The Snowman

• Diti Vichare, Grade 6, Mosman Public School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Summertime Fun ONLINE' competition

Winter came.
Befallen trinkets and ornaments showered the moist carpet of snow. Chittering noises of children echoed through the vast open space. On the ground shaky letters carved out onto the snow writing ‘Snowman.’
A clump of snow mended into the shape of a ball. Two smaller balls stacked on top. The children's love encompasses it with heat. A combination of a red and yellow coloured carrot wedged in the middle of the smallest snowball rested on top, and two midnight coloured rocks just above the carrot. Cracked lips forming into a thousand smiles from the children. The first sign of winter, a snowman.
The Snowman looked toward the children, his round eyes gleaming with happiness. They laughed and giggled for hours on end. Their small bodies make angels in the snow and showering themselves with sprinkles of white. The moon pulled closer to the Earth while the sky turned dark. A shout from their mothers and the children were no more. Night time fell as the air chilled as a sign for the last few children to disappear. The snow dug into his body and the feeling of chilled ice gave the Snowman a satisfied feeling. Snowflakes tingled his orange nose and whispered to one another in delight. The snowman turned his head up, a furrow of concern on his placid face. A snowflake drifted onto his head and admitted his greatest fear.
“Only a few hours ‘till sunrise.”
The Snowman grunted in response. His snow-filled heart beating louder and louder. The worry encased him until he realised the sun had set long ago and his blinks were getting slower and slower. He gradually closed his eyes and let the sound of silence enslave him bit by bit. Warmth crept up to the Snowman, startled when he woke up. The sun was rising, and it was rising fast. A frozen tear rolled off his face as he positioned his body to face the sky. He knew what was coming, and he was ready for it. He thought back to the days of the children, with the mittens covering their hands and beanies snuggled on top of their heads. The sun closed in near him, like being stuck in a storm but unable to move. He let out a shuddering breath and closed his black beady eyes for all time. A small, sad cracked smile formed onto his lips. He relaxed his body, thinking of only joyous memories as he started to melt.