8 COLD SHOULDER

CHAPTER 8 COLD SHOULDER Run!" yelled Alexander. "Which way?!" cried Leo. Alexander shook open his map. "Uh, this creek leads right behind our cabin. Come on!" SPLISH! SPLOSH! The boys raced through the shallow creek. CLINK! "Where is that sound coming from?" shouted Rip. "Are we running away from it, or toward it?" They stopped and looked around. The creek sparkled in the moonlight.

A branch shook. Rip pointed to a cluster of shrubby trees. "Somebody's there," he whispered. A figure in the shadows moved toward them. Its long, skinny arms poked out from the leaves. "The ghost!" said Leo. SPLISH! Leo fainted, landing in the creek. But the figure lurching toward them wasn't a ghost. It was a snowman. A moving snowman. It rolled toward the boys, its head lolling to one side.

Rip and Alexander dragged Leo onto dry land. "How is this possible?!" yelled Rip, taking a step back. "It's five thousand degrees! That snowman should be melting!" "I told you I saw snow!" said Alexander. The snowman came to a stop on the opposite side of the creek. "Maybe it can't cross water," said Rip. He stuck his thumb on his nose and wiggled his fingers at the snowman. "You can't get us, slushbucket!" The snowman glared at them so hard, one of its eyes fell out. Then the monster reached down and scooped a snowball out of its belly. "No way!" said Rip.

The snowman whipped the snowball at Rip. SPLOP! It smacked him in the face. "Hey!" PLAP! A second snowball hit Rip in the knee. Alexander gasped. "This thing should be a major-league pitcher! Let's— PLOOF! A curveball hit Alexander's shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

"Salamander!" Rip shouted. "Are you okay?" Alexander sat up. "I think so. But yow! That snowball was extra cold. My shoulder feels all numb." "I know!" yelled Rip. "My knee is blue!" The snowman looked down at its belly and frowned. Its middle ball now looked like an apple core. "It out-scooped itself!" said Alexander. "Ha!" Rip shouted. "Looks like Frosty is low on snow!" Then the snowman raised its stick arms and— FLOOP! —pulled off its head!