Shadow in the Snow

The Farmhouse

    The farmhouse in which Otis and his family lived was colorful and bright and the ceilings were built very high which gave it a very spacious feel despite the amount of furniture inside, and it was clean and quaint and smelled of food. Snow wanted very much to go out and see the sun and sky and trees and all of the other wonderful things again but the scent of cooking reminded him of how hungry he was, too. He soon spotted a window with the curtains pulled aside through which he could see out and was content. It was only after he had seen the window and realized he could still see outside whenever he wanted that he really bothered to pay closer attention to the rest of the house.

    They were standing in a kitchen -- a rather large one, for it was full of very large people. They were all women and the room was filled with the sound of voices; voices which died off quickly when the group by the door was spotted.

    "Visitors!" Otis declared, "and we shall feed them well, a-yep we shall." Then to Snow and La he said "go on and sit anywhere ye'd like while I give them a hand."

    La insisted on helping until she was finally shooed into a chair and out of the way but Snow settled himself quite comfortably on the little window seat where he could stare outside all he wanted. The barn was within view. Thankfully, he saw no men gathered around it.

    "You're a very odd looking man." Snow started a little, having not realized someone was approaching. He looked over and down to a small and serious looking girl who was watching him thoughtfully.

    "Am I?" he asked.

    "Yes."

    "Well then, I suppose I am. Is that a bad thing?"

    There was a pause, and then she shook her head. "I s'pose not. My sisters say my doll is odd because she's got only one eye but I still love her." She held up the doll for Snow to see.

    He surveyed the doll seriously, then nodded. "What happened to her eye?"

    "Bessie ate it."

    "The chicken?"

    She bobbed her head up and down so rapidly and with such enthusiasm that Snow wondered how it didn't hurt. "I was mad at first but I love Bessie too so I forgave her."

    "I see. And what's your name?"

    "I'm Flicka. So is my doll." She held it up again and Snow looked at it just as seriously as he had the first time. "It's a good name so I used it twice."

    "A very good name," he agreed. "My name is Snow."

    She tilted her head at him, frowning. "It's not a good name for you. Snow is fluffy and you're a very skinny odd man. Like a beanpole. I'm going to call you Beanpole."

    Snow, though he had no idea what a beanpole even was until she explained it, decided it was a good enough name and said that it was quite all right with him, though he denied her offer to stand in the garden and let beans grow up him. Fortunately, they were interrupted to go and eat before she could try to continue to convince him.

    At first glance, their meal looked like quite a generous fare, yet it was carefully served to be divided between eleven people with not a single scrap gone to waste. Smaller portions were given to the smaller people, though La and Snow were given a little extra and when Snow gave the farmer's wife a questioning look, she smiled at him.

    "Otis tells me you haven't eaten in a while. You may need your strength yet," she said.

    After that, most of the meal was eaten in silence. Eating was clearly serious business in this household (next to him, Flicka kept trying to share food with her doll) and Snow didn't realize how hungry he was until he took that first bite and after that, nothing really mattered but taking the next bite, and the next, until all of the food was gone and he was finally satisfied. When they had all finished eating, they moved into the sitting room and settled in, and Snow sat on the large fur rug near the fire for he enjoyed firelight even when it was not too cold.