A Sudden Tug On The Centerline
The tip of the caulk tube pressed against the asphalt as the highway worker dragged it along the painted yellow centerline.
His eyes were fixed on the asphalt seam until a sudden jerk snapped his neck forward.
A full-grown doe had clamped her teeth onto the collar of his high-visibility vest, tugging backward with all her body weight.
His boots scraped against the pavement as he lost his balance and caught himself with one gloved hand.
He yelled and pulled back, swatting his hand outward to free his collar from the animal’s grip.
The moment her teeth released the fabric, the deer sprang backward a few strides and stopped near the median.
Following A Desperate Mother
She turned her head over her shoulder, stamped her front hooves, and bolted toward the heavy concrete barriers lining the highway curve.
The worker stood up straight, setting the sealant gun down on the painted stripe.
He broke into a jog, following the path the doe had cut across the empty lane.
When he reached the perimeter wall, he peered down into the narrow crevice where two massive interlocking blocks met.
Wedged deep inside the gap was a tiny spotted fawn, its rear legs thrashing against the rough gray stone without gaining traction.
The young animal had squeezed into the pinch point and remained trapped tight against the cold concrete edges.
Its mother stood on the grassy hill just on the other side of the barricade, pacing back and forth with wide eyes.
Prying The Concrete Apart
The worker turned on his heels and sprinted back toward the open utility box of his flatbed truck.
He reached into the tool bay and hauled out a heavy metal hydraulic spreader by its handle.
Carrying the steel mechanism in both hands, he ran back to the barrier and dropped to one knee on the asphalt.
He slid the tapered metal jaws of the spreader directly between the two concrete slabs, right above the trapped fawn’s flanks.
His gloved hands gripped the lever, pumping the handle with firm, rhythmic strokes.
The steel teeth bit into the concrete with a sharp grinding crunch, pushing the hundreds-of-pounds blocks apart millimeter by millimeter.
The gap expanded enough for the pressure to release from the baby animal’s ribs.
With a sudden kick of its hind legs, the fawn slipped free through the opening and scrambled into the dry dirt on the other side.
Reunited In The Grass
The fawn sprinted up the golden embankment on spindly legs, kicking up small clouds of dust.
The doe lowered her neck immediately, meeting the little fawn nose-to-nose in the tall grass.
The worker released the tool’s pressure valve, let out a deep breath, and stood up from the pavement.
The doe nudged her fawn’s flank toward the tree line, both animals disappearing into the brush as the worker watched from the roadside.
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