Sh, whispered Elisa. “I think she’s coming!”

Elisa and Cory stifled their giggles and crouched behind the pine trees. Peeping out through the snow-covered branches, the children held their breath and listened for the tinkle of Minnie’s collar as the old dog tried to find their hiding place. It was usually the old hound’s favorite game, but today the only sounds the children heard were the wind whistling softly across the frozen snow and ice cracking on the river.

   Cory shivered with cold. “I wonder where she is,” he said. “I hope she isn’t chasing a deer.”

   Elisa snorted. “Minnie’s too lame for that. I bet she went home to wait where it’s nice and warm.”

   Cory was doubtful. “She wouldn’t go home without us,” he said. “Maybe she got ahead, and we didn’t notice. Let’s go to the bridge and see if she’s there.”

   They started down the trail at a brisk pace, glad to be moving again. The bare branches of the trees rattled forlornly as they tramped through the frozen snow.

Elisa struggled to keep up with her older brother. “Wouldn’t it be easier to walk on the ice on the river?” she called to him. 

Cory slowed his pace and waited for her to catch up. “It’s too dangerous,” he said. “The water is still flowing underneath and that keeps the ice thin. We might fall through.” He held out a mittened hand. “I’ll help you.”

   “No thanks,” said Elisa stubbornly. “I can keep up.” But she was secretly glad that Cory walked beside her until they reached the bridge.

The old wooden bridge spanned the widest part of the river. In summer they often came here to fish or lie in the sun, but now it was a desolate, wind-swept place. They could hear the water gurgling softly beneath the ice as they looked out over the railing, hoping to glimpse Minnie walking along the bank.

Cory cupped his hands to his mouth and called , “Minnie!” His voice echoed back to him from the lonely woods. “I don’t see her, Elisa. Do you?” he asked.

Elisa gave a startled cry, and Cory turned sharply to see Minnie ten feet from shore. The old dog had fallen through the ice and was paddling in desperate circles.

“Hang on, Minnie. I’m coming!” Cory cried, racing toward the river. Elisa was already ahead of him, pulling off her coat, scarf and mittens, ready to plunge in and save her dog. Blinded by tears, she stumbled out onto the ice.

   Cory caught up to her and pulled her back. “Do you want to drown yourself?” he shouted. His face was white as he held out the warm clothes she had dropped. “Put these back on and let me think of something.” He looked grimly at the river. Elisa sobbed as she struggled into her coat. “You can save her, can’t you Cory? She won’t die, will she?”

   “Of course not,” he said, wishing he felt as confident as he was trying to sound.

  The sight of the children had given Minnie new hope, and she managed to get her front paws up on the ice. She scratched and clawed frantically at the slippery surface, but her hind legs were too arthritic to be of much help. For a moment her frightened brown eyes met Cory’s, then she slipped back into the icy water and began swimming once more.

Cory searched the bank until he found a long, twisted branch. Holding it firmly, he maneuvered the end until he had hooked it under Minnie’s collar.

“C’mon girl,” he said to the tired dog. She heaved her front paws onto the ice and struggled desperately while he tried to help her by pulling on the branch. Frost and moisture had made the wood brittle and it snapped almost immediately. Once more Minnie struck out swimming, but now her head was barely above the surface of the water.

  A terrible thought crossed Cory’s mind– Minnie was going to drown before their eyes. It’s not fair, he thought. Why doesn’t someone come along to help us? He scanned the woods for a game warden or a hunter, but saw no one. The woods were silent, waiting. “I don’t know what to do,” he said, frightened.

“I’m going to help her! Elisa cried.

  Once again Cory grabbed his little sister’s arm to prevent her from going out onto the ice. She bit and kicked at him as tears of frustration ran down her cheeks.

“Listen to me!” yelled Cory.

“I thought of something, but I need your help.” Elisa wiped the tears from her face. “I’m going to lie down on the ice and try to crawl to Minnie. You lie down behind me and hold my ankles. Don’t let go, no matter what, and don’t stand up. Understand?”

Elisa nodded, sniffling.

Cory lay on the ice so that his weight would be distributed evenly and there would be less chance of breaking through. He felt Elisa’s hands close around his ankles. As he inched his way forward, he could hear the water rushing beneath the ice. A few feet in front of him was the deep green hole where the dog had broken through. Cory’s heart pounded with fear, but he kept going. At last he reached the edge of the hole and threw his arms around Minnie’s neck. It felt reassuring to have a hold on her, but he soon realized there was little else he could do. The ice was slippery, and every time he tried to pull her out, he began to slide forward himself.

“Have you got her?” called Elisa anxiously.

“Yes,” Cory yelled over his shoulder, “but I can’t–” Before he could explain, he found himself being pulled back across the ice with Minnie in his arms. He looked around in amazement, expecting to see a big man with a broad grin standing behind him, but there was only his sturdy little sister, laughing and crawling over the ice to throw her arms around the shivering dog.

“How did you do that?” cried Cory. “You’re not that strong!” Then as Minnie, tail wagging wildly, began to lick his face, he saw what had happened.

Elisa had put her wool coat on the ice to protect her from the cold. The warmth of her body lying on top of it had made the wool fibers stick firmly to the ice, so that when she pulled on Cory’s legs, he slipped across the surface to her as easily as a cork popping from a bottle.

Cory grinned in admiration. “You sure are one smart little sister!” he said, tousling her hair. He took off his plaid shirt and dried Minnie with it. “It’s a good thing we were all together today,” he said softly to the dog as he rubbed her lopsided ears. She wagged her tail in agreement, and the three hurried toward the warmth of home without looking back.