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1

It was another Spooksville mystery.

The town was freezing, and it was summer still. The cold weather was as strange as the boiling temperatures of a couple weeks earlier, when Adam Freeman and his friends had run into aliens. None of them could understand what had brought on the chilly snap. That Monday morning—when they first got up—every window in town was coated with a fine layer of white frost. Little did they know that by the time the sun went down, there would be frost inside many of the people who lived in Spooksville.

Adam, Sally Wilcox, Cindy Makey, and Watch started off the day by having their usual milk and doughnuts at the local bakery. Actually, because of the cold, they each had a cup of coffee as well, just to warm their bones. Watch had a thermometer in one of the four watches he regularly wore, and he studied it as they munched their food. He said he doubted the temperature would get above freezing all day.

“It’s still in the low twenties,” he added. “If we’re going to be outside today, we’d better keep moving.”

They took Watch’s suggestion to heart and decided to spend the day hiking in the woods in the hills around Spooksville. They pedaled their bikes until the road ran out and then hid them in some trees. Adam had been up in the hills before, of course, when he visited the Haunted Cave and the reservoir. But he had never been into the woods. He was amazed at the size and variety of the trees.

“This forest is like something out of Hansel and Gretel,” he said as they hiked along a narrow path covered with pine needles. He wore a heavy jacket, which he unzipped as he walked. The exercise was taking away some of the chill.

Sally snorted. “Hansel and Gretel were light-weights. They had only one witch to kill, and they got famous. We get worse than that every week and no one writes about us.”

“We need a press agent,” Watch agreed. “Our life stories need to be on TV.”

“Personally I like being unknown,” Cindy said. “I don’t need all the money and fame.”

“Wait till you’re a few years older,” Sally said. “Money and fame will be what you crave most.”

“I think all that stuff is superficial,” Cindy said.

Sally snickered. “Spoken like a true liberal. In this world you’ve got to cash in on whatever, whenever you can. For that reason I’ve started to keep a journal of my experiences. If I don’t die in the next ten years, I figure I’ll be able to auction the movie rights to my life.”

“Am I in your journal?” Adam asked.

Sally hesitated. “You’re mentioned in a small footnote.”

It was Cindy’s turn to snicker. “I bet the whole journal is about Adam.”

“That’s not true,” Sally said quickly.

“Ha,” Cindy said. “Prove it. Let us read it.”

“You can read it,” Sally said. “In exchange for a million bucks.”

As usual, Sally had the last word. They continued up the path without further conversation. The path narrowed as the trees grew thicker and pushed in from the sides. The way the heavy branches hung over them, it could have been close to dark—the shade was that deep. Yet Adam could still make out his breath as he exhaled. Once again he wondered about the strange weather, and what could be causing it. He knew there must be a reason.

They were finished exploring and about to turn back when they spotted the Cold People. Adam saw them first, but thought he was just seeing huge blocks of ice jammed between trees. That in itself would have been strange. Even though there was frost, there was no actual snow or ice.

“Hey,” Adam said, pointing to a spot fifty feet off the path. “What’s that?”

They all peered in the shadows.

“Looks like a glacier,” Sally said.

“The ice age would have to arrive for us to have a glacier here,” Cindy said.

“This town is not known for standard weather patterns,” Sally said. “Two winters ago we had an iceberg float into our harbor. It hung offshore for a couple of months. We had incredible snowball fights, until a polar bear came out of a hidden ice cave and ate Buddy Silverstone.”

Cindy snorted. “I don’t believe it.”

“There actually was an iceberg,” Watch said. “But it was an Eskimo who came out of the cave. And he just invited Buddy to dinner.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell Buddy that he was the main course,” Sally lied.

“Would you guys stop arguing and tell me what we’re looking at,” Adam said.

Cindy squinted. “Looks like big blocks of ice.”

“We know that,” Sally said impatiently. “But what is the nature of these blocks of ice? Are they composed of frozen water? Are they from this planet? You have to ask yourself these questions.”

“Why don’t we walk over and have a closer look,” Watch suggested.

It was a reasonable idea, although it was harder to get to the ice blocks than Adam would have imagined. The trees were so dense that he felt as if they were threatening to squeeze him to a pulp. No pun intended, he thought. But he realized he must be flashing back on his first day in Spooksville, when a tree had, in fact, tried to eat him alive. He had thought at the time that that was a strange day. Looking back, it had been pretty normal for Spooksville.

