozer. Her worst fear for the cats was about to come true.
    â€œStop!” she screamed. “You can’t do this!”
    She reached the bulldozer just as the driver pulled a lever that lowered the scoop to the ground. She saw that the driver wore earphones to protect him from the constant noise of the huge machine. It didn’t matter how loud Megan shouted; the driver would never hear her.
    She ran in front of the bulldozer and stopped about ten feet before the scoop. She waved her arms frantically. Even though she knew the driver could not hear her, she continued to yell, “Stop! Stop!”
    The driver shifted another lever. The bulldozer’s blade dug into the dirt, then started to push it forward.
    Megan jumped up and down, desperately flailing her arms. She saw the driver glance up; he had an astonished look on his face. She knew he had seen her.
    The bulldozer quit moving. The engine stopped. The driver stood up, removed his earphones, and leaned out of the cab.
    â€œWhat’s the matter with you? Are you crazy?” he said. “Get out of the way!”
    Megan rushed to the side of the bulldozer and looked up at the man. “You aren’t supposed to clear this field,” she said.
    â€œIs that so? Then why did I get a call telling me to be sure it gets done today?”
    â€œThere’s been a mistake,” Megan said.
    â€œThere’s no mistake. This is the corner of 148th and I-90, and I’m supposed to clear it.”
    â€œBut you can’t!” Megan said.
    â€œLook,” the driver said. “I’m sorry if this field is where you like to play. I’m sorry if you don’t want an apartment building to go up here. But I don’t make those decisions; all I do is drive my ‘dozer. I promised I’d have this land leveled by five o’clock this afternoon, and I’m already three hours late getting started because I got held up on a different job.”
    â€œThere are cats living in this field,” Megan said. “The clearing is not supposed to be done until the cats are caught and moved to a new place.”
    â€œCats?” The driver looked at her as if she had started speaking a language he didn’t understand.
    â€œFeral cats. One of them has a litter of new kittens.”
    â€œI don’t know about any cats. All I know is I’m supposed to do a job here this afternoon. So you need to stay out of my way where you won’t get hurt, and let me get on with it.”
    Megan took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice