It was an icy night in New York City, July 27, 2007, and snow was falling covering the streets with a silent white mantle. The wind whistled between the buildings and made the trees crackle, while yellow lights barely illuminated the sidewalks and the cold pierced the bone. An 8-year-old boy, named John, was walking back home, with his hands in his pockets and the collar of his coat raised. His steps sank gently into the snow and his breath came out in small clouds of steam. He was so focused on not slipping that he barely noticed anything strange