Snowmen Page #6

Dad, it's okay.

I know the truth.

I can feel it.

I know I'm dying.

I told you I would never,

ever lie to you about that again.

Dad, you're not lying.

You're spinning.

You're telling me

what I want to hear...

just like you do

on your commercials.

Billy.

Oh, okay.

Billy. You don't have cancer

anymore, Billy.

You beat it.

You really did, Billy.

Billy?

Billy!

I came here to be alone.

You left these at my place.

Thought you might want them.

You actually skated

all the way across the lake again?

Only fell twelve times.

I really did think I was still sick.

I mean,

at least I was pretty sure.

I'm kind of glad you're not dying.

Be easier if I was.

Now I have to live

with everyone hating me.

Rrrrr.

Whoa. Are you a ghost?

I am.

Sorry, just kidding.

Oaretaker humor.

Ha ha.

Oan I help you boys?

No. We're just visiting

Emerson Wyte.

We were his only friends.

Don't know why you think that.

He had lots of friends.

You knew him?

I was working here

during the funeral.

One of the nicest services

I've ever seen.

But I thought...

On the news, they said that nobody

even noticed him missing.

A man that age,

family's moved away,

friends have a hard time

getting around.

Sounds like he kept to himself

since his wife died,

last summer, as I recall.

Now...

here they are together again, hmm?

How come she gets a tombstone

and he doesn't?

He's gonna have a beautiful stone

to match his wife's here.

We'll put it in in the spring

once the ground thaws.

Would you like to see

some photographs of him?

Mr. Wyte? Huh?

- Yeah.

- Sure.

The family still hasn't picked

these up from the service.

He looks happy.

Yeah, always smiling.

That's what everyone said.

But what did he do?

Well, a lot.

He was 87 years old.

Whew.

But did he do anything

that mattered?

Like what was his job?

I think he owned a grocery store.

Yeah, here.

That's it?

- Uh-huh.

- He owned a shop?

Yeah.

You see this lad here?

He stood right here

and shared how Mr. Wyte

helped him through rough times

when he was younger.

This chapel was full of people

with stories like that.

But that's just those people.

I want to do something that matters

to the whole world

like setting a world record.

A record? Wow.

We tried to make

the most snowmen in one day.

Well, that sounds

like a lot of fun.

But it wasn'tjust fun.

It was...

It'll always be proof

that I did something important.

So setting this world record

makes other people

happy somehow?

I've seen a lot of funerals,

heard a lot of life stories.

And it seems to me

that when people talk

about someone living a good life,

it's not what they did that matters

so much as how they did it.

Maybe being a good person

is a purpose all by itself.

Being a good friend,

even with people

who don't want to be friends.

That's the kind of thing that

could ripple from person to person

for years and years.

That's profound.

I got to get back to work.

You boys just let yourselves out.

See ya.

No, not for a long time.

Not for a long time.

Reggie? You all right?

How's your car?

Never warms up.

I'll get you a better one, okay?

Even trade.

So I was, uh...

I was watching the news.

Oh, yeah?

Did they show what happened

at the school?

- Oh, yeah.

- Yeah.

Did they get my sign in?

Yeah. You know,

big enough to read.

He had a one-in-five chance

of beating it.

There was an 80 percent chance

that I was gonna lose my son.

All the tests said he beat it.

Praise God for that.

Yeah, but he didn't believe it.

Oh.

I've been so obsessed

with paying all the bills.

The hospital calls every day,

and I've just been

in such a rush to put it behind us.

The whole time,

he thinks he's gonna...

Reggie, there's time now.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Hi. Mr. Kirkfield?

Yeah?

Hi. I'm Gwen.

I'm a friend of Bill's.

Oh...

You're Gwen.

Yeah, he's mentioned your name,

a lot actually.

Um, do you think he'd

want to see anyone right now?

Um, he hasn't come home yet.

Matter of fact, I was

just gonna go look for him again.

Oh, they went to see

the Snowman.

You know, the man

they found in the front yard.

They've been visiting

his, uh, grave.

That's creepy.

Uh, do you know which cemetery?

Um, it's somewhere

near a water park.

They said underwater,

I think.

Oh, I know where that is.

Up, over,

around, and through.

Oan you stop wiggling?

Up, over, around and through.

You should learn

how to do this yourself.

They're too loose when I do it.

I don't think we should skate today.

Everything's melting.

The park always melts first.

Lake ice is way thicker.

Right, Billy?

So, uh, Billy,

your hair gonna grow back now?

Guess so.

You should grow a Mohawk

or grow, like, really long hair.

No, like Mohawk, yeah.

And then dye it purple

and go to all these funky parties.

Lucas, watch out!

Get away from him!

Back off or I'll cut him!

How would you like that, Lucas?

How about a closer shave

than Billy?

Leave him alone, Jason.

He didn't even want to fight you.

But he's such a chicken.

I can't stand him.

You're the chicken.

Only reason you pick on him

is 'cause he doesn't fight back.

Yeah, mon.

Why don't you fight us?

No. Back off, Howard.

Just me.

Just fight me,

or are you too chicken?

Were you crying?

Any last words, Kirkfield?

Yeah.

Yeah. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I threw

those snowballs at you

and that we took over

your stupid hill.

I'm sorry I always make fun of you

failing three times.

Maybe you're just a jerk

because nobody

gives you a chance

to be anything else.

I failed one time.

You're still gonna die,

you know.

I'm ready.

Look out!

- Billy!

- Help! Help!

Help!

Billy!

We have to get him out!

We'll get him out,

but you got to get help!

You're the only one

with skates on! Go!

Go!

Billy!

I see him! I see him!

He's drowning!

We have to get him out!

You're gonna kill yourself, too!

It's not woking!

Oh, no. Billy.

Whoa oh!

I'll get you out! Billy!

Help me!

I can't! I'm too heavy!

- He's drowning!

- What am I supposed to do?

Get over here!

And then I couldn't hold

my breath anymore,

and I knew I was gonna die.

That's when I stopped praying

for God to save me

and just asked him to forgive me.

It didn't matter

that I wasn't in the record books.

That didn't even cross my mind.

All I could think about

was missing my friends and family

and them missing me.

It's funny how clear everything is

when it's too late.

Oh, please, God.

Grab it!

Just hold on!

Help! Help!

Over there!

That's Howard!

- Help!

Something's not right.

- Help!

- Sit back. Hold on.

So that's it.

That's how I died.

You probably

didn't believe me before,

but I wasn't spinning.

I really was dead...

for almost 53 minutes.

The doctors said I survived

because I was so cold,

basically frozen.

All they had to do was thaw me out

and start me up again.

Sort of like that frog

we learned about.

Oh!

Thank you.

Oan we see him now?

Please, please.

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