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And we were in a really good mood.
    The snow was at least two feet deep. Some of the drifts came up to my shoulders! It was wild. The whole world looked white. Except for the sky, which was solid blue. A beautiful, cold, crisp day.
    Our breath fogged up in front of us as our boots crunched through the thick snow. We thought maybe we could get some little kids to share their sleds in the park.
    But what was Billy talking about?
    Three guesses.
    â€œDid you know you can be frozen in fear?” he said.
    I let out a groan. “Give us a break, Billy.”
    â€œNo, it’s true,” he said. “You can be so frightened, your body freezes—forever. You can’t talk. You can’t move. It’s like being scared to death, only you’re still alive!”
    â€œOkay, let’s try it!” I cried.
    I grabbed Billy by the shoulders of his parka. “Let’s test this one out!”
    I think Loren and Fred and I had the exact same idea at the same time. Billy struggled, kicking and squirming. But the three of us picked him up—and heaved him, feet first, into the tallest snowdrift we could find.
    Before he could move, we started packing the snow around him. It was perfect packing snow, wet and heavy.
    â€œHey! What are you doing?” Billy cried.
    â€œWe’re turning you into a snowman!” Fred exclaimed.
    We worked furiously. Heaving the snow over him. Shoveling heap after heap onto his shoulders, his head.
    â€œCan we talk about this?” Billy screamed. “You know I can’tstand tight places, right? Hey—stop! This is not funny. I’m freezing in here. I’m catching a cold. I can feel it already! Come on! Let me out of here!”
    The three of us laughed.
    It was pretty funny seeing the guy in such a total panic over a harmless joke.
    â€œIt was your idea,” I said. “Don’t you want to test it? Don’t you want to see if you really can be frozen in fear?”
    â€œNo! No, I don’t!” Billy cried.
    â€œAny last words?” Fred asked him.
    â€œYeah. Get me out of here!” he screamed.
    Then we covered his head.
    We poked some holes near the top for air. Then Loren found two perfect round stones for eyes and a bent twig for a nose. Fred and I scraped and molded the snow to round it off like a real snowman. And we packed it even tighter. Loren finished the job by tying her scarf around the snowman’s neck.
    â€œYo, Billy, how’s the weather in there?” I called. “How’s it going, big guy?”
    He didn’t answer.
    The three of us stepped back to admire our work.
    â€œGood job!” Loren cried. We slapped high fives with our wet, snowy gloves.
    We expected Billy to come bursting out, roaring and flinging snow at us. He could break out easily, I thought. I mean, how hard is it to knock snow away?
    But he didn’t move.
    He just stood there, still as a snowman. The two stone eyes stared out at us.
    â€œHey, Billy?” I called.
    Silence.
    â€œBilly? Hello?”
    A long, eerie silence.
    â€œBilly?” I called.
    No answer.
    Fred laughed. “He’s just trying to freak us out.” He pulled my arm. “Come on, Rick. There are some kids with sleds on that hill. Let’s check ’em out!”
    As we jogged over the snow, I glanced back. Billy still hadn’t moved. What was he waiting for?
    â€œHey—American Flyers!” Fred shouted to some little kids. “Can we have a turn?”
    Â 
    How long did we sled? I’m really not sure. The afternoon sun was sinking in the sky. Long blue shadows stretched over the snow. We returned the sleds to the other kids and Loren and Fred went home.
    Then I suddenly remembered Billy.
    Rubbing my frozen cheeks, I made my way down the hill—and saw the snowman standing just as we’d left it.
    Oh, no! I thought. Then I ran up to it and shouted, “Billy? Billy?”
    We had forgotten all about him.
    My breath