really know for sure,â Rico said sensibly.
âI know because I believe, mon. I still believe thereâs something or someone out there,â Ziggy said as he gazed out the window toward the afternoon sky. âOne day Iâll find out. Youâll see.â
The four friends dozed as the car headed north, speeding back toward Cincinnati, where more adventures awaited the Black Dinosaurs.
âTHEY REALLY DO LOOK LIKE BEASTS, DONâT THEY, mon?â Ziggy said in quiet appreciation of the snorting machines across the street.
The huge yellow backhoe looked almost graceful as it scooped dirt from an increasingly large hole. Its long neck dipped, scraped, and pulled huge clods of earth, pebbles and branches dangling from its claw teeth like the remains of a meal. It turned, swiveled, and spit the rocky clumps into the back of the dump trucks, which then ambled away like overburdened elephants.
âThe man inside the cabin whoâs operating thecontrols looks like one of those toy men we used to play with,â Rashawn observed.
âLook at the treads on those rollers, man,â Jerome said. âI bet that thing can roll over and stomp a whole army of toy builders.â
âYou think they run on diesel fuel?â Rico asked.
âFor sure, mon,â Ziggy replied. âBig rigs need heavy-duty foodâjust like I do. For dinner my mum is making sirloin steak covered with bananas! Yummy.â
âYuck,â said Rashawn, who did not eat meat. âJust give me a big bowl of chili instead.â
âWhoa! Look at that! The crane is lifting that tree like itâs a toothpick!â Jerome pointed out with excitement.
âWhere will they take the tree?â Rico asked.
âI donât know, mon,â Ziggy answered. âMaybe theyâll make a chair out of it. Or a house for someone to live in. Or maybe just a pile of wooden toothpicks.â He sighed.
âThe trees were home to lots of creatures,â Rico continued glumly. âThe birds and the snakes and theraccoons and the deer that lived in those bushes and woods were happy living there. Now itâs all just dirt so people can build apartments. It doesnât seem fair to me.â
âThe animals will find another place to live, Rico,â Jerome said, trying to sound reassuring.
âWhere?â Rico asked. âMy mother told me theyâre building another new housing project a few blocks away. Pretty soon there wonât be any place left for the creatures.â
The boys turned their attention to the street in front of them as they heard the harsh screeching of truck brakes, followed by a soft thud. The dirty yellow dump truck, full of rocks and debris from the work zone, had been rumbling slowly down the street when it stopped suddenly. The boys watched as the driver jumped out of the cab and ran to the side of the road.
âOh, no!â cried Rico. âThe truck hit a deer!â
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