" Were the birds on the ice ducks or geese (鹅)?" Cruz, 11, and Anthony, 12, couldn't agree. There was only one way to find out. So on a cold January evening, the two friends took a risk onto the frozen(冻结的) lake near their homes.
"First, we threw a stone onto the ice to test it. We thought it would hold our weight. Then we stepped on it," Cruz said. Anthony went first. He took a few steps, then... He fell through the seemingly frozen ice!
Cruz rushed to help his friend. The lake "ate" him, too. Cruz managed to lift himself out of the freezing water and onto some ice. He then tried to work his way toward Anthony. But the ice didn't hold, and he fell in again. This time, he couldn't get out.
The boys were up to their necks in icy water and quickly losing feeling in their arm sand legs. Cruz had a sense that he was going to die.
Anthony's older sister had seen all this and started shouting for help. John Lavin, a neighbor driving nearby heard her. He quickly pulled over. He caught a nearby float(浮板), kicked off his shoes. And ran into the water, clearing his way through the ice with his free hand. "It was kind of a ' Hulk smash'" Lavin later joked.
Lavin made his way to pull the boys back to land. They were taken to hospital immediately. The doctor said their five-minute stay in the water made their body temperature drop nearly ten degrees. Luckily, the boys got well soon. They admire their fearless neighbor just as Hulk, one of Marvel Superheroes.