There were not the two or three blocks of ice they had seen from the path, but literally dozens. Some were lying down, others stood jammed between tree trunks. They were almost all identical in size, seven feet long by two feet deep and wide. Adam and his friends knelt by the first one they came to—which was lying flat. Watch tried brushing off the outer covering of frost. But still they could not see to the center of it.

Yet they could make out something in there.

Something large and dark.

“These are shaped like frozen coffins,” Sally said softly.

“Where did they come from?” Cindy whispered, fear in her voice. Up close, the ice blocks were sort of scary. Watch continued to brush at the outer frost, probably hoping to clear the ice.

“I don’t think the ice-cream man put them here,” Sally said.

“This block is really cold,” Watch said, pausing to breathe on his unprotected hand. “And I don’t mean it’s ice-cold.”

“What do you mean?” Cindy asked.

“Let me show you,” Watch said. He took off the watch that had the thermometer and laid it on top of the block. He left it there for perhaps ten seconds before he snapped it back up. He studied the reading. “Ten degrees Fahrenheit,” he muttered.

“That’s twenty-two degrees below freezing,” Sally whispered, amazed.

“That’s a lot colder than the air temperature ever gets around here,” Adam said.

Watch nodded. “Unless these blocks were just dropped here a few minutes ago—which I doubt—something inside them is generating this incredible cold.” He tapped at the block with the knuckles of his right hand, then leaned over and sniffed it. “I don’t even think this is frozen water.”

“What is it, then?” Cindy asked.

Watch frowned. “It has a faint ammonia smell. But it’s not ammonia.” He glanced at Adam. “I’d like to thaw one of these out.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Adam asked.

“No,” Sally and Cindy said quickly together. They glanced at each other in surprise. They seldom agreed on anything. Sally continued, “There may be something inside we don’t want thawed out.”

“Like what?” Adam asked.

Sally shook her head. “You know this town. We could have anything from a bloodthirsty vampire to a blob from Planet Zeon inside here. I have a personal rule against fooling with any strange artifact that might end up eating me.”

“That rule must make your journal pretty boring,” Cindy remarked.

“There’s a problem here that we’re forgetting,” Adam said. “It’s freezing today, and it’s still summer. These blocks are colder than freezing. So is it possible there’s a connection between the two?”

Watch nodded. “Good point. But I know for a fact that these blocks alone are not cooling off the entire town.”

“I’m not saying that,” Adam replied. “What I mean is these blocks may have come here today because it’s cold.”

“You mean whoever put them here might be making it cold?” Cindy asked.

“Exactly,” Adam said.

“I think we have to take a chance,” Watch said. “We have to thaw one out. Maybe there’s nothing inside any of these blocks.”

“I have my Bic lighter,” Sally said reluctantly. “We could gather some dry sticks and build a fire beside it.”

“But the fire might hurt whatever is inside the block,” Cindy said.

“Personally, I’m not worried about that,” Sally said.

“If we’re careful with the flames,” Watch said, “I’m sure we can avoid damaging the contents of the block.”

Adam nodded. “I do think we have to have a look at the inside. I know I won’t be able to sleep wondering what’s in it. As long as we all understand that we probably won’t be able to freeze the block again.”

Sally nodded. “This is like opening Pandora’s box. There might be no way to close the box.”

2

They didn’t have to go far to gather sticks and twigs to build a fire. Even though it was cold, the ground was dry. Soon they had a respectable pile of wood beside the ice block. Sally took out her lighter.

“Why do you carry a lighter?” Cindy asked. “Are you thinking of taking up smoking?”

Sally made a face. “You will recall how many times we wished we had a lighter in the last four weeks. Spooksville is unpredictable. If I wasn’t such a pacifist, I’d carry a gun in my other pocket.”

Cindy smiled. “You’re as much of a pacifist as a hungry mountain lion is.”

“What does pacifist mean?” Adam asked Watch.

“Sally when she’s totally unconscious,” Watch replied. “Light the pile, Sally, and move back. Adam, Cindy—you get back, too. I’ll take care of the fire.”

Sally flicked her Bic. In the deep shadows from the surrounding trees, the orange flame glowed bright. Sally moved it toward the pile of sticks and twigs.

“Are you worried something might jump out and grab us?” Sally asked.

“There’s no reason to risk all of us,” Watch said.

The flame caught immediately. In seconds they had a crackling campfire. The dark smoke gathered beneath the frost-covered branches. As the white flakes thawed, drops of water fell around them. But the block of ice thawed much more slowly. Taking Watch’s advice, Adam had moved back a few feet. But he could see that the block was hardly reacting to the fire. He pointed it out to the others.

