More snowballs flew past my face. Then I saw someone come out from behind a white tree. It was the man from the shop! It was Jim!

I laughed and quickly made a snowball. Then I sent it through the air.

But Jim moved so quickly to one side the snowball hit a tree behind him. So I started to make another snowball, but before it was ready, Jim threw a new one at me.

I laughed again. Then I ran behind a wall and made lots of snowballs. When they were ready, I came out from behind the wall. But Jim had made lots of snowballs too, and soon I was very wet.

After a few minutes I was laughing so much my stomach hurt, just the way it does when I'm laughing at parties with my deaf friends.

When I looked up at last, I saw that Jim was standing quite close to me. I also saw that something was wrong. He wasn't smiling now. He was looking at me. I remembered how he looked at me in the shop and I knew it was the same now. He was waiting for me to answer him. But I couldn't.

I looked into his face, waiting for him to speak again. After a while, he did, and this time I watched his mouth very carefully. There was an outside light on the side of the house. Anyway, the snow all around us made it almost as light as day.

'What's your name?' he asked. This time I knew it was very important for me say something.

'Sam,' I said carefully. 'My name's Sam. Samantha.' Then I told him: 'I can't hear what you say. I'm deaf.'

He looked at me for a very long time, and I wasn't sure if he understood. Then he smiled. 'Can you lip-read, Sam?' he asked.

I nodded. 'Yes,' I said. 'Usually.'

'Then lip-read this,' he said, moving his mouth carefully. 'The time for talking has finished. Get your snowballs ready!' Then he ran away and went back behind his tree. Before I could move, snowballs were coming through the air again.

I ran back behind my wall, laughing. My first snowball hit him in the face. But he sent one back which got me on my face. The snow was told and wet in my eyes, but I didn't mind. I was happy. I knew Jim was throwing snowballs at me because he liked me.

Sometimes when people learn about me being deaf they're very careful with me. I feel like I'm a piece of expensive glass. It's difficult to be friends with a piece of expensive glass. Bui Jim wasn't careful with me and I liked that.