The World Walkers: Aerith: The Snow People

[k_a_webb]

Based on a prompt I gave LJ and DW user aldersprig during her weather mini-call.

It was normal once a year for the children to make snow people. At the end of the hard snows, when the adults gathered with their cider and stories of those who had been lost, the children celebrated. Like everyone else they’d been trapped, so the freedom invigorated them in a way the adults remembered but couldn’t recreate. They threw snowballs at each other, built snow people and occasionally snow animals, and did their best to have fun because they knew it wouldn’t be long before the hard snows returned. Sometimes they even managed to get the teenagers involved, mostly by getting them to pull sleds.

Then it happened. As usual everyone went to sleep with the snow people gathered in the town square. When they woke the next morning they’d all disappeared. Everyone commented on how strange it was, because they normally lasted until the hard snows destroyed them, but no one knew what had happened to them. Not until three days later when one of the snow people walked into town. His appearance had changed, so he looked much more like a man, but his colouring made it obvious what he was, and they were too used to magic changing their world for them not to realise.

“Good morning,” he said, looking unsure of himself. It was hardly a surprise considering they way everyone had turned to stare at him. “I was wondering if it was possible to buy supplies here, at least until we get to know the area better. We wouldn’t want to be a burden.”

Silence followed. People looked at each other, the same confused look on everyone’s faces. The snow man, biting hard on his lip, nodded and turned to walk away.

“You’re welcome here,” a voice said from the doorway of the temple. “Don’t take the silence to mean that we don’t want you here. It’s just… we were a part of your creation and that makes you a part of us, so to hear you say you don’t want to be a burden is a surprise.”

As the snow man turned to look at the man he nodded tentatively. “I never thought of it like that.” He shrugged. “None of us thought of it like that.” Slowly, he looked around, appearing to take in everything, before returning his gaze to the man. “We would rather build our own settlement and begin to learn how to live here, rather than rely on you for the rest of our lives, however long that might be.”

“That’s understandable. Where are you staying now?”

“We found a couple of huts that were enough to shelter us from the snow. It’s not really enough space for all of us, but it’s better than nothing, and we weren’t really sure what to do.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Sixteen adults, nine children, and three dogs.”

“The first thing we need to do is set you up with some more living space. We have some part-built huts you can have in return for a few hours work.”

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Comments

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

This is an odd and delightful story. I'd enjoy seeing more of it.

No typos spotted.