No words were spoken, there was nothing to be said. His head slumped forward, but not quite enough to hide the bead of water that traced a line down his face. She watched it trickle over his rounded cheek and down into the scarlet scarf tied so tightly round his neck. There would be others who’d pity him, but she knew that what caused his weakness made her stronger. And she knew that soon there’d be no need to seek shelter from his brittle coldness.
So she stood and watched the snowman in the slowly warming sun.
--------
We had our first snow last night. First snow of 2012 and the first time it's snowed since we've lived in Otford. Philip will be up soon, and urging me to go out and play. I'll wrap up warm and join him, but I'll be thinking of the sun.
29 comments:
It really doesn't seem fair. You'll be thinking of the sun and I am yearning for snow. Or at least frost.
We too had our first snow of 2012 yesterday. I watched little snowflakes dancing in the wind I all the time I was thinking of the sun and summer.
Beautifully written.
Short and sweet and pumped full of goodness. An acrobatic way with words, Sharon - your skill in conjuring up a sense of place is breath taking.
Enjoy the snow! :-)
Love it Sharon, even though I knew there'd be the punchline twist at the end! Lovely piece of writing.
Loved the piece. The concept of snow (and a snowman) is very exotic to us here in Florida.
snow. we usually have so much in maine, but there's hardly any this year. sharon, i really enjoy your writing.
What a great little piece of flash fiction with a surprise ending. And no tears shed here for Mr. Snow.
I am quite excited by the snow in a child like fashion.....but I have fantasies about feeling the hot sun on sandy feet.........
Love the little story! I was rivetted!
Cool story! Excellent! ~R
I agree with Bobby's comment, lovely piece of writing.
Very lovely! Not quite enough snow around my house for a snowman- but I'm hoping!!
Great story Sharon. Snow is magical but I prefer the sun too. I loved the little reference to "The Snowman" in paragraph one.
believe it or not given where i live, there hasn't been enough snow to build a snowman yet this winter . . . no snowball fights, no snowforts . . . steven
I absolutely love this. And I'm beyond jealous you even have snow. It was 72-degrees here today.
At home, it's still a bit warm for the season, but it's a good 15-20 degrees cooler, usually.
I could imagine it happening in front of y eyes! never played in real snow, being in India n all :(
I really enjoyed it yesterday - the sledging, playing and building. However, the warmth of the sun is so much better. It's out today. Hi ho.
Being in a frozen Italy, I can say only that I like snow very much, but when I am at home and through my windows!
... but I'm crazy for snowmen!!!
Loved this! I was about to re-read when I got the final sentence and then let out an audible "Ahhh"
This was both evocative and clever. Nice!
Oh, you drew me right in! Now go! Go and play in the snow. Build your iceman--no tears, I'm sure--wearing only bright smiles. :)
Poignant. That was an intense bit of writing.
Living in a country like India, snow has always been something out of the movies for me.
This piece was so visually striking that I could at least live the snow experience vicariously! :)
I'm almost embarrassed that you've all found so many kind things to say about such a short piece of writing - thank you.
The Elephant's Child - I'm trying really hard, but no... I can't ever see myself wishing for frost, let alone yearning for snow!
Starlight - thank you. That's a lovely image - little snowflakes dancing in the wind.
Bobby - too kind, but thank you.
Technogran - really pleased you liked it. Thank you.
Marsha - thank you. I think I'd prefer a different sort of exotic!
M - I'm not sure I'd want to live somewhere where snow was expected - the occasional surprise downfall is enough for me.
mybabyjohn/Delores - thank you! I'm glad we're both in the dry-eyed camp!
Young at Heart - I love snow to look at, but I always want my feet to be on warm sand...
Bea - I'm really glad it captured you!
Raymond - thank you!
HappyfrogandI - thanks Abbey, glad you liked it. Have you read any of Bobby's writing - he's a proper story teller.
Lizzie - be careful what you wish for!
ND Mitchell - thanks David, glad you liked it.
Steven - I've realised I've no idea you live - I'll just have to sneak over to your blog and find out.
Jennifer - 72 degrees sounds just about perfect to me!
Malavika - playing in real snow is wonderful - for about 5 minutes, until you start to feel wet and cold. It's much better from indoors looking out.
Danielle - give me sunshine any day.
Cle - I'm with you completely - looking at the snow through a window is so much better!
Bill - thank you!
Blissed-out Grandma - thank you, I'm really pleased you liked it.
Jayne - ok, ok, I'm pulling my boots on now...
The girl three doors down - thank you!
Zainab - it's lovely to see and feel snow - if only for a short while - I hope you get to do so one day.
This is beautiful! I love how the last sentence made me go back and read the passage again...your writing is so eloquent! I recently made my first snowman (at the age of 19). He felt like a security guard in our backyard, and a friendly face to say good morning to.
Sara
http://branchesofthought.blogspot.com
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