17. Have an Ice Day!

CHAPTER 17 HAVE AN ICE DAY! George and Harold grabbed their pets and ran as fast as they could to escape the rapidly spreading ice fields. Their cavebuddies were right behind them. "Quick, Crackers," said George, "you've got to take Sulu and get out of here! It's your only hope!" But something was wrong with Crackers. The usually perky pterodactyl seemed to be getting sick. "Maybe he's catching a cold," cried Harold. "He's not used to the freezing temperatures!"

Soon, they came upon the massive waterfall where Mr. Krupp was tied up. The ice was already beginning to turn the flowing water into frozen slush. "We've got to rescue Mr. Krupp!" said George. "But there's no time!" said Harold. "We'll all get frozed!" "We don't have a choice," said George. "We can't just leave him there!" George and Harold ran toward Mr. Krupp and began pulling at the vines holding him in place. When the cavepeople saw what the boys were trying to do, they also stopped running and came forward to help.

But it was too late. The ice got closer and closer as everyone pulled desperately at the vines in the rapidly freezing water. The frigid, slushy water wrapped around Harold's shirt as thick ice encased George's body. "Oh w-w-w-well," said Harold, as he shivered in the rapidly expanding permafrost, "at least w-w-we t-t-t-tried our b-b-b-best!"

"G-G-G-G-G-Good-bye," said George, as the ice flowed up around his face and covered the top of his head. The end had finally come for George and Harold. It was all over. The only hope they had left was that maybe someday in the future, an archaeologist would dig up their fossilized bones and have a lot of explaining to do. But even that hope seemed far-fetched at best.