Cruz Genet, 11, and Anthony Skop-ick, 10, couldn't agree. Were the birds out on the ice ducks or geese? So on a 1 January evening last year, the two friends ventured onto the 2 pond near their homes, to get a better look. First they tossed a rock onto the ice to 3 it. Then they stepped on it. 4 the ice would hold their weight, Anthony took a few steps, then…FOOMP. He crashed through the 5 frozen surface. "There was no sound, no crack, " he recalled, "I just fell through instantly". Cruz 6 to help his panicked friend. FOOMP-the pond. 7 him too.
The boys were up to their necks in icy water and quickly losing feeling in their limbs. Any chance of their 8 themselves was slipping away. Cruz was sure he was going to die. Anthony's older sister was nearby and started screaming for help.
John Lavin, a 9 driving nearby on his way home, heard her. He quickly 10 . Seeing the boys, he grabbed a nearby buoy (救生圈), 11 off his shoes, and ran into the slushy (融雪的) water, chopping his way through the ice with his free 12 .
Lavin made his way to Cruz and Anthony and hauled (拉) them back to land. When in hospital, doctors discovered that their five-minute 13 in the water had lowered their body 14 nearly ten degrees.
Fortunately, the boys have fully recovered, though they are still a little awestruck by their 15 neighbour. "Just to think, " says Cruz, "If he weren't there, we could have died. "
