Snowbird // niall horan au

part 1 // she

snow·bird [snoh-burd] –Informal. Slang.  A person who vacations in or moves to a warmer climate during cold weather.

It was not a small peach-magenta cottage trimmed with fancy white window frames and a white picket fence; it was a space ship. It was not a family-friendly, two-floor house complete with five rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a basement, and a spacious yard; it was a war zone. It was not nestled deep within the woods just outside the little town of Small, Nevada; it was the headquarters of the largest empire on the world. It was not just another bed and breakfast; it was the most amazing jungle gym full of adventures. It was not just ordinary; it was extraordinary.

Except it never snowed, and that bothered Niall. The people who came to his house were always talking about getting away from the snow; he bet there was nothing to be afraid of.

“I’m not a host.” He whined to his mother. “I am an explorer.”

“Explores can host.” His mother hummed. She was folding the white fluffy towels that Niall wasn’t allowed to touch or use.

“When?”

“Today.” She responded innocently.

Niall groaned.

“Do as you’re told.” His brother warned, already raising his hand as if to strike Niall.

Niall bit his tongue from saying anything but he grumbled and stomped all the way to his room, which he would have to give up for the remainder of the winter. His family always did this and he didn’t quite understand why. It was weird to let strangers stay at your house; none of the other kids at school did it. Reluctantly, Niall picked up his toys and piled away most of his clothes so that the strangers could use his drawers. He put away his clothes, and the other things he would need throughout the season, in the room he was sharing with his brother. His sheets were already changed, so he only had to worry about cleaning the rest of his room; this meant cleaning under the bed. While digging in his closet, Niall found himself exploring the depths of the Amazon jungle.

The branches of the trees shielded the scorching sun rays from the sky. Everything was dim and damp and he had to crouch down in the bushes. There was a tiger just yards away from him and it was his intention to kill it with his bare hands. It sat there licking its self as if it were a kitten. He might have been sympathetic if he weren’t a savage jungle man that hadn’t eaten anything in a while. The feline suddenly perked up and twitched its year in his direction, as if it could hear his threat. He stopped breathing and waited patiently for the animal to lose interest, but that didn’t happen. In the blink of an eye, the cat darted away and he went tumbling after it. It headed towards a clearing and suddenly the light was brighter than it had been in his hiding spot. The cat meowed loudly as it was chased and he ran after it, his grasp just inches from its whipping tail.

“Niall leave the dog alone!” His father scolded from the door. “We’re technically open and our guests will be coming soon, your room needs to be ready.”

Niall collapsed on his floor. He was having fun chasing his dog, Falkor, as a tiger. The K-9 sat there with his tongue out and his butt up in the air, ready to pounce away from Niall again.

“You’re not even a cat.” He told him. Falkor whined and jumped a little, signaling Niall that he wanted to play. He was just a golden retriever puppy they had gotten two months ago, but Niall was already in love with him and considered him his best friend. “Alright, we have to focus now.”

Niall finished up with his room, making sure all his toys were in the room he would be sharing with his brother, Greg. It was almost evening, and that’s usually when the strangers would start coming. Soon enough, a blue SUV pulled into their yard; which Niall’s dad and older brother cleaned up this morning. They were a young couple and it was their first time here. They packed their bags in the second farthest room down the hallway, the one next to Niall’s temporary room. Niall looked at their license plates and saw that they were from Michigan. They didn’t do much, just stayed in their room. His mom said that was normal since people were usually tired.