Second City Slickers

When the cousins get together a whirlwind of activity cycles through and around the house. One particularly tolerable winter day as the kids were playing they decided to take the excitable, disobedient dog for a walk. The youngest of the troop new the usual places to walk. They took off up the block through the neighbor.

The cousins’ path led them to the pond in the neighbor. They were so full of curiosity. They started to examine the surrounds. Eddie, the youngest, had a beloved pastime of throwing sticks into the water to see the splash. Along the trip toward the water, he looked for sticks to throw. The stick merely skidded a short distance on the surface and stopped. What a splendid surprise for them to see that the top was frozen.

Each boy in turn began to poke at the ice with their sticks. They began to notice some areas seemed much more set and others only moderately set. Their curiosity grew to elation as they became more knowledgeable and more daring simultaneously. The older boys gingerly placed a foot on the ice and then two before quickly returning to shore. Occasionally, they would hear the ice creek, observe the appearance, and learn where they could and could not step foot. From then they allowed Eddie to try to take a step. Eddie was still afraid, but extremely fascinated. They kept wondering around the pond exploring. Only a natural water novice would end up covered in sticky weeds. An equally green explorer would try to brush them off. They soon realized that they don’t wipe away. They were careful to make the dog go around them.

They continued their poking and stepping until they found themselves on the tip of the peninsula on the pond. Their greatest adventure of the day developed as a curiosity in their minds. “Let’s cross back to the other side of the shore.” The ice seemed steady with no cracking. They realized they would need to cross where the ice seemed thicker and whiter. Even little Eddie wanted in on this adventure. So they crossed carefully, slowly.

Suddenly, Eddie’s face changed from excitement to horror when he saw Jimmy’s foot create a crack that split the ice between them. He was paralyzed with fear wondering if the same thing would happened to him, if he would make it off the pond, and if he knew how to get back home to get help. Oddly enough, not one of the boys had a cell phone. Even more slowly and carefully, the boys inched toward shore.

Jason, the oldest, considered going back the way he came and where he knew the ice was safe. As he pondered his options, a great crack sounded near him. The weight of responsibility tortured him more than the possibility of falling through the ice. All of the boys stood completely still and barely breathing.

As Jason looked down, she saw that there was no crack under foot. He let the others know that there was no crack, but they could not explain the sound they heard. Then from behind the boys, another frightening crack was heard. As they slowly turned to see what damage showed behind them and access what peril would come to them, they heard a violent roar of laughter. From the other side of the lake, some neighborhood children, realizing that the cousins were unfamiliar with the area, pranked them. The cousins were angry and irritated at the children. Their frustration soon turned to pleasure as the other children joined them on the ice.

The neighborhood children show the cousins how to glide and skate on the ice. Surely they avoided the area where the ice cracked under Jimmy. Aside from that, the boys had a grand time. Eventually, when the ungloved boys finally could not stand the cold any longer, they collected the dog and walked back to grandma’s warm home where they readily shared their adventure with others.