IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

A kid packed a snowball, threw it, and ducked. A white orb whizzed over his head.

The stakes were high. The rules were simple. Get hit, you're out. The last man standing would receive the Snowball Cup, skillfully whittled by their father.

The kid's intended target laughed.

"Missed me!"

The kid gritted his teeth and formed another sphere. This time, he packed it hard into one of his Hardballs, or Snowbombs. Then he heard footsteps behind him. He whipped around and his snowball flew straight and true right into the other guy's open mouth.

"Out," the kid said.

The boy he'd hit stumbled away and ran crying to his dad.

Then four snowballs came flying at the kid. He snapped out of his trance and dodged all of them. Then he shot a volley of snowballs at guy who had fired the orbs. He could hear groaning, then a shout of "I'm out!"

The kid jumped up and started doing a victory dance. Then a snowball shot past his face. Without looking, he threw a snowball over his shoulder. The sound of a poof hit his ears.

Then his dad threw the Snowball Cup to him.

THE END