Lucy stared ahead as a wash of yellow-white colored her coat and face.

'We're going to get soaked if we don't get off the road,' Evan said, and looked for any clear spot they could move to. Tiny white lights grew out of the horizon and crawled along the street slowly. He didn't want to bring in the new year alone when his best friend was staying only blocks away. Lucy grabbed Evan's hand, and they walked mitten-in-glove, paw-in-paw. 'I was one, which puts me in a position to know. 'How do you know six-year-olds have tiny penises?' Lucy asked. 'That doesn't even come close to counting! Six-year-olds have tiny penises-that's just how it is!' Evan was lanky, kind of tall, and had, as girls told him, a cute face. 'I was six!' Evan nearly shouted, startled by his own echo. We were getting ready to go to the beach, and I walked into your room when you were changing, and there it was. ' When did you see it?' Evan asked, leaning over to see how serious she was. It's tiny.' Her eyes gleamed mischievously. She's kidding, right? 'Where's the punch line, Lucy?' 'I'm not sure you have.'Įvan's eyes widened. 'I've seen your penis, Ev,' Lucy said playfully. Their voices and a droning wind were the only sounds. The road ahead of them was wet and dark, and everything else was orange or black with touches of blue in the distance. 'I have reached puberty, thank you,' Evan said as they walked under a streetlight.

I'm tired of waiting.' She cut him a quick grin. Lucy pulled her winter hat tight over her long, straight brown hair. They walked in the shiny street along piles of curbside snow. 'You could have at least stayed until the ball dropped,' Evan said, making no effort to hide his disappointment. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at Thank you for your support of the author's rights. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author's intellectual property.

Winter Town by Stephen Emond