The Child of Frost

The boy in the snow

-present-

Fawn's P.O.V

"Fawn, go play outside with the other kids. You've been inside all day," mother called out to me as I sat in my room playing with a handmade doll. I put my doll back on my bed as I gathered up my warm coat and my boots.

I smiled as I ran outside, "okay, Momma!" Snow covered the ground as I twirled around until I fell down, laughing. Other kids stared at me for a while before they decided to join in the fun.

"Hey guys, let's have a snow ball fight!" one of the boys called out before gathering a ball of snow and throwing it at me. It hit me on my shoulder before I returned fire. An all out war began as laughter filled the air.

Just as I was knocked down, I noticed in the distance a boy with white hair watching us with curiosity as he sat there, waiting to see who will win. Looking at the others, I knew they could see him too.

"Kid, do you want to play with us?" I called out to him. He didn't answer. "Come play! It'll be fun!"

That seemed to have convinced him to walk over. As he got closer, we realized something about him. Besides his white hair, the boy wasn't wearing anything to protect him from the cold. He was walking on the snow barefoot. His blue sweater was just a little too big for him, ending above his knees.

"What's your name?" I asked him, ignoring the others stares.

The boy looked at the others before saying, "My name is Jack. What's your names?"

As the others introduced themselves, I couldn't help but stare at him. His skin was pale, and he didn't seem to be bothered by the cold.

"And, this is Fawn. She's seven years old and loves to play in the snow," one of the older boys said as he introduced me.

Jack met my eyes as he said, "really? So do I."

"How old are you?" I asked.

Without hesitating, he said, "I'm your age."

After getting all the introductions out of the way, we all began our game. Jack loved it. He didn't care how many times he was hit, he just wanted to have fun. As the sun began to go down, the snow continued to fly. Parents began to call us inside, but what was strange was that they came in a group, almost as if to protect us from something."

"Get away from him!" my mother shouted as she grabbed me roughly by the arm, pulling me away from Jack. The other parents followed, pulling their kids away from the little boy.

"What are you doing here, you little monster! Get out of here and never come back again!" The parents stepped closer, scaring poor Jack. He took a step back before falling in the snow. Almost as if to protect him, the wind gathered him up from the ground. Snow covered his body as he suddenly disappeared.

I waited until I was at home to ask mother why she was so mean to Jack.

"You do not want to get involved with Jack Frost, dear child. He will cause you nothing but trouble," was her answer. I didn't understand what was so wrong about him. We were only playing, so what harm would have came?

That night, I had a dream about him. Jack was floating in the air, bringing down more snow to the world as an old man stood next to him. Jack smiled warmly as he asked the old man something I couldn't understand.

Just then, I was awaken by a knock on my window. I rubbed my eyes sleepily as I looked to see who it was.

"Jack? What are you doing here?" I asked myself as I walked over to open the window.

With a shy smile, he said, "hi, Fawn. I'm sorry to come so late, but I didn't want to make your mom mad."

"It's okay, but what are you doing here? You're not supposed to come back," I told him as I sat back down on my bed. "If my momma finds out that you're in here, she might hurt you."

"I'm not going to stay long. I just wanted to give you this," he pulled out his hand from his pocket and in his hand was... Nothing. Confused a bit, I looked him in the eye.

He met my gaze before saying " just watch." Suddenly, snow began to form in his palm, making the shape of a bunny. He blew on it, turning it into a hard, cold bunny, before handing it to me.

"Jack , this is amazing! Why is it that the adults hate you when you are so nice?" I asked him as I stared at the ice bunny in my hand.

He stayed silent, frowning, before saying, "I don't know, but good night, Fawn. I have to go before he notices I'm gone."

"Jack, wait. Why didn't you say you were Jack Frost in the first place?"

Jack hesitated by the window, looking nervous as he answered, "I was scared that if you knew the truth, you wouldn't like me. People hear my stories, and they just fear me. I thought if you didn't know..."

I understood him now. "I like Jack Frost stories. I'm not afraid of him one bit, and besides, he's nice."

He smiled again before jumping out the window and floating away with the wind.