The Snowman's Plight

The Snowman’s Plight

By Dave Gore

It was a cold winter’s morning, with snow covering all the land, the type of morning when children play on their sledges, have snowball fights and build snowmen.

One particular snowman was nearly finished, just two eyes and carrot nose to fit onto his round face, the old hat to put on top of his head and the scarf to wrap around his neck.

Now that he was complete, he could see two children who had built him so carefully for the last two hours; they were now making snowballs and throwing them at each other.

Further down the hill on which he was standing, he could see other children on their sledges and skating on the small pond that Jack Frost had frozen over during the night.

All the children were smiling and having a wonderful time and the snowman was so happy to be with them all.

As the next few days passed by, other children came to look and talk to the snowman, it didn’t worry him that he couldn’t answer them, he was just happy to have so many friendly children near him.

But this was the day that the snowman would remember for a long time, for late that afternoon above the clouds, there was one person who was not friendly or happy, for Mr. Sun hated the cold.

I am fed up with all this cold weather said Mr. Sun, I cannot see how anyone can enjoy all this snow and frost, I will come from behind this cloud and warm up the land, that way all the snow will melt and everyone will be warm and happy.

Slowly Mr. Sun started to move from behind the cloud and with each movement Mr. Sun’s hot rays sped towards the ground below.

Very soon the land became warmer and slowly the snow and ice started to melt.

The snowman soon felt the warm rays playing on his head and back, what’s happening? cried the snowman, it’s not supposed to get this hot in the middle of winter, all the ice is melting on the pond and the snow the children were playing with is turning to water.

All around him the children were unhappy and sad, the sledges would no longer slide down the hill, there could be no more snowball fights and the ice on the pond was now too thin to be skated on.

All of a sudden one of the snowman’s eyes fell from his round face, I don’t want to melt yet he cried and a tear started to fall from the snowman’s other eye.

I’m so unhappy, I have been having such a wonderful time with all the children and I should be here for at least another month.

Go away Mr. Sun cried the snowman, but Mr. Sun was in no mood to listen to the snowman’s cries, he just kept on throwing his hot rays at the ground below and laughing.

But someone did here the snowman’s cries, it was Jack Frost, he had been resting after being up all night making the snow crisp and the ice on the pond hard and thick enough for the children to skate on.

What is all that noise about he said and jumped across to the snowman, just in time to see the snowman’s other eye fall to the ground.

Look what’s happening to me, said the snowman, everything is melting and I don’t want to melt just yet and again tears began to fall from the holes which were once the snowman’s eyes.

Why that mean old Mr. Sun, said Jack Frost, we don’t ruin his season, so why should he try to ruin ours.

I will get my friends the four winds to help me out.

Jack Frost called out as loud as he could for the four winds to come to him.

The North wind was the first to arrive, followed by the East and West and last of all the South wind.

What’s going on they all asked together.

Well, when Jack Frost had told them, they were all very angry and decided that Mr. Sun should be taught a lesson.

They worked out a plan and on the count of three, the four winds started to blow as hard as they could towards Mr. Sun, Jack Frost jumped up and down on the ground and onto the four winds, so that the warmer winds would be able to blow colder.

Soon, Mr. Sun started to feel cold, I don’t like this I like to be hot, stop it, stop it, shouted Mr. Sun and threw more of his hot rays at the four winds and towards the ground.

But with Jack Frost and the four winds working together, Mr. Sun’s hot rays just got colder as they made their way towards the ground.

Very soon Mr. Sun was getting colder and colder; all his heat was slowly dying. Please stop, said Mr. Sun, or all my fires will die and there will be no more hot lovely summers.

Why should we, said the North wind as he continued to blow his cold breath towards Mr. Sun, Yes why should we, said the other winds and Jack Frost, you didn’t think of us, the children or the snowman when you started to throw your hot rays at the snow and ice, all you thought of was yourself and that was not very nice.

Now all the children are unhappy because they can no longer throw snowballs, or slide down the hills on their sledges and the ice on the pond is now so thin that it is not safe for the children to skate on and poor Mr. Snowman, why he is melting so fast that all he will be soon is a big wet puddle.

I thought that they would all be happy if I made it warm, said Mr. Sun.

I didn’t know that I was making everyone so sad, if you stop blowing all your cold wind at me and making me cold, I promise to go away and not come back until it is my time of the year.

Right, said Jack Frost, if you will keep your promise we will stop, I will, I will, said Mr. Sun, but please stop, I am so cold now I can hardly move.

So Jack Frost stopped jumping around and the four winds all stopped blowing towards Mr. Sun.

Thank you, said Mr. Sun, as soon as I get warm again I will go away.

Soon Mr. Sun was nice and hot again, his fires were now burning as bright as they were before he came from behind the cloud.

He kept his promise and was soon on his way to the other side of the world, where he should have been in the first place.

Now Jack Frost and the four winds had a lot of work to do, they had to freeze the pond over again so that it was safe to skate on, blow cold air at the clouds so that they could make it snow and all before the children woke in the morning.

They worked all night and just before dawn broke all was back as it should have been.

The snow covered all the land for as far as you could see and the little pond was frozen so hard that it would be safe once again for the children to skate on.

Well that was hard work, they all said, wait cried the South Wind, what about Mr. Snowman, he no longer looked like a snowman, can we try to rebuild him.

No I’m afraid we can’t said the West Wind.

Can’t we please try, said the East Wind, he looks so bad.

Don’t worry about him said Jack Frost, the children loved the snowman, they will soon put him back as he was when they see him.

And Jack Frost was right, all the children worked very hard and soon the snowman was back to his normal self, but this time they made him even smarter than he was before and so that he wouldn’t get lonely when they were not around, they built another snowman to keep him company.

THE END