“Just what I suspected,” Watch said. “This block can’t be frozen water. It must be some other substance, with a much lower freezing point. Hand me a couple of those logs, Cindy. We need a bigger fire if we’re going to get anywhere with this thing today.”

So Watch threw a couple of real logs on the fire. This wood took a few minutes to catch, but soon they had a roaring fire going. The smoke continued to gather beneath the branches, creating a black cloud that caused them all to start coughing. But now, finally, the block started to melt.

The liquid, as it dripped off, was a dull blue.

It puddled around Watch. Steam rose from it. Blue steam. It mingled with the black smoke, creating a ghostly color.

The block started to become clearer.

There was definitely something inside.

Humanoid shaped. It could be a man.

A very cold man.

“Watch,” Adam said softly. “I think maybe you should sit back with us.”

“Yeah,” Sally whispered. “I don’t like what I’m seeing.”

Watch shook his head. “I have to control the fire. I can’t burn him.”

“Is it a him?” Cindy gasped.

“I think so,” Watch said. “And if it is a person, he’s got to be dead. He can’t hurt us.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily make that statement about dead people in Spooksville,” Sally said.

The ice—or whatever it was—continued to thaw. A hand became visible inside the block, then an arm. The latter plopped out as the heat of the flames dug deeper into the block. The exposed flesh glistened in the light from the fire. Soon they were staring at a man. He was not naked but wore what looked like a blue jump suit. Yet his skin was very pale. Of course, he was a corpse—he was supposed to be pale.

“Is he alive?” Sally asked.

“He was frozen,” Cindy said. “He can’t be alive.” She paused. “Is he alive?”

Watch carefully poked his skin. “I don’t think so. He’s not moving or breathing and he’s too cold.”

“I don’t think you should touch him,” Adam said. “He might not like it.”

“Dead people don’t like or dislike anything,” Cindy said.

“I know a few dead people who have very specific tastes,” Sally said. “But I agree with Adam. Don’t touch him. You might catch some disease.”

Watch ignored them. He picked up the hand and studied the palm. “Incredible,” he whispered. “There are no lines on this hand. No prints on the fingers.”

“But aren’t fingerprints created in the womb?” Adam said.

“Yes,” Watch said. “I don’t think this creature was ever in one.”

“What are you saying?” Cindy demanded.

“He’s saying this creature was never born,” Sally said, her tone anxious. “And if that’s the case, it might never have died. Watch, get away from it now. You’re making me nervous.”

It was a pity Watch didn’t take Sally’s advice. If he had, maybe he would have gotten away. Maybe they all would have. But there were many maybe-mysteries in Spooksville that were never solved. Watch didn’t listen and he didn’t get away.

Watch was poking at the palm when the hand came alive.

The fingers moved. They bent into a claw shape.

Watch dropped the hand and sat back.

But the cold man’s arm was long.

It reached out and grabbed Watch by the foot.

“It’s got me!” Watch cried as he tried to shake loose. “Help!”

They jumped to his side, crowding around the fire. Adam went down on his knees beside Watch’s foot and pried at the fingers with all his strength. But they were like marble and didn’t budge. The hand began to pull Watch toward the block of ice. Sally grabbed a stick and began to pound on it. Cindy kicked at it. Still, the cold arm continued to drag Watch in toward the block.

“Grab a stick out of the fire!” Watch shouted. “Press it to its skin!”

Unfortunately they all turned to follow Watch’s advice at once. Which was a shame because at that exact moment, when their backs were to the block of ice, it exploded. The shards of ice fell over them like debris from a blast. For a moment they didn’t even know what was happening.

But then they saw that the cold man had broken free.

It was standing straight up. Holding on to Watch.

The cold man opened its eyes and stared at them.

The eyes were blue, completely blue. There were no pupils, no eyelashes. They shone with a strange light that sent shivers down their backs. The creature had its arm around Watch’s neck. Clearly it had no intention of letting him go.

“Use the fire,” Watch rasped, shivering uncontrollably. “Try to force him to release me.”

“Maybe we could ask it to let you go,” Cindy cried. “Hey, you big Popsicle, let our friend go!”

In response the creature only stared at Cindy, and the strange blue light from its eyes seemed to envelope her. Cindy backed up and screamed.

“It’s freezing me!” she said.

Adam had seen enough. He had a burning stick in his hand. He rushed toward the creature, waving it in the air. The cold creature turned away from Cindy and retreated. But it continued to hold on to Watch, using him as a shield.

“Let him go or you burn!” Adam shouted. “Sally! Go around his back.”

