The next day, Jack was in the mood for an adventure.
"Hey, Emma! Want to go exploring?" he called.
"Yeah, just let me get my shoes!"
"Bring your skates!" he said. There were lots of lakes and ponds around here, they should be able to find a frozen one.
Emma squealed in excitement as she came down the stairs. "Are you finally going to teach me how to skate?"
"Of course!" Jack opened the back door and grabbed the staff he always brought when they went walking in the woods behind their house. It was long and hooked at the end, great for hiking (and a myriad of other fun stuff). Emma ran after him, skates swinging from her hand.
"Mom, we're going out!" Jack called.
"Be careful!" she said as Emma pulled at Jack's hand.
He laughed. "We will!" They always were.
As they strolled through the woods they joked and laughed. Jack loved moments like these. In the calm of nature, having fun with his sister.
Emma took off through the trees. "Bet'cha can't catch me!"
"Oh yeah?" Jack laughed, starting to chase after her. he darted off to the left and raced ahead without her knowing. he dived behind a bush and waited for her approaching footsteps. She was slowing down, looking over her shoulder to see if Jack was behind her. Jack suddenly jumped out with a little "Boo!"
Emma shrieked and fell back. She started laughing as Jack helped her up with a chuckle. "Gotcha." He grinned.
They went in through the woods, joking and laughing, until they found a nice big frozen lake. "Put on your skates, Emma!" Jack said, sliding stylishly onto the ice in bare feet. His tousled brown hair blew as he skidded to a stop and turned around. Emma was struggling to put on her skates. He walked carefully back over to her and helped her put the skates on, pulling his on at the same time. She clung to his sweatshirt as he helped her onto the ice.
"Push with one foot, then the other. Good! Now glide." Emma was a little nervous, but she knew Jack would help her. "Now I'm going to let go, but I want you to keep going." He slid a bit away from her, but close enough to keep her from falling.
"Woah!" Emma teetered, but regained her balance. "Hey, look!" She started skating on her own, wobbly but moving.
"Good!" Jack said, following her. suddenly there was a loud cracking noise. Jack slipped and stumbled backward away from Emma, who shrieked and stopped, almost falling. Jack turned back toward her and his eyes widened in fear. A crack was forming in the ice directly below Emma's feet.
"Emma!" he shouted. He tried to approach her but was wary of the ice cracking anymore. he tried to calm himself down so Emma wouldn't start panicking.
"Jack, I'm scared!" she said, looking at him desperately.
"I know, I know, but you're gonna be okay." he thought fast, taking off his skates so he could help her easily. "We're gonna have a little fun instead!" he tried to laugh, but it came out very nervously.
"No, we're not!" Emma said.
"Would I trick you?" Jack tried to reassure her.
"Yes, you always play tricks!" she was sounding more frightened. She was standing as still as possible, but her knees were wobbling.
"Well not this time." Jack said. He smiled a bit. "You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we play everyday." It was working, she was looking less scared. "It's as easy as one..." he took a step toward his fallen staff, and cringed as the ice cracked and moaned a bit. "Two..." he took another step, looking at Emma with as much confidence as he could muster. "Three!" He hopped onto solid ice and grabbed his staff.
"Now your turn. One..." Emma tried to take a step on her skates and gasped as the ice continued to crack. "Two..." she took another small, perilous step. "Three!" Jack reached his staff out and hooked it around Emma's waist, pulling her onto solid ice. She slid on her stomach to safety and looked over at Jack in relief. He laughed in exhilaration that his sister was all right.
Suddenly the ice collapsed beneath him and Jack fell backwards into the freezing water.
"Jack!" Emma called.
Everything went dark.