I was six when I first saw it. I had never seen anything like it before. There was no warning. No alarm. No signal. Not even gossip from Penny Farthings who knew the morning news, and some extras, before it was printed.
Nope.
It was just there. All of a sudden. Everywhere. Over everything.
Goose-pimples covered the back of my neck as I slowly scanned the world outside my bedroom window. Nothing was left untouched. Not even my brand new cherry pink tricycle. Overnight, my entire world had been hit by what seemed like an explosion of frosting and flour.
Thud!
A white, round, splattered mass smashed hard against the window and slowly slide down the glass. Startled, I wobbled unsteadily in my leg braces.
My older brother Tom stood outside the window laughing at me. I steadied my balance, wrinkled my nose and glared long and hard at him. He looked like an inflated tomato in his red winter jacket and green tuque.
"Hey, twerp!" Tom yelled. "Watch this!"
He scooped up a handful of the white powder, packed it into a ball and threw it hard at Mr. Spader the mailman. It hit the side of his leg and shattered on contact. The parcels in Mr. Spader's hands dropped to the ground. Tom darted out of sight, but not before Mr. Spader saw him and started waving his fists in the air screaming words I dare never repeat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
“I don’t wanna go out!” I whined.
Mom wasn’t listening. She was too excited bundling me up in the layers of winter hand-me-downs that she had been collecting all summer from her weekly clothing swaps.
When mom finally finished, I looked at myself in the mirror. Horror crossed my face. I looked like the spitting image of my stuffed Miss Piggy doll - minus the happy face.
I sighed. I decided not to tell Mom that I had to pee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A bitter chill stung my cheeks as Tom dragged me down the street on our plastic toboggan. The cul-de-sac, which was normally quiet on a Wednesday morning, was alive with excitement as snowballs flew and snowmen emerged. Everyone was outside inspecting the new white landscape. Even grumpy old Molly Mae was smiling as she handed out cups of her famous hot chocolate to passer-by’s. Tom refused to stop. He was still sore at old Molly Mae’s granddaughter, Hazel Mae, for deliberately covering his desk seat with white glue in class last week. Mom said she did it to show Tom how much she liked him, but Tom was convinced Hazel Mae was possessed by zombies.
“Why do they call it snow?” I asked while my hand dragged against the white powder.
Tom shrugged. “I don’t S-know,” he said sarcastically while laughing at his own joke.
I rolled my eyes.
“What's that all about?” I pointing at a group of kids lying in the snow. It looked like they were doing a weird kind of jumping jack.
Tom stopped the toboggan, fell on the ground and started moving his arms and legs back and forth similar to the group of kids. He stood up.
“See,” he said. “A snow angel.”
“Cool! Let me try one!”
“Nah! You'd be too slow!” Tom picked up the toboggan rope and started running.
“Careful!” I cried.
“Don’t be such a fraidy cat!” Tom shouted.
I covered my eyes with both hands. I hated it when he went too fast. The toboggan started to wobble. I heard Tom screech.
Uncovering my eyes, I watched frightfully as me and the toboggan race ahead of Tom.
“TOM!” I screamed as loud as I could.
Suddenly, the toboggan hit a rock. Instantly I was catapulted into the air on a course destined for Ms. Piccadilly’s monstrous snowy hedge.
I opened my mouth to scream but no words came. I frantically flapped my arms and legs in a jumping jack motion hoping to make a snow angel and fly upwards.
Whooph!
Mooph!
Splat!
I hit the hedge hard and was at once buried under a lump of snow. Tom rushed to my side. Quickly he dug me out for under the pile.
“You, okay?” He asked nervously.
I wiped away the snow from my eyes and glared at Tom who looked positively guilt-ridden.
A smirk crossed my lips. I no longer had to pee.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