“Gotcha,” Sally said, a burning stick in her hand as well. She split from Adam’s side and tried to get behind the creature. But the trees were too thick, so she only made it to his right side. The cold man’s head darted from side to side. Clearly it didn’t like the fire, yet it was willing to risk it to hold on to Watch. Every time Adam tried to make a stab at the thing with his torch, it blocked his way using Watch as a shield.

“What should I do?” Adam called to Watch.

“It’s so cold,” Watch moaned, his lips actually turning white, as if he were freezing to death. “Try threatening one of its partners.”

“I’m on that,” Cindy said, grabbing a particularly big burning branch and taking it over to another block of ice. She held it close to the ice and called back to the cold man. “Let him go or I fry this one!”

Once more the cold man concentrated its weird glowing eyes on Cindy. The blue light seemed to leap toward her. Before Cindy could even raise her torch to ward off the freezing beam, her arm grew numb. She tried to speak but only choked sounds came out. Adam thought she might freeze or suffocate in the next minute. Not having a chance to think of another plan, he threw his torch in the air, at the creature’s head. The torch landed behind it, and the cold man turned and was forced to withdraw its icy gaze. But this time it didn’t give them a chance to regroup.

Tightening its grip on Watch, it yanked him into the trees. It was very quick and out of sight before any of them could react.

In the shadows of the forest, they heard Watch scream.

Then there was nothing but silence. Horrible silence.

The cold man had taken their friend.

3

They put out the fire. The flames appeared to be their only defense, but they were afraid the heat might wake another of the creatures. Yet they kept their torches, and they went after Watch.

But it was hopeless from the start. The trees were so crowded that it took them half an hour to go a hundred yards. Plus the creature could move many times faster than they could. They trudged after their friend with heavy hearts, knowing they weren’t going to find him, not without help. As they paused to catch their breath beside a gurgling stream, Adam stared at the dying torches and shook his head.

“We have to go back to the path,” he said reluctantly. “We can’t face the cold man without fire, and these sticks will burn out in a few minutes.”

“But we can’t leave Watch,” Cindy cried. “Remember when we were trapped in the cave? He did everything he could to rescue us. We have to do the same for him.”

“I agree with Adam,” Sally said sadly. “We can’t help him this way. We need reinforcements, better weapons. We have to get back to town and warn everybody about what could happen.”

“No one will believe us,” Cindy said. “If you told me a creature’s gaze could freeze me, I wouldn’t believe it.”

“But you don’t believe anything I say,” Sally replied.

“We’ll have to deal with that problem when we come to it,” Adam said.

“But what are we going to tell people?” Cindy persisted. “We don’t even know what these creatures are. We have no idea where they come from.”

Sally was curious. “What was it like when the creature stared at you?”

Cindy lowered her head and shivered. “It was as if the blood in my veins were turning to ice—literally. And there was something else—it was like the cold man hated me for being warm. I felt its hate, its envy.” A tear slipped over her cheek. “I hope Watch is all right.” She raised her head and stared at Adam. “You think he’s still alive, don’t you?”

Adam wanted to say something encouraging but knew Cindy would see through his lie. He thought of how strong the cold man was, how quickly it moved. How powerful its strange eyes were. Adam didn’t have much hope for his friend.

“I just don’t know,” Adam said quietly.

• • •

Their bikes were still where they’d left them. The road back to town was mostly downhill, and they never pedaled so fast in all their lives. The cold wind stung their faces, their cheeks burning and freezing at the same time. Adam wanted to ride straight to the police station but Sally wanted to find Bum first.

“Bum knows a thousand times more than the police do,” she said.

“I thought you didn’t trust Bum.” Adam said.

“I trust no one,” Sally said. “But Bum likes Watch. He’ll do anything to rescue him.”

They found Bum, who had once been the mayor of Spooksville, down at the beach feeding the pigeons. He seemed happy to see them, but when they told him what had happened, he sat down with a weary thud. His glum expression worried them. They could have come to tell him about the breakout of the next world war and he might have laughed it off. He was that easygoing. But there was something in their story that touched him deeply.

“It’s the Cryo Creatures,” Bum muttered.

“What are they?” Adam demanded.

“Cryo means cold,” Sally offered.

“We know that,” Cindy said impatiently. “But what are these creatures?”

Bum sighed. “To put it bluntly, they’re bad news. I haven’t heard of them in a long time. In fact, they have never appeared during my lifetime before.” He paused and shook his head. “You say they got Watch?”

The Story Continues on BooksBarbecue!

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