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caught in my throat. My whole body shuddered.
    Was he frozen in there?
    It was just a joke. Had we really done something horrible to the kid?
    No! Please—no!
    I grabbed the snowman’s head. “Billy? Hey—answer me! Why don’t you answer me?”
    The snow was packed tight, like concrete. I dug my gloves in and began frantically pulling it off in big chunks.
    â€œBilly? Can you hear me?”
    Flinging snow everywhere, I quickly ripped away the front of the snowman. I clawed the packed snow loose and batted it to the ground.
    â€œBilly? Hey—Billy?”
    Furiously, I batted more snow off the round body.
    There was no Billy inside.
    I staggered back. Where is he? I asked myself, staring at the chunks of snow on the ground. He couldn’t have climbed out. The snowman had been standing just as we left it.
    A chill shook my body. I pulled my coat tighter but I couldn’t stop shivering.
    And then I heard a soft whisper from behind me. “ Rick—you froze me. You FROZE me! ”
    â€œNo!” I gasped.
    I spun around. “Where are you?” I asked, my voice cracking. “I can’t see you!”
    Silence.
    Just the sound of the wind, brushing snow off the tree branches.
    Then the whisper again: “ You froze me, Rick .”
    And Billy stepped out from behind a tree.
    Head down, he moved toward me, lurching, staggering in a strange slow motion.
    And then slowly, slowly, he raised his head—and I saw his face. Crusted with ice. Patches of snow clung to his hair and eyebrows. Icicles hung from his cheeks, his chin.
    I opened my mouth in a scream of horror.
    Billy kept staggering across the snow toward me, his gloved hands outstretched as if ready to grab me. “ Rick, you froze me. You froze me to DEATH! ”
    My teeth chattered. Chill after chill ran down my body. I stared at Billy, frozen in fear.
    And then I felt something snap.
    Something in my brain.
    Just a soft pop .
    I tried to move. I tried to cry out.
    But I couldn’t.
    My legs, my arms—they wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t open my mouth to scream. I couldn’t even blink my eyes!
    I stared straight ahead.
    Billy came closer. Closer. “Rick—what’s your problem?” he asked.
    I could see him and I could hear him clearly. But I couldn’t answer. Couldn’t move my lips or make a sound.
    And then I remembered Billy’s words…“ You can be so frightened, your body freezes—forever .”
    â€œCome on, Rick,” Billy said. “The joke is over. I’m okay. Really. Look. The ice and snow—I put it on my face to look scarier. See?”
    He pulled a chunk of ice off his cheek.
    â€œRick—snap out of it,” he said. “I’m fine. I waited till you guys left. Then I smashed my way out of the snowman. No big deal. You were busy sledding. You didn’t see me break out. You didn’t see me rebuild the snowman.
    â€œI put it back together,” he said. “Then I hid behind a tree and waited for you to come back.”
    His hand squeezed my shoulder. I could feel it, but I couldn’t move. He waved his hand in front of my face. But I couldn’t blink. Couldn’t move my eyes.
    â€œHey, Rick—you’re kidding, right?” he asked. “Give me a break. Say something. Did you like my joke? It was good, right? Did I scare you? Come on, Rick—did I scare you?”

How to Bargain with a Dragon
    INTRODUCTION
    ILLUSTRATED BY C HARLES B URNS
    A lot of my story ideas start with the question: What if…?
    This story began with the question: What if dragons were real?
    I have always been fascinated by the giant winged creatures. In stories and movies and drawings, dragons have always seemed very real and alive to me. They are fierce and majestic at the same time. Ugly and beautiful. And so much more intelligent than dinosaurs.
    I know they are mythical. I know that dragons never existed.
    But what if