Snowman

By Susan Gordon

I was built the other day in Tom and Sandra’s back garden. They started to build me bit by bit. I hope that this won’t take too long as it is very cold and I’m trying not to sneeze.

I quite like my body, although I do look a bit full up. The garden birds all agree that snowmen are supposed to look fat and happy. The children have found small flat stones to look like buttons and they do look fine and I look as if I am wearing a cardigan.

It has been snowing for much of the morning, The children didn’t go to school, but a garden bird told me that it was Sunday and the schools are closed. My friend told me that I can tell when it is Sunday because the church bells ring. I hoped that I could stay for a while and not melt.

Tom made a good job with my head. I have a carrot for a nose and two cute pieces of coal for eyes. I felt much better when Sandra gave me a beret and scarf. I am still hoping not to melt.

I have made friends with a Robin, a Blackbird and a couple of squirrels. They scamper around me and keep me up to date with the latest news.

The Robin mentioned that the weather was going to get colder. More snow it seems is coming from Scotland and the frosty snow showers are to follow. This is good news indeed. It means that I can stay a bit longer.

The squirrels are a friendly couple too. They have offered to share their nuts but had to be reminded that my mouth is only a twig and I can’t really eat. This seemed to have confused them and they went off discussing the problem.

I have made friends with a couple of hedgehogs who are just getting their hibernation shopping. They have fluffy pillows, linen sheets and new duvets. They have also tucked in their teddies, candles and a hot water bottle. They have a blanket and bed socks and believe that it will be a hard winter.

It seems that there have been other snowmen in this garden before, but they only lasted for a little time and melted away when the earth was warm and the sun in the sky. I don’t want this to happen to me. My garden friends came up with a good solution. As they didn’t want me to melt and disappear, they could pile more snow so I could last longer.

As the daylight became darker when the clocks changed, we cheered each other up. However, one afternoon I was surprised to see two squirrels pulling a sleeping bag each. Pillows and a blanket were piled on top.

When I asked what they were doing they told me that they were going to sleep, called hibernation. This meant that the squirrels and the hedgehogs went to sleep in the winter and wake up in the spring.

They would go to sleep nearby and if they noticed that I was melting, they promised to shovel snow on me so I would last longer. I hope this happens.

The robin and blackbird flew by every so often with weather reports. It seemed that freezing sleet and snow was on its way to my garden. They say the snow has never been so deep. I hope it lasts.

The children helped to keep me up when they could and the squirrels kept their word about helping. They woke up when it got dark and piled snow on me, so I didn’t melt. I knew that my garden friends found it hard. They had to sit up and break their hibernation to keep me going. I was so grateful.

People who lived nearby were surprised to see how long I lasted. A snowman had never lasted so long and no one knew why or how.

People also came from far and wide too and I had my picture taken too. The blackbird even thought that my picture was in the newspapers. Foreigners came to see me and I understand that the Queen has sent me a “Thank You” card.

Of course, all good things come to an end and I don’t want to overstay my welcome. My garden friends have been so delightful. They tried their best to keep me going, but their lack of sleep was starting to show.

The squirrels couldn’t stop yawning and they had half-closed eyes. They sometimes even fell asleep just standing up and I was worried about their health. The hedgehogs were sleepy too. They yawned and stretched and found it hard to stay awake.

As winter melted into spring, I melted too. I was sorry to go, but I managed to thank my friends and say goodbye.

- Total nr. of readings: 2,159 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.