But here she was. Water pooled in the hollow of her throat. Her boots squelched with every small shift of weight. Even her eyelashes were heavy, forcing her to blink slowly, like a creature emerging from a lake.

As the morning wore on, Skylar began to feel the cold. Her toes were numb, and her fingers felt like ice. But she was having too much fun to go back inside. She built a snowman, made snow angels, and even had a snowball fight with a friendly squirrel.

"You look terrible," they said, water dripping from their chin